World War Iii, Global Warming

World War III, Global Warming
“People tend to focus on the here and now. The problem is that, once global warming is something that most people can feel in the course of their daily lives, it will be too late to prevent much larger, potentially catastrophic changes,” Elizabeth Kolbert. For decades our world has been changing slowly, and we have felt the wrath of global warming. Recent hurricanes such as Ike, Wilma, Katrina, Rita, and now Sandy have caused many casualties, billions of dollars in damage and chaos to environments around the world. The effects of these storms are only getting greater with time. We can’t simply adapt to it, and the costs are incalculable. What we are facing is huge, global warming is real, and it is here! It’s time we start focusing on using clean energy exclusively, because the better option is out there.
The basic physics of global warming are pretty straightforward. Carbon dioxide reflects energy in the infrared region, rather than letting it pass through, leading to greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect heats the Earth because greenhouse gases absorb outgoing radiative energy and re-emit some of it back towards earth. This was first discovered by Svante Arrhenius back in 1896. Burning coal and oil releases carbon dioxide (CO2), these two resources are what we use most to live the way we do today. We have direct measurements of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere going back more than fifty years, and these measurements confirm that concentrations are rising rapidly. Though natural amounts of CO2 have varied from 180 to 300 parts per million (ppm), today 's CO2 levels are around 390 ppm, that 's 30% more than the highest natural levels. Scientists have confirmed with this information that the unnatural levels of CO2 are indeed manmade (How we know human activity is causing warming).
The greenhouse effect is what leads to the rare storms we have had over the past decades. Hurricanes are known to get their energy from warm tropical ocean waters, so warmer oceans mean more energy. Also, warm air can carry more moisture in it than cool air, so warmer air means more rain. Simply put, global warming heats up our oceans and loads hurricanes with extra energy, making them more violent, increasing the amount of rainfall and high winds they deliver and making flooding more likely (Kistner). Rising sea levels also boost storm surges, and in turn lead to more severe flooding. Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30. Sandy happened towards the end of the season, when the water should be cooling down. This is why severe storms this late in the season are rare. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the waters Sandy passed through had temperatures that were far above average for this time of year. Recent meteorological data has shown us that in each of the past three years, there have been nineteen hurricanes, well above the long term average of twelve (Siegel). So obviously our weather patterns are going through a very severe period.
So where do we go from here? We do have solutions that can turn this around. Clean energy technologies can slow the dangerous flow of carbon pollution and create many jobs in the process. Standard forms of non-fossil fuels include wind harvesting, solar energy, hydroelectricity, and biomass and biofuel. It’s basically using the earth to power itself! As renewable energy sources go, the sun is by far the largest and most accessible here on Earth. It’s clean and quiet, no moving parts or waste from chemical reactions and it will be around for billions of more years. Many homeowners qualify for solar panel installation with no money down. Solar panels are nearly maintenance-free, last for decades, and produce power at a low, fixed cost once installed. However, solar energy is only harnessed during daylight hours and weather can decrease the efficiency of solar energy capture. Harvesting wind is similar to solar energy. It’s clean, and the tall wind towers take up little ground space, preserving land for other uses. Unfortunately, wind is not constant in most places a turbine can be built. Hydroelectricity is the use of dams; water is about 800 times denser than air, so its ability to spin a turbine is far greater. The good thing about dams is that water that passes through the turbine is not contaminated and can be reused downstream. The bad thing is that dams are expensive to build and can destroy habitats along rivers. Finely, we have biomass and biofuel, which is essentially solar energy stored in plants during photosynthesis. Today, biomass used for the production of biofuels exists primarily in the forms of wood, or energy crops, harvested specifically for biofuel production, plant waste from crops harvested for other purposes, and animal waste. Biomass can also be converted into a biogas, which is like methane, through microbial composting of waste and sewage and used as an alternative to natural gas. Biogas harvesting keeps methane, a potent greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere. The bad thing about biofuel and biomass is that large amounts of fresh water are needed to farm biomass and process its waste. Also without going through expensive refinement methods, biomass has a low energy density so transporting it to a biofuel plant is costly and inefficient (Connolly). So the options are out there, but they all do show consequences. The biggest issue is the money, because without it we can’t build large amounts of these structures or continue to develop better ways to harness these clean energy sources.
There is a split between those concerned that fossil fuels will eventually kill us off and those more concerned with current economic growth. The problem is that people feel the consequences of global warming will not be serious in their lifetimes, so they continue to focus on other matters. Last month, Hart Research Associates found that nine out of ten Americans say developing renewable energy should be a priority for the president and Congress, and that includes 85 percent of Republicans and 89 percent of Independents. Also, two-thirds of Americans want to extend tax incentives for clean energy (Kistner). It is obvious society is opening its eyes to the serious matter of global warming. Our leaders need to take action to encourage the development of clean energy sources. The climate is changing and the planet is already dangerously warm. It 's time to take action!

Works Cited * Carbon, Post. "Hurricane Sandy Highlights the Need to Move to Renewable Energy Sources." Hurricane Sandy Highlights the Need to Move to Renewable Energy Sources. Oil Price, Oil & Energy News, 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Hurricane-Sandy-Highlights-the-Need-to-Move-to-Renewable-Energy-Sources.html>.

* Connolly, Sean. "Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy Sources." STORIES The Real Goods. Real Goods, 24 July 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. http://stories.realgoods.com/pros-and-cons-of-renewable-energy-sources/ * "How We Know Human Activity Is Causing Warming." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-causes-warming>.

* Kistner, Rocky. "In the Gulf 's Rising Tide, Hurricane Sandy Strikes a Familiar Chord." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rocky-kistner/in-the-gulfs-rising-tide_b_2101589.html>.

* Lakoff, George. "Global Warming Systematically Caused Hurricane Sandy." OpEdNews. OpEdNews, 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://www.opednews.com/articles/Global-Warming-Systematica-by-George-Lakoff-121104-805.html>.

* Siegel, RP. "Hurricane Sandy: Itâs "Global Warming, Stupid"" Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit. Triple Pundit, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/11/hurricane-sandy-global-warming-stupid/>.

Cited: * Carbon, Post. "Hurricane Sandy Highlights the Need to Move to Renewable Energy Sources." Hurricane Sandy Highlights the Need to Move to Renewable Energy Sources. Oil Price, Oil &amp; Energy News, 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Hurricane-Sandy-Highlights-the-Need-to-Move-to-Renewable-Energy-Sources.html&gt;. * Connolly, Sean. "Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy Sources." STORIES The Real Goods. Real Goods, 24 July 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. http://stories.realgoods.com/pros-and-cons-of-renewable-energy-sources/ * "How We Know Human Activity Is Causing Warming." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-causes-warming&gt;. * Kistner, Rocky. "In the Gulf 's Rising Tide, Hurricane Sandy Strikes a Familiar Chord." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rocky-kistner/in-the-gulfs-rising-tide_b_2101589.html&gt;. * Lakoff, George. "Global Warming Systematically Caused Hurricane Sandy." OpEdNews. OpEdNews, 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.opednews.com/articles/Global-Warming-Systematica-by-George-Lakoff-121104-805.html&gt;. * Siegel, RP. "Hurricane Sandy: Itâs "Global Warming, Stupid"" Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit. Triple Pundit, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/11/hurricane-sandy-global-warming-stupid/&gt;.