Kate Braumuller

11/4/14

Earth Science/ Block D

Gillis, Justin. "U.N. Panel Issues Its Starkest Warning Yet on Global Warming." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

I read the article, U. N. Panel Issues Its Starkest Warning Yet on Global Warming, by Justin Gillis.  Global warming is become a more and more serious issue, effecting our ecosystems and us.  We learn about global warming and how it is bad for the earth, and how it will affect us in the future, the future is now.  Studies have shown the drastic changes in our lives due to the rising greenhouse gases. “Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long- lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the … irreversible impacts for people and the ecosystems” In order to prevent further damage to our planet the government needs to take action to reduce emissions.  Currently governments are spending “$600 billion dollars to subsidize the consumption of fossil fuels.”  The total amount of money spent around the world to limit emissions is $400 billion a year.  Many argue that the fact that governments refuse to address the carbon budget they also are choosing not to address the problem of climate change.  Because of global warming, ice is melting which leads to rising sea levels and coastal flooding.  Coastal flooding and heat waves have wiped out crops and killed tens of thousands of people.  These are only some issues global warming has caused today… imaging a 100 years from now or even 50.

           

Global Warming is a huge crisis in our lives, if it is not addressed soon, our lives and ecosystems will start to change drastically.  We already have seen extreme weather conditions, such as more hurricanes, more rainfall, and harsher winters.  The increase in temperature has affected multiple species such as the polar bears, effecting their diets and the way they live.  Addressing the problem of global warming now will allow for a healthier world.

This article was very interesting to read but I found it sometimes hard to follow.  I would have liked a more structured article and a better analysis of some of the facts given.  Overall the article was informative and kept me interested in the subject.  A question that this article raised was, if the government were to take actions to limit emissions, what changes would we begin to see?