Global Warming Outline

I)                   Introduction: Show Global warming as a crisis, thesis included.

a)                  Global Warming is an ever increasing crisis on our planet.

i)        The causes are many, as well as the effects.

ii)      The solutions are frighteningly few and far in between compared with how much damage we are doing.

iii)    Scientists are in agreement, and few tend to dispute the fact that the planet is changing.

iv)    The real question now is how much longer we can continue to ignore this problem before something terrible happens.

b)                  Not enough is being done to combat this or work towards a solution.

i)        Unless we figure out a different way to combat the CO2 we are putting into the atmosphere by burning gas the situation will keep deteriorating exponentially.

ii)      We will have to start adjusting to life using gas as a last resort or to a minimum level.

iii)    There are people who still dispute Global Warming who influence others not to act on the issue.

iv)    Future suspension of fact means everything that has been happening, and is now beyond our control, will continue to worsen.

c)                  Since there are so many aspects of Global Warming I have chosen to focus in on a few.

i)        The topics I chose to include using studies done with factual data include, Sea Level Rise, Storm Risk, Ocean Acidification, Ocean Temperature Rise, Human Resistance to Change, Changing Wind Patterns and Precipitation, Drought, and Changing Plant Ecology, and Resistance to Green Energy. These topics can all be related to Global Warming, for each of which I have good conclusive research.

d)                 Thesis statement: The least we can do is make an effort to reduce and try to eventually reverse this process for future generations to build on, revise, and resolve. At least, that’s the gift each generation gives to the next. The world, full of its newest struggles and impasses, is handed to us. We all hold faith that the next generation won’t give up and will be better than the last in some way.

II)                Sea Level Rise: One big concern is the rise in sea level we have experienced so far.

a)                  Not only is the rise in sea level itself alarming, the displacement of people from low-lying areas into higher ground is a big migration. (Byravan)

i)        It speculates refugees reception by other countries and the laws in place to deal with exiles.

b)                  Jacob H. Klaus explains how the events of Hurricane Sandy are a precursor of what is to come.

i)        There is conclusive evidence that storms and hurricanes occur more frequently in warmer waters. (Klaus)

ii)      We must prepare all coastal cities for a tragedy of such magnitude.

iii)    Many structures and homes vital to our survival exist close to water.

iv)    If we are not prepared for future occurrences we may be setting ourselves up for failure.

III)             Changing Wind Patterns: This shifts the areas receiving forms of precipitation, verses drought.

a)                  Some areas are receiving more rain, snow, storms or heat than usual.

i)        Two studies I found recorded increases in precipitation in mountainous areas of China and Canada as well as extreme estimates for the near future, and a shift from snow to more rain.

ii)      North American drought can be attributed to a change in the Pacific Easterly wind pattern. Thomas Delworth’s study explains that not only is our drought caused by rising temperature, but specifically, it is an effect of ocean warming which changes the planets well established air currents.

iii)    The current wind patterns are the reason for the lack of monsoons lately which India depends on for its rivers, aquifers, and temperature regulation.

iv)    This has even started effecting plant ecology, Africa is expected to change its habitat by 10% in 2028. This will affect people and animals in Africa especially if popular food sources are no longer suited to grow in Africa’s new climate.

IV)             Green Energy: The resistance to change is fierce.

a)                  I have a study which examines the pros and cons of switching modern companies over to green standards.

i)        That is green energy, de-carbonization, and investments in new technology.

ii)      It considers the cost of transferring to a green company in the long and short term, contrasting the price of new technology now with the impact of waiting until costs lower to convert to green energy. Impact meaning the impact to the environment. It isn’t common for people to think this way especially with all the concerns that already come with a business. Our situation now deems it as significant for all to switch over to green energy. The problem is it doesn’t become profitable for several years to install solar panels on roofs or wind turbines for how expensive they are.

b)                 One alternative mentioned a Climate Change related disaster cash transfer relief program.

i)        It suggested using this cash transfer program to reward people for engaging in carbon reduction activities. This can be taking a bike to work instead of driving. Providing a cash transfer to communities that decide to move themselves out of harm’s way from Climate Change deterring requirement for compensation in the future as a result of a lost home or investments.

c)                  In “The Road to Climate Hell,” Gifford argues that the human brain has not evolved to take action on events that threaten us gradually or are in the distant future.

d)                 Interestingly enough, many theories against Global Warming are contentious and seem to be politically based and divided across the left-right wing spectrum.

i)        These theories are dangerous because they misinform and distract from the reality of Global Warming.

e)                  A source of controvery for Climate Change critics is that the Earth is currently in a natural warming period. But, there are swaths of evidence that the warming period alone is not enough to explain the rise in temperature we are experiencing. (Wei)

f)                   Oil companies have applied steady resistance for years especially in politics.

V)                Conclusion: Call to Action through awareness

a)                  I think that there aren’t enough people talking about and concerned with this issue. Little is being done and the best time to start an organized green revolution would have been many years ago. Climate Change is not discussed in elections or politics, and it’s not exactly a big afternoon brunch topic. My fear is that people don’t know enough, they do not know how bad things will get in just the next two decades. The changes we are about to see will become commonplace for our children, but to the people who have lived on this planet long enough to become accustomed to its current state everything will change. This is a hard topic to talk about since there aren’t many solutions and all I’m offering is evidence for contemporary world issues effecting humans, animals, plants and oceans today. The point I am trying to prove is although there are many things we can stop doing today to cut off greenhouse gas emissions that really aren’t practical. People will still drive gas powered cars tomorrow and the next day. To raise awareness to just how much change is occurring globally and what it is affecting even though it may not be on the news or a part of our daily life. We will start doing something sooner or later, we will have to, at least to adapt to the earth changing. We should start talking about this issue more, before the event which convinces people to make a change is the one that spells disaster.