by: Paige W.
People spend their days checking social media, worrying about their Instagram photos, and how much followers they have, oblivious to the massive impact of global warming. Global warming used to be one of those things that we think won’t impact us, but now it’s something we all should worry about. Global warming is destroying our Earth, bit by bit. Most people don’t even have a care in the world about global warming, but that has got to change. Global warming is causing glaciers and ice caps to melt into the ocean. You may not be worried about it because it’s not like it’s going to melt Antarctica, but believe it or not, glaciers and ice caps are some of what’s left of our fresh water. If these frozen mountains continue to melt, then our fresh water is dropping lower and lower. When this ice melts into water, it acts like runoff and goes straight to the ocean. This means that the fresh water is turning into salt water. And quite sadly, we can’t drink salt water.
We also can’t forget about how the water impacts the sea as well. With all this fresh water coming into the ocean, sea levels are rising. This may not be a huge deal to the U.S. but places like Venice, located closer to sea level, may have to worry about flooding. Not to mention that we can’t even take care of our ocean right now, much less if it gets even bigger. On a recent special report with the International Panel on Climate Change, by 2100 the ocean levels could rise 10 to 30 inches! This may not seem like much, but it is enough to impact cities along the coast. And by 2050, the Bahamas could be completely underwater!
One more massive threat that is a cause of global warming is the Arctic! You may not of thought about how global warming could impact Antarctica, given it’s so cold. Antarctica is warming up. You may think this is great for all the animals, but this change can be too drastic that it may affect some animals’ lives. Not to mention how ice will break off of Antarctica, causing it to grow smaller and smaller. This is yet another serious threat because of global warming. Polar bears may even become extinct by 2100. Yes, this is some time away, but if we keep not doing anything, it will be even harder to stop then right now.
So what can we do about our fresh water problem? Good question. To conserve water, we could all take shorter showers. We can all stop using the toilet to flush dead goldfish and trash. Don’t forget to turn the water off when brushing your teeth or shaving. Check your pipes and faucets for leaks, too. Don’t forget if you have younger siblings, don’t play with a slip n’ slide or sprinkler either. What can we do about the global warming though? I’m glad you asked. Stop using electricity when you don’t need it. Sometimes you can unplug for a while and not use as much electricity. Also try not to drive around randomly. The gas from your car is another cause of global warming. Recycle! Recycle! Recycle! Don’t forget to recycle and use more renewable resources. By doing this we can slow down and eventually stop global warming!
