Controversial Issue Of Global Warming

An Inconvenient

Truth The climate crisis that our planet faces has become an everincreasing and extremely controversial issue. In the book Inconvenient Truth, Gore goes beyond the political and economic implications of this crisis and states that global warming is a moral issue that humans need to address. For years, scientists have been examining the reasons for the changing climate and have come to the conclusion that global warming is real and it is serious threat to the world. Eventually, this threat will lead to major catastrophes that will cause epic destruction of our planet.

Gore, main purpose in this book is to expose the lies and misconceptions regarding global warming and to inspire the public to take action. Global warming is already occurring and it is a result of human activities, not a natural occurrence. Gore, commitment to fighting global warming dates back to his days as a college student when he first recognized the environmental crisis.

However, the turning point in Gore, life came when his son experienced a serious accident as a young child and Gore was forced to prioritize his life.

This was a defining moment in Al Gore, life; he realized what was most important to him; his family and the environment. Gore uses personal anecdotes throughout the book to connect to the audience. From his son 25, accident to the death of his sister, he uses these stories to ignite emotion in the reader to show the importance of what is at stake if we do not make an effort to improve the effects of green house gases on the planet.

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Gore also tries to spark interest and feeling by comparing global warming to Adolph Hitler. People ignored Hitler and his heinous actions, hoping that he would eventually go way. However, nothing happened until the world took action and put an end to Hitler, regime. Similarly, people around the world are ignoring the effects of global warming and until we act, this crisis will not go away.

Perhaps one of the most important claims that Gore makes is that global warming is not a political issue, instead it is a moral issue and we as inhabitants on this earth have a responsibility to do something about it. He points out our responsibility in creating and eventually ending this dilemma which allows the reader to personally relate to the issue. The climate crisis gives us a generational mission, a moral purpose to rise up together and take action. Humans are the root cause of much of the global warming and unless we take action soon, the consequences on the environment will become irreversible. After all, Earth is the only home we have, why would we not save it from destruction? This is a question Gore examines throughout his book; why are we doing nothing to save the planet we live on? After all, the survival of our civilization is at stake, which one would think is reason enough to fight global warming. Gore believes that the main reason people are still not taking notice is because they do not understand the devastating effects of the climate crisis. We are being led by a congress and president that refuses to acknowledge the problems we are facing. There are numerous warnings about the potential disasters that global warming has caused and will continue to cause yet these warnings are being disregarded by our government. Most importantly, as the title states, global warming is a truth and it is more convenient for people to ignore this truth.

Opponents argue that fighting this man-made problem will be too time-consuming and expensive; however, refusing to act now will bring about permanent and grave environmental problems that will alter our lives and the lives of future generations severely. Unless the world comes to together and overlooks their conflicts, we will suffer from a number of catastrophes that we have the ability prevent. Gore explains and helps the reader to understand the actual problem with global warming and the harm it is causing on the world. Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet by keeping solar heat in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, by burning too many fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil we are considerably increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth atmosphere. The very thin layer of atmosphere is being thickened by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The atmosphere is trapping infrared radiation instead of allowing it to escape into the universe, and as a result the temperature of the earth is getting too warm and causing even more severe problems. Roger Revelle was the first person to recognize the impact of greenhouse gases on our planet and he proposed measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth,  atmosphere. His measurements showed a chart of drastically rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which are harmful to earth,a,,cs ecosystems. Scientists have concluded that there is a correlation between temperature and rising levels of carbon dioxide. When there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the temperature rises because more heat from the sun is trapped inside. We have already begun to see the effects of these rising temperatures. From melting glaciers to severe storms, these environmental issues will only continue to worsen as emissions of green house gases increase. Glaciers in Alaska, Peru, the Alps, and many more are melting at rapid speeds. The Himalayan Glaciers have been among the most affected by global warming.

The glaciers provide drinking water to forty percent of the world,  population. However, over the next fifty years as these glaciers melt and disappear, these places will face vital water shortages. The disappearance of Lake Chad is another major issue caused by the climate change. This lake used to be the sixth largest lake in the world, however, due to global warming and lack of rainfall it has shrunk to one-tenth its original size. This lake is used for many purposes including crop irrigation, fishing, livestock, and drinking water. People are facing starvation and many lives have already been lost from the drastic reduction in the lake. The climate crisis is also linked to the extinction of many species to a level comparable to the extinction of the dinosaurs; however, we are causing the extinction this time, not an asteroid.

As warming continues, the world can expect catastrophes and disasters to increase. There have been considerable increases in number of category four and five hurricanes, with global warming increasing the duration and intensity of hurricanes by almost fifty percent. Warm water can drive more convection energy to fuel more powerful hurricanes. In 2004 alone, Florida was hit by four powerful hurricanes. Heatwaves will be more frequent and more intense, such as the heatwave that killed 35,000 people in the summer of 2003 in Europe.

Such disasters as droughts and wildfires will occur more often. The rising temperature is also increasing the amount of disease vectors, such as algae, mosquitoes, and ticks which will spread more diseases to humans. Malaria and West Nile are becoming more prevalent and could eventually decimate populations around the world. Places like Greenland and Antarctica are gradually melting and could break off and fall into the ocean. This would increase sea levels by eighteen to twenty feet, which would drastically change areas such as Florida and San Francisco by putting much of the land underwater. More importantly is that these natural disasters will ultimately result in the deaths of millions of men, women, children, and animals. If we can do something to help save the lives of so many people then why are we waiting? Gore ends his book by bringing the problem of global warming down to the reader,  level by giving the reader numerous ways in which they can help curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Too many people assume the Earth is too large for humans to have such an impact on the environment and that we can virtually do nothing to help the problem. However, this false belief is the main reason why Gore wrote this book. He wanted to show people that this crisis is real and any small measure can help. We not only can help solve this problem, but we also have a moral obligation to save the planet. Even small changes in our daily routine can add up to huge differences in the fight to stop global warming. The US alone emits a quarter of the world, greenhouse gases. The United States has a responsibility to future generations to take the lead in implementing measures to limit global warming while it is still possible. It is imperative to address this issue before it gets out of hand. Global warming is a unique problem because it will affect people around the world regardless of gender, race, class, or age.

The United States plays a significant part in greenhouse gas emissions and needs to take more of a stand regarding the crisis. Global warming is a universal issue and we as planet need to take the necessary steps to ensure the health of the ecosystems. We must solve this problem now, before it is too late. The time has come to take action or the world will never be the same again.