Global Warming
Imagine: It’s winter in New York, and the weatherman has predicted a lovely 80 degree forecast, and the kids are swimming in pools that are far from being frozen over. But how is this possible? We can literally look to the skies for the answer. Global warming is the issue at hand and we must resolve it, for the effects foreseen could be catastrophic. Global warming is caused by the release of “Greenhouse Gases” into the atmosphere. When these gases are trapped they create a sort of “blanket” over the Earth, keeping in the heat that is supposed to escape. This is creating radical changes to the weather, the environment, and the cycle of life. While global warming is bringing about rapid descents in the populations of certain species, its large-scale effect on the Earth’s environment is the most critical problem we face.
The decline of animal populations is the most dismal effect of global warming. Because of drastic changes in our ecosystem, some species will be driven to move north to areas that have suitable living conditions for them. Butterflies, foxes, and even certain alpine plants have moved north for higher, cooler areas. For other species, however, migrating is not possible, and the population of that species will continue to decline until it ultimately reaches extinction. Researcher Bill Fraser recorded that the Adelie penguins in Antarctica have decreased in number of breeding pairs from 32,000 to just 11,000 over the last 30 years (“Effects of Global Warming”). This illustrates what is happening to multiple species around the planet. The arctic animals are clearly in the most danger. Another more commonly known Arctic animal in danger is the polar bear. According to wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard, polar bears have become very thin and unhealthy since the 1980’s from a lack of fish to eat and ice to live on (“Effects of Global Warming”). Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found the same of the bears in the...
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