Recently an estimate was released stating by 2040 the world will face it's first ice-free summer, in which, during their respective warm months, each hemisphere will rid itself of all ice (National Geographic). Although this information may seem unimportant and even trivial, it is crucial in every facet. Delicate ecosystems rely on remaining ice in each hemisphere. When these ecosystems are damaged or wiped out entirely it will cause a chain reaction destroying many others and causing food chain adaptations to take place. When the food chain adapts certain genus and species are left out of the new chain, so they die off. Homo Sapiens could be one of those species. Even with all of this fact-based evidence and likely predicted scenarios, three in fifty people in America believe global warming is not happening, and nearly one fourth of people in America are not sure it is happening. These numbers are inexcusable. Although global warming appears to currently not be making an evident impact in the climate, it is, and in doing so global warming is drastically and permanently altering micro-climates, causing more severe weather all over the planet, and pouring ludicrous amounts of fresh water into the ocean causing a large number of other side effects.
Many people argue since the signs of global warming are not visible global warming is not happening. They are wrong in two major ways. Currently, the signs of global warming are more evident than they have ever been. Strange new weather patterns are emerging, causing extreme natural disasters all over the planet. Certain animals are now on the brink of extinction due to the rapid death of the animals they eat. Many of the animals they eat are being killed by lack of natural resources and unfriendly environments, which can all be attributed to global warming. In addition to animal extinction, another reason the average skeptic would be wrong is: just because one sees no crime does not mean no crime occurred. Although there are only a few locations on earth that have experienced little to no change in weather, one should never assume the rest of the world is in line with this sheltered island. Others also assert these periods of heating and cooling are natural. To a certain degree they are right. The earth does go through standard periods of heating and cooling. In the end, the climate is restored to a normal state; the cooling and heating cancel each other out. It is not the period of heating that people should fear. It is the scope at which it occurs and the damage it does to our ecosystem. Newton's law of relativity could explain the balance of the climate quite well. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". When a heating occurs, it is balanced out by the same level of cooling, thrown back at it through natural processes. Now that our climate is heating more than it has in centuries, we can expect the eventual cooling to be massive in scale. This is how ice ages occur, and this is what people should fear.
Although the changes to the climate may seem small, they are actually more significant than most people believe. It has only in recent years been discovered how volatile the natural cycles that take place can be when disrupted. Weather patterns can shift, bringing snow to Malibu or heavy rains to Albuquerque. Sea currents can shift, bringing 70 degree water to parts of Canada. This all just goes to show no one should mess with the natural order of things, yet people are. Each year the United States releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide is naturally occurring in the atmosphere in low percentages, and assists with the trapping of heat from the sun. Now that the air contains too much, the world is slowly heating. Average temperatures around the world have climbed 1.4 degrees since 1880 with an exponentially increasing rate. Even though 1.4 degrees is a little number, it drastically impacts micro-climates all over the world. A microclimate is an area or habitat with a fairly uniform local climate. In a microclimate that was previously frozen tundra, whose temperature never reached higher than 31 degrees, is now having brief periods of melting. It is highly probable this melting would allow the introduction of invasive species. An invasive species is an organism that was not part of the established food chain in an area. When introduced they can rapidly multiply and deplete many animals food supply. This causes an unnatural shift in the food chain, which simply cuts native organisms out, leaving them with no food, to slowly perish. About 40% of all species that are endangered or threatened on earth are so because of invasive species. One example or an "exotic species" is the Brown Tree Snake, a species introduced to the island of Guam. Now, because of this snake's hunting habits over half of all species of bird, lizard, and bat have been wiped off of the island. Those species can not be recreated, and they will not come back. When native organisms become endangered or extinct, which is a possibility for over a million species, a little of our worlds natural wonder vanishes.
