Dear Andrew R. Wheeler,
I am writing this letter to bring to your attention the severity of global warming.
Do you know how much the earth is warming per year? The Earth is warming by a whopping 1.5 Celsius, or about 3 Fahrenheit’s year! It has been growing for 35 years at a pace between 0.6–1.7 C. Human emissions and other things from factories are leaking chemicals, which are causing climate change and other harmful things to the globe, such as deforestation, oil rig damage,and more natural disasters. Global warming/climate change is a worldwide thing that is happening faster and faster, mostly caused by humans, which means factories and chemicals, threatens animals, and is very difficult to clean up.
Man’s factories are one of the leading reasons why global warming is going on so fast. By burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, CO2 is released, which is a “greenhouse gas”, a a group of gases that keep the sun’s light and heat in the atmosphere, which causes global warming. Plants use CO2 to produce energy in photosynthesis, so plants are a possible way to stop global warming, or at least slow it down. A quote from the president of the French republic, François Hollande, tells the reader that humans should not and should stop or reduce using up the world’s resources, squeezing it as if you would squeeze a lemon to make lemonade. “ The time is past when humankind thought it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We know now the world is not a commodity.” Also, the CO2 in the air is so thick, experts have calculated that by the time 2030 rolls around, the polar ice caps could be all gone, the world’s average temperature rise to 70 degrees, many arctic creatures such as penguins and polar bears be extinct, and us humans would be the ones to take the blame. Man is the biggest reason of climate change.
Man’s factories also produce byproducts that are unwanted, such as slag, which is bad iron, which is dumped into huge pits during the production of steel, and some chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid, which are chemicals used in the production of paper. Slag is poisonous to all living life, and if leaked, it will kill animals in the vicinity. Some other byproducts can harm the environment, which are usually put into a container and kept there. Many of these are often very toxic, acidic, or just not good for the environment. For example, Mercury, which is a very toxic element, although naturally occurring, but can be released by burning fossil fuels. This could mean that we are all slowly being poisoned. Even worse, some companies just dump the chemicals into the surrounding land or into a nearby river, which could cause mutation in both river freshwater, saltwater, and even on land if the animals eat something poisoned from a poisoned tree. Chemicals are one of the other reasons why climate change is happening, and they are one of the hardest things to clean up, because it gets soaked into the dirt.
Due to the many reasons how Man is hurting the environment, the animals in it are becoming extinct. For example, invasive species, which are animals and plants from other areas, are finding the newly changed habitats as ones that are very fitting for them. This means that many of the native animals will lose food sources and will have to leave the area. For example, Sargassum, a natural seaweed found in the Bermuda/Florida area of the Gulf of Mexico, has been endangering animals, and being annoying for Florida vacationers who want to take a break and cool down in the water.
This is what this quote from Wikipedia means. “The plants (sargassum) grow subtidally and attach to coral, rocks, or shells in moderately exposed or sheltered rocky or pebble areas. These tropical populations often undergo seasonal cycles of growth and decay in concert with seasonal changes in sea temperature.[13] In tropical Sargassum species that are often preferentially consumed by herbivorous fishes and echinoids, a relatively low level of phenolics and tannins occurs.” This can also happen naturally, but the change in seawater temperature, acidity, and other factors is speeding it up and making a path for invasive seaweeds such as Sargssum.
Mankind is one reason why invasive species are coming into other areas where they are not native.
Global warming is a worldwide crisis involving chemicals, factories, and hundreds and hundreds of animals dropping dead. You can help. Throw away trash. Do not litter . the world needs our help, and we are the ones responsible, so we should be the ones cleaning up. You can even start using wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power from dams.
Sincerely,
Alex
Acknowledgements:
- EPA.gov 2018
- Apokryltaros. “Sargassum”. Wikipedia. 12/14/18. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargassum
- “Fifteen quotes on climate change by world leaders”. World Economic Forum 11/15/2015. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/15-quotes-on-climate-change-by-world-leaders/
- IHS Markit. “ specialty paper chemicals”. March 2018. https://ihsmarkit.com/products/chemical-specialty-paper-scup.html
- Newsela
- [13]: Fulton CJ, Depczynski M, Holmes TH, Noble MM, Radford B, Wernberg TH, Wilson SK (2014). “Sea temperature shapes seasonal fluctuations in seaweed biomass within the Ningaloo coral reef ecosystem”. Limnology & Oceanography. 59 (1): 156–166. doi:10.4319/lo.2014.59.1.0156.
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi_6NPTlb_fAhUTGTQIHcTJC2UQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweatherplus.blog.mypalmbeachpost.com%2F2018%2F08%2F01%2Fsargassum-harasses-south-florida-during-worst-seaweed-assault-on-record%2F&psig=AOvVaw0jseZQ_BIxKk9Eba24KyX1&ust=1545970713720408
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjA4oPdlb_fAhWxMn0KHa7uCW0QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wmnf.org%2Fanother-algae-bloom-sargassum-beach-near-you%2F&psig=AOvVaw0jseZQ_BIxKk9Eba24KyX1&ust=1545970713720408
Another Sargassum photo:
