Water shortage is already a major issue in our culture today. This article discusses how it will worsen as global warming increases. The most powerful line in this article is "'But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods never seen in old measurements,' says Christopher Milly." In a world where prices are constantly increasing, this line should motivate anyone to act. Yet, I don't think that many realize the danger that we face. This is largely because people are too afraid to face it.
This article states that global investment in "water infrastructure" is more than "500 billions U.S. dollars." But, as people want to build more water utilities, they have to take into account the changing climate. This leads to even more spending and an unimaginable about of money. Water shortage will affect every single human being on the planet, both the rich and the poor. No water means no life.
This issue is already critical. But, I think the situation needs to become a little more serious for people to really realize what the future will hold. This is the plain hard truth. It is sad that the environment needs to be in such a bad state for people to realize what is at stake.
Another point that this article talks about is glacier melting. The most widely known effect of global warming is the melting of the Arctic glaciers. This will lead to flooding of many coastal town and villages all over the world. But, it also will mean more water. Therefore "Water availability will probably increase substantially in high latitudes of the northern Hemisphere." But, this is still a small portion of the world's land mass.
This article shows how serious global warming is, and how bad it can become. No matter how quickly we act now, there will be server long-term effects of climate change in the future. Humans have been careless, however unintentional. Now, we are paying the price. It is up to us to fix what we have started, and save the Earth that sustains us all. Like I said, with no water, there's no life. What fact could make people more aware of global warming? I think extreme water shortage could be a major answer to my question.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
USA Today Source
The title of this article, "Warming Atlantic worsens hurricanes," backed up some of the answers I had already found for my question. As hurricanes become more violent, there are direct and serious threats to people who live on the coast. Increased global temperatures will produce hurricanes that the world has never seen. We can reduce this incredible risk by fighting global warming. Thousands of lives will be saved. Also, in the interest of government, millions of dollars will be saved. Less damage means less repair costs. These are the first thoughts that can to my mind when I read this title. I think that anyone who reads this will see the immediate danger people are in, and they will be compelled to act.
The opening paragraph shows how serious climate change affects the ferocity and frequency of hurricanes: "When the water in the hurricane breeding grounds of the Atlantic warms one degree in the dead of summer, overall hurricane activity jumps by half, according to a new study." If our global climate continues to rise as it is, "hurricane activity" will be overwhelming.
"...hurricanes get their enormous energy from warm waters, so the warmer the water, the more fuel a storm has to either start up or get stronger." This shows how global warming indirectly affects other aspects of our lives. There is evidence of this all over the world, especially in coastal areas.
This threat may move people to act. Confronting the loss of lives is a terrible tragedy that people will try to avoid. The best way to do this is to fight climate change. I think the risk of serious environmental events that can produce catastrophic results will force people to fight global warming. I think this is a key way for climate change to become a major cultural issue.
The opening paragraph shows how serious climate change affects the ferocity and frequency of hurricanes: "When the water in the hurricane breeding grounds of the Atlantic warms one degree in the dead of summer, overall hurricane activity jumps by half, according to a new study." If our global climate continues to rise as it is, "hurricane activity" will be overwhelming.
"...hurricanes get their enormous energy from warm waters, so the warmer the water, the more fuel a storm has to either start up or get stronger." This shows how global warming indirectly affects other aspects of our lives. There is evidence of this all over the world, especially in coastal areas.
This threat may move people to act. Confronting the loss of lives is a terrible tragedy that people will try to avoid. The best way to do this is to fight climate change. I think the risk of serious environmental events that can produce catastrophic results will force people to fight global warming. I think this is a key way for climate change to become a major cultural issue.
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