Planet Earth : An Overview : Humanity Is Going Under

As a kid who has cared about nature his entire life, and an avid modern environmentalist for four years and counting, this issue has been at the center of my psyche for quite some time. I have seen public perspective on this issue change before my eyes. From the original rejection of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth movie on “global warming” to personally marching alongside 300,000 people in our nation's capital to raise awareness on climate change. However, despite all of these avenues the issue is still spoken about as this distant idea that eventually will be a disaster. Many politicians and news networks speak of the need for slow implementation of policies and programs to right our environmental wrongs. The best way to paraphrase the common narrative of this issue would be to say, climate change is going to happen down the road, it will probably be bad and trying to fix it in the near future would be a good idea. That weak call to action shoves climate change onto the long to-do list of the leaders of our world. Not only does it not create the urgency needed to actually curb the effects of our environmental ignorance, but it does not accurately describe the threat of a changing climate. Treating this like a political issue will not allow for the rigorous changes needed to address such a problem in the timely manner that is required.

Temperatures are reaching a new high, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events, such as drought, flooding, are taking place. It is not a forecast anymore; greenhouse gases are intensifying the global warming. In 2013, 81.2% of the energy consumption in the world are produced by fossil fuel (International Energy Agency). Could you imagine how much greenhouse gases are produced? Ever since 1980s, scientist has found that the emission of the greenhouse gases is the major factor contributes to the global warming, which intensify the climate change that the human civilization may collapse one day. In the book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, the author Naomi Klein describes that we are headed toward a catastrophic levels of warming. She suggests that the solution to climate change, in short, is to fight for a change in the economic model of capitalism and move towards a low-carbon economy. Making this adjustments will affect every aspects of our life--from how the energy generate, what we consume, and the technologies we use. “Change of this magnitude creates risks but also opportunities. There will be both winners and losers as the world moves towards a low-carbon economy (**).” One of the important aspects which many people care about is the impact of climate change policy on employment. Does the movement improve the employment? Klein suggests that climate change policy has a huge

That is a really deep question. For this paper, I wanted to understand the climate change issue better. I wanted to understand how humans acknowledge (or even deny) climate change, still yet do nothing to remedy the problem. Most people are guilty of this. I, myself am guilty of this. As Nordhaus and Shellenberger state in their article, the problem seems to be a thing that will only be a priority once it is in our faces. Rust says that these films create an awareness that is somewhat being lost in this postmodern globalization. The Day After Tomorrow, Soylent Green, and The Mist all send a message that could get us thinking about cutting back to prevent climate change. But as my topic has illustrated, it seems a bit farfetched that change would actually

There are 7.3 billion people on Earth (United States Census Bureau, 2016). More specifically, there are 7.3 billion people who depend on Earth for food, water, and shelter. If there is one thing that every living organism has in common, it’s our dependence on the planet to survive. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been systematically degrading the Earth and its resources. President Obama’s final State of the Union address was structured around four main points, one of which was centered around innovation (2016). His points focused on the impending reality of climate change and America’s potential to lead the world down a path of sustainability and green innovation. His hour long speech devoted a mere five minutes to climate issues, further suggesting that climate change remains a less pressing issue than the economy, for example, and I felt that he oversimplified an incredibly complex issue. President Obama’s economic appeals paint a hopeful picture without acknowledging the potential pitfalls associated with climate capitalism. However, President Obama’s strong stance claiming that climate change is in fact happening is an incredibly positive step in the fight against climate change.

We have all heard statistics over how unmitigated global warming can lead to rising sea levels, increased temperatures, lower rates of precipitation. The Congressional Budget Office recently found that climate change, if unmitigated, would create costly damage not only to the United States’s economy, but also to the world as a whole (source). Despite a scientific and general consensus that climate change is real and a problem, actual committed action against climate change has been disappointingly slow, until recently. We also know the cause of climate change. The United States EPA finds that “Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation’s emissions and most of the increase since 1990” (EPA). What we don’t know is a solution.

The dichotomy of climate change can divide the world down the middle. Those who believe in climate change advocate for earth-friendly policy to better the environment and help society as a whole. Those who believe the evidence does not support a climate change theory simply ignore scientists and do not advocate for any type of change in living. However, change is necessary to preserve the planet and maintain the modern democracy- not just in the US, but in the world. Those who deny climate change also deny the chance for cleaner, eventually cheaper energy, long-term jobs, healthier lifestyles, and greater unity between nations. The best and most efficient way to control the path to sustainable, green living is through the government.

