Dear Editor,
To begin with, “I would like to point out that global warming is a serious threat to mankind and governments around the world.” According to the Oxford ESL Dictionary, global warming is the increase in the temperature of certain gases in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is a layer of gas above the earth’s surface which helps to protect the earth from the sun’s radiation, which may cause cancer and other related diseases.
Scientists have discovered cracks in the ozone layer caused by (Chlorofluorocarbons) a gas used in refrigerators, air conditions and aerosol containers. Do you know that (carbon dioxide) and other aerosol gases trap the heat from the sun and make the earth warmer? Ecologists have also indicated that the earth’s temperature will rise between four to five degrees Fahrenheit in the future causing droughts in many parts of the world.
The impact of global warming: rivers are disappearing as the Earth warms. The Arctic ice is melting, sea levels are rising. Today, climate change has claimed over 350,000 lives. It was predicted that there will be more devastating hurricanes and floods for 2016. Global climate change will also be responsible for more poverty in different parts of the world; agriculture crops will be destroyed, sickness and diseases will be on the rise.
El Nino, (“the Christ Child in Spanish”) is the warm ocean conditions along the Tropical West Coast of South America. This catastrophic activity has serious effects on agricultural crops and fisheries. El Nino causes the warm ocean in the Pacific to affect the atmosphere, increasing rainfall and causing flooding and erosion, which is damaging to agriculture.
Technological advances have contaminated many natural resources around the world. Now there are laws in placed to protect the ecosystems. The Kyoto Protocol was sign by 160 countries around the world to reduce the green-house effect, which causes the overheating of the Earth’s surface and lowers atmospheric conditions. Air pollution is the release of dangerous gases into the atmosphere; desert storms, forest and grass fires have largely contributed to the green-house effect.
Famine, deforestation and torrential rainfall in Brazil and Haiti are some of the causes for the green-house effect and have killed thousands of people and resulted in hunger and starvation, leaving people in extreme poverty. Volcanic activities are the prime source of air pollution, releasing huge quantities of toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Some major health concerns affecting humans are eyes irritations and coughing.
Catastrophic natural disasters: in Iran, Algeria and Haiti powerful earthquakes claimed the lives of 50,000 people and left more than 200,000 homeless. In Indonesia, tsunamis have claimed over 250,000 lives and left over 200,000 homeless. In Bangladesh, monsoon floods claimed 2,000 and left over 30 million homeless. In Australia, drought and heat created bushfires and destroyed millions of acres of forest land.
In parts of Europe dramatic changes in weather patterns resulted in 20,000 lives lost, and in the United States dangerous storms and hurricanes claimed over 16,000 lives. On the Caribbean island of Haiti, torrential rains and mud slides were responsible for over 20,000 lives.
In summary, countries around the world can help to prevent global warming caused by the green-house effect by reducing deforestation. Stop destroying trees and burning wood materials from clearing of land for agricultural purposes. Governments must have power stations and factories check periodically. They must try to reduce vehicles emissions. People should get into the habit of recycling. A lot of materials can be recycled and used again. Governments must have strategic plans to deal with sudden urgencies after any devastation.
Joseph Harvey