The Sahara desert is a source of dry air which causes hurricanes. Due to the heating of the region and the expansion of the desert, more dry air than usual has been pushed out to sea, allowing for the construction of more hurricanes, leading to an abnormally high number of tropical storms these past few years. Weather events such as tropical storms, floods, droughts, wild fires, and heat waves, have all been linked to global warming by many experts in the field. There are many feedback loops contributing to global warming. A positive feedback loop is a never-ending cycle that ultimately causes a higher level of something(temperature, water, etc.) over a period of time. The only way to combat a positive feedback loop is to fight it directly, for example, by adding cold water to hot water until the temperature is neutral. One example of a positive feedback loop is the atmospheric water vapor loop. When the atmosphere warms it is able to hold more water vapor. Since water vapor in the atmosphere is one thing that causes further warming, more water can be stored. The cycle continues as a general trend and heats the earth. This changes common cloud types, makes downpours more severe, worsens moisture fueled storms, and overall, causes much of the catastrophic weather that the United States has seen as of late.
Another significant problem is the melting of the ice in the north and south polar regions. This melting is a normal process that occurs every year, only now the heat is intensifying certain aspects. In a full year there is normally a melting of some ice and then the re-freezing of said ice, either with slightly more or less ice than the area started with. Now with the warming intensified, the melting is starting earlier and ending later. Not only does this cause an increase in the melting; it also causes a decrease in the freezing. Without as many months as these polar regions normally have to refreeze the season's melt, the amount of ice built back up is a fraction of what was started out with. In addition, the water, once melted, speeds up the melting of the rest of the ice. This means with the longer warm season, more water is helping melt even more ice. The final result? Massive amounts of fresh water are being dumped into the ocean each year, the sea-ice needed by numerous animals is disappearing, and the sea level is rising. Fresh water has no effect on the actual habitats of the ocean; only on the sea currents. Currently the northern arctic area is melting and, on average, pouring the equivalent of the Amazon River in freshwater into the Atlantic Ocean. Because fresh water is less dense than salt water it floats. This means that the surface currents, driven by one of the most critical underwater currents in the world, would stop flowing north causing a drastic cooling, and as some models predict, an ice age for Canada and all of Europe. Although these current predictions have not yet had time to come true, it is only a matter of time. Some early studies show deep circulation in the Atlantic Ocean is already slowing. Another problem with the melting is the depletion of sea ice used by animals. The polar bear is among the afflicted. During pre-industrial times, when there was little change going on with the atmosphere, polar bears were plentiful and healthy. Now it is estimated that fewer than 25,000 remain. In addition, the polar bears that do remain are on average ten kilograms lighter than they should be and in poor health. Normally the polar bear awakens from its hibernation and heads out on the sea ice to hunt for seals. With their fat reserves gone, their life now depends on catching one or more seals. Now with the sea ice disappearing quicker and quicker after they wake up, the number of them that can make a catch before the sea ice is gone is sinking. They have been hunted in the past, but never have they come closer to extinction than now. One of the most known effects of global warming is the rise in sea level. When the ice melts more water is put into the ocean causing a gradual rise in sea level over time. For cities like New Orleans and Miami that are already at or below sea level, this spells trouble. It is estimated that if all of the ice in just Greenland melted, the ocean would rise 27 feet. That much water would cover entire states and cut the world's water to land ratio even lower. Since 40% of the world live within 60 miles of the coastline this would cause mass death. Unlike a flood, the water would not just go away after a while. It would stay there, with ruins of highly populated cities below the surface.
Although global warming appears to currently not be making an evident impact in the climate, it is, and in doing so global warming is drastically and permanently altering micro-climates, causing more severe weather all over the planet, and pouring ludicrous amounts of fresh water into the ocean causing a large number of other side effects. Global warming is not a problem, it is a disaster. The solutions available only work with mass participation and effort (Renewable). People need to start conserving energy. Turn the lights off when they're not in a room. Drive a hybrid or electric car. Use clean energy like solar, wind, and hydro electricity. Start to recycle. Live a waste-free existence. Plenty of people do all of this already, but it isn't enough. To stop what is happening everyone must put forth some effort, otherwise man kind might not survive much longer.
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