The coral reef’s ecosystem are in major threat of the current bleaching events. Coral reefs are the main marine environment, which includes a variety of over 4,000 fish, and 800 different type of hard coral (“Corals”). Over 25 percent of marine animals are supported by the coral environment (“Coral Reefs”). The reefs are a key element of the ocean’s ecosystem (“Coral Reef Destruction”). Water temperatures are estimated to keep rising in the decades to come, which intensifies coral bleaching and other problems like black band disease, and white plague. These illnesses cause a majority of the coral to die, which will then lead to their ecosystem to plummet (“Global Warming”). Research as estimated that one to eight million organisms are yet unknown to scientists

For someone to say that they do not believe in the idea of global climate change is like saying that they do not believe in science. About 200 nations, including the United States, have all come to the conclusion that climate change is indeed a real and that we, human-beings, have become responsible for finding a solution to this precarious situation that we have put ourselves in. However, there is still a small population of people that believe that there is nothing we can do to forestall the destructive effects of global climate change. To retract the naysayers current idea, in his climate change address, Barack Obama talks about his plans to reduce America’s carbon emissions by at least 17 percent by 2020 and at least 26 to 28 percent

I was interested in this specific publication because I have always wondered why people aren’t more environmentally conscious and don’t strive to be as efficient as possible. I reasoned that inaction may be caused by a number of factors: perhaps people are ignorant, or perhaps people just don’t care that much because they’re not directly affected by climate change. Another possibility might be that people don’t believe they can make a significant difference in the situation, even if they change their ways, so they don’t bother putting in any effort because they think it wont really matter and no one likes to feel like they’re wasting time.

TMD is a documentary that questions the current state of humanity on the planet. It begins with the premise that natural life on planet Earth thrives. It posits that the earth is a living system where life forms of differing varieties, such as minerals, plants and animals grow and evolve. While changes and adaptations occur over time, it is a generally accepted scientific theory that life on earth has been thriving and evolving for billions of years. The questions the documentary explores is, “If life on the planet typically thrives, why do so many humans barely survive?” In a world where there seems to be a naturally evolving design toward growth and abundance, “Why is there so much human suffering and misery?” The questions are asked

Humans will destroy the earth if no one acts. Climate change is a serious problem that has been around for decades. The 21st century is special because of the technology and information available. Yet, people continue to ignore the overwhelming destruction happening to nature. Through many years, masses have begun to take responsibility and restore the planet. In time, the earth might be what it once was.

It is well known that the best option on paper would be to suddenly reduce the input of additional greenhouse gases into the environment, the recylce everything, and to ensure that all future development comes about in a sustainable way. According to a new climate-modeling study, stabilizing the climate will mean having to go to zero emissions almost immediately. (Mooney) However, as scientists, Teller and Woods “doubt people would ever give up enough of their costly energy-consumption habits to prevent climate-associated risks,” and see “global greenhouse gas treaties like Kyoto as they had been of arms-control agreements during the ’80s.” (Mooney) Effectively, conservation only options are now being given less credibility in addressing the entire crisis. What’s the new plan “Direct, aggressive intervention, either in the upper atmosphere or low Earth orbit, essentially to turn down the volume knob on solar radiation” states

Coral reefs have one of the highest biodiversity of animals in one ecosystem than any others on the entire planet. Coral reefs are colorful habitats in the ocean, some of which are not too far from the shore. They are made from skeletons of calcium carbonate and animals, which make a rocky substance known as coral. Coral reefs are a home to many different types of creatures that live under the sea, some are unknown to a majority of the human species. “Coral reefs are sometimes referred to as the ‘rainforest of the sea’ because they teem with life and abound in diversity” (Agardy). Sadly, due to the many factors of global warming, these natural treasures are dying from what is called “bleaching”. Coral bleaching happens from the warming temperature

Humans have understood the damages they are doing to their planet, and have overlooked the topic for some time. The time they thought they had to solve the problem is gone. Humans can not go back in time and reverse the things they discovered. Through advancement in technology they will find the path that will lead to their well-being. The human population needs to focus all efforts on discovering new energy sources, food sources, and space travel technology in order for the human race to continue to

“Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.”- Walt Whitman. A big question is floating around the world; is space the answer to the survival of the human race? Astronomers approve this theory and say yes space is the answer to humanity 's survival. This is because the earth is running out of time due to the greenhouse effects. The greenhouse effect is radiation that is emitted by the sun that destroys our atmosphere. Without the atmosphere, there will be no air, and without any air humans and almost all other species will not survive. There are ways humans can save the human race. Finding a new planet to live on is astronomers number one task because the Earth doesn’t have much time. Astronomers have invented new technology that enables humans to find habitable planets. If humans do not find a new planet to live on, life as humans knows it will end.