Out of the Safety Zone, Into the Heat

A summer vacation was supposed to be fun. It wasnt supposed to be a disaster. Yet here you
were, staring at a torrent of water climbing towards you in what was supposed to be, according to
a brochure youve read, the sunny, exotic continent of South America, perfect for a vacation.
All the while you think, How is there a flood in the middle of November? And in South America
too! I need to get out of here! As the water begins to lap at the little cottage you were staying in,
you grab your bags and run towards the direction of the airport. This had to be the worst vacation
ever.
Global warming is the cause of floods in usually dry places and droughts in usually wet
places. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO ) and methane are the main cause of global
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warming. CO is the main source of greenhouse gas because we produce the most of it. For
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example, cars and automobiles release CO as a waste material when they run on gasoline, the
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burning of fossil fuel, coal, etc. for our electricity and warm water supply releases CO and so
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on. The reason why greenhouse gases like CO and methane cause global warming is because of
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a property they have called the greenhouse effect. The way this works is that as we release
greenhouse gases, it will go into the atmosphere. When the suns rays hit the Earth, those gases
work to trap some heat and warm up the planet while the remaining, excess heat escape back into
space. A little bit of greenhouse effect is good, in fact, we wouldnt have been able to survive if
there wasnt any. Now that we have too much greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, however, too
much heat is being trapped, warming up the Earth more than is needed. This will cause a lot of
trouble. Besides ruining somebodys summer vacation, global warming is also harmful to the
environment and to everything within it. It affects the weather, it affects animals, and it affects
us. Global warming is a serious issue and were not helping it get any better by just sitting there

doing nothing. It is an issue that is harmful to the environment and, perhaps, harmful to our
planets ability to sustain life.
One reason global warming is harmful to the environment is because it affects the weather. For
example, global warming affects the strength of storms such as hurricanes. According to The
Down-to- Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, Global
warming doesnt cause hurricanes. It just makes them stronger. Much stronger. This shows that
global warming affects the weather because hurricanes are part of the natural weather cycle. Its
a natural disaster that needs lots of warm air and water to keep it going. This connects back to the
weather because this means that since hurricanes are getting stronger, the air temperatures and
water temperatures must be warmer. Without warm temperatures, hurricanes are either unable to
form or unable to last a long period of time. Since global warming is causing the air to heat up,
hurricanes are very likely to get much stronger than they had been before. The results could be
disastrous, especially if it hits a city or a forest. Everything it hits will be affected. In addition,
the oceans are getting warmer. They take in CO like plants do, only they dont turn it into sugar
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or food. They simply absorb CO and as a result reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in our
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atmosphere. But now, the oceans are taking in too much. Theres so much carbon dioxide in our
atmosphere that our oceans cant keep up, and now theyre getting warmer. Thats not the worst
part: warmer oceans expand as well. This will mean rising sea levels, and thats terrible news for
islands, low-lying areas and coastal regions like Hawaii and California, which can be wiped out
from the world map forever. Another example would be that global warming can cause more
frequent floods in places that usually get a lot of sun and/or cause more droughts in places that
usually get a lot of rain. This can greatly affect the environment in ways that arent beneficial and
can really mess up the ecosystem. For example, if theres a drought or a flood in a place like the

Amazon Rainforest, a lot of organisms will die out either by thirst (droughts), hunger (both), or
in case of a flood, drowning. The same goes for a desert, where animals are adapted to the heat
but still need water to survive. If a flood hits the places, many organisms will drown or get
washed to somewhere unknown to them. If a drought hits the place and makes it warmer than
usual, some animals might not be able to survive, and the drought can prevent what little rain the
desert receives from coming. This will put many plants and animals in danger. This shows that
global warming is harmful to the environment because it affects the weather, which affects every
living organism (and possibly abiotic organisms as well, like rocks, through erosion) and the
natural environments animals, plants, and people live in.
Another reason why global warming is harmful to the environment is because it affects
animals. For example, global warming is causing many animals to lose their natural habitats.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, the sea ice platforms are melting and moving
farther apart. This is bad news to polar bears, penguins, and other animals that live in the North
and South Poles because sea ice is important to the survival of these animals. Melting sea ice
forces these animals to travel longer distances to find food because their prey or food source has
moved elsewhere. Also according to the National Wildlife Federation, there were even cases
where polar bears have tired on their journeys and drowned. Also, global warming is driving
many animals closer and closer to to extinction. One example would be the penguins in
Antarctica. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Over the past 25
years, some Antarctic penguin populations have shrunk by 33 percent due to declines in winter
sea ice habitat. According to The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, the golden toad
species has gone extinct due to the increase in temperature. The toads are rare because they need
specific requirements in their environment in order to survive and they have sensitive skin. The

