Wednesday Words
The use of words is a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can provoke thought and lead to understanding.
"We stand now where two roads diverge. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth."
Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
“Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world’s scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.” This is a quote from Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Fact or fiction? I haven’t seen the movie or read the book yet, but I for one believe that the writing is on the wall and has been for some time.
For as long as I’ve been in education, I have taught the very concepts and ideas that the movie is founded on. Global warming is something that disturbs me. The majority of scientists agree that we are to blame for global warming. We know what causes it yet we look the other way. We know how to stop it yet we choose not to. It’s just not convenient for us to do anything because it would mean disrupting our way of life. Eventually it will get to the point that we won’t have a choice in the matter and Mother Nature will make the decision for us.
So what exactly is global warming? Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is called the green house effect and makes our planet habitable. However, burning fossil fuels and clearing forests dramatically increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. Because carbon dioxide has the highest heat-trapping ability of the greenhouse gases, global temperatures are rising.
So how will this effect us? Remember last year’s record number of named storms? A rise in global temperature means a rise in ocean surface temperatures. This is important because that is where extreme weather such as hurricanes and tropical storms draw their energy from, the warmth of the ocean water. The higher the ocean surface temperatures, the stronger and more frequent the storms. In the past, hurricanes would follow warm water currents like the Gulf Stream. That is how the Outer Banks of North Carolina where the Gulf Stream hugs the coast became know as hurricane alley. The current would lead the hurricanes to land as they grew in strength feeding on the energy from the warm water. But in recent years, with the water temperatures rising storms are free to follow alternate paths and still be able to gain strength. Surface water temperatures are higher than they’ve ever been in the Gulf of Mexico and so are the number of storms finding their way into those waters. It’s simple, warmer water equals more and stronger storms. This is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak.
So what do we do about it? That’s where the problem lies. Until the people in charge recognize that there is a problem, it will be a difficult struggle to do something. There are many organizations out there that are growing in numbers to spread the word and effect change. Organizations like Natural Resources Defense Council, stopglobalwarming.org, and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth campaign are raising awareness and putting pressure on politicians to wake up and get a clue before it’s too late. With each passing election the problem seems to grow and nothing gets done. Individuals need to make their voice heard.
For now, there are some simple things that people can do to make a difference. Cut back on the use of fossil fuels by walking or riding a bike as often as possible, plant trees instead of cutting them down, and recycle, reduce, and reuse. There are many more things that can be done and each of the organizations I listed has great advice on how to do your part. Talking about it may raise awareness, but it won’t matter if people don’t get involved and do their part. Let’s save this planet before it’s too late.