temperature change was enough to damage their skin, leading to the toads extinction. Finally,
global warming is causing more frequent forest fires. According to NASA Global Climate
Change, there are Increased heat, drought, and insect outbreaks, all linked to climate change
and increased wildfires in the Southwest. Wildfires are something not to be taken lightly.
According to Infoplease, a wildfire in Colorado in the year of 2012 destroyed more than
244,000 acres, caused 6 deaths and Military aircraft tankers were called in to help battle the
flames. This clearly shows us that wildfires are destructive and sometimes it takes a lot to put
them out. Plants and animals die or desert the place, ashes are left on the ground, and a huge
chunk of forest is destroyed. All of this is due to global warming. Animals are an important part
of the environment and each play a crucial role in their ecosystems. Some, like earthworms, are
decomposers and keep the environment clean by helping to decompose dead organisms. Other
animals, like rabbits and deer, are herbivores. They help keep the plant population in check and
theyre a food source for predators. As cruel as it sounds, predators like foxes, wolves, and eagles
need to eat and are there to keep the population of their prey in check. Since global warming is
endangering many of them, the environment wont be as rich in life as it used to be and the
balance of the ecosystem would be tilted. This shows that global warming is harmful to the
environment because its affecting animals in their habitats and messing up the balance of nature.
Finally, global warming is harmful to the environment because it affects us. For example,
global warming is causing stronger storms. This means that itll cause more destruction for
places the storms hit and could cause many of us to lose family and friends as well as our homes.
According to The Down- to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, Hurricane Katrina started as a
category 1 hurricane but during the four days it passed through the Gulf of Mexico, which
had an abnormally high surface temperature of 87F, it turned into a category 5 hurricane. This

shows how the water temperatures of oceans and seas are related to the strength of storms. From
the effect Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans, we can see how much more destruction can be
brought on to other places around the world. This harms the environment because we are the
predators when the predators rest and the prey when prey runs rare. Were part of the food web
too, and since weve impacted the environment quite a lot (perhaps not in the best of ways at
times), our disappearance will also greatly impact the environment. Also, according to NASA
Global Climate Change the temperature will continue to rise if we dont do something to prevent
it or slow it. Eventually the weather pattern could become unpredictable. We would live without
knowing what will happen next. Do we want this for our children and for those in future
generations? Everything weve done has impacted the environment in some way, so if the
weather tears it down itll destroy the environment we created and the life we worked so hard to
build. This shows why global warming affecting us is harmful to the environment.
Some people may argue that global warming is not harmful to the environment because we
need it to survive and its too late to stop it anyway. Without global warming, the Earth would be
too cold for us and possibly other animals to live on. They may say that the temperature isnt
rising by that much since according to NASA Earth Observatory its just 1F. Its not going to be
that bad, and besides weve already harmed the environment to the point of no return. Taking
action would just be a waste of effort, energy, money and time. However, thats not true. Even
the slightest increase in temperature threatens the safety of many animals and the environment
and its true that global warming does help us, but too much of it hurts us. The rapid increase of
temperature on Earth isnt giving animals enough time to adapt, so many are becoming
endangered or, in some cases, extinct. In addition, the temperature change is causing animals to
migrate large distances to cooler places where they can escape the heat. They have a greater risk

of being caught up in a terrible storm, eaten by predators, or just tiring out and not making it at
all. Everything connects back to the food web and to global warming. But we cant blame our
problems for global warming because were the one who caused it to get so extreme in the first
place. Its not too late to attempt to stop global warming from getting any worse. We need to at
least try, not give up. If we dont try we have no reason for giving up. Global warming is clearly
harmful to the environment, but we have the power to stop it from causing more destruction.
Why cant we try?
Global warming isnt an issue that will go away on its own. We need to step in and try to
prevent it from getting too extreme. There are plenty of things we can do to reduce the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and plenty we can do to save what we still have. We can use
less energy, which will mean less emissions of CO . This can help lessen pollution, which plays a
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major role in global warming, as well as lessen the amount of greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere. This in turn will lessen the amount of heat trapped on Earth and will help us slow
the effects of global warming. Another thing we can do is to plant more trees and plants. They
take in CO for food and in turn give us oxygen, so its a win-win situation for us and for the
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plants. We can also cut down on the amount of trees we chop down, which has led to a big case
of deforestation because of the amount of wood everyone is demanding. All these major issues
were causing actually contribute to global warming as well. By stopping problems like pollution
and deforestation from progressing any further, were ensuring a brighter future for animals and
humans alike. No one would need to spend more days wondering when a flood will go down or
when a heat wave will end anymore than they already do without global warming adding to it.
And even if we probably cant keep global warming at bay forever, it wouldnt hurt to at least try
to make the world safer for a longer period of time, right? To repeat, global warming isnt an

issue that will go away on its own. We all need to contribute to prevent it from getting worse.
Were the cause of this problem, yet were also the solution. Everyone needs to put in their cents
and help lessen the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. After all, who wouldnt want
a brighter future for us, other animals, and our own planet?

Sources

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon

National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/GlobalWarming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat.aspx

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/

NASA Global Climate Change

http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

NASA Earth Observatory

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/decadaltemp.php
Infoplease
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778688.html