Global Warming

Global Warming.

It's a topic that's flooded the headlines for over a decade. The term has been tossed around so many times that many people have doubted its severity or validity, and even further, lost interest in the topic all together. To be honest, I was someone who swept the idea of global warming under the rug.
There were too many differing opinions. It was too controversial. I didn't know who or what to believe and I didn't understand half of what I read or heard. I tried to understand, but I was young and uneducated. I tried to make sense of the information given to me, but I wasn't sure how much of what I was reading or hearing I should trust. I gave up on trying to figure out global warming. "Someone else can deal with it," I thought, "It's not like I can do anything about it anyway."

Many of my family members disagreed with the idea of global warming, saying it was just made up to scare people or make certain people earn more money. I went along with their statements because I didn't know any better. There were scientists that were providing evidence against the reality of global warming. They said the earth experiences periods of heating and cooling all this time, that this situation is no different and nothing to be concerned about. I believed that was enough to convince me.

I'm older now. I'm more educated and have the ability to look at evidence and decided what to believe or not to believe. I'm less easily swayed by opinion and persuasion. I no longer agree with someone just because I like that person or because they're someone I'm related to. I know longer assume a statement is correct simply because it came from the mouth of a "scientist." I have my own opinions and I have the ability to base those opinions on facts and hard evidence. After the presentation on Monday, I believe I was provided with enough real, specific data and evidence to form an educated opinion on global warming.

It's a real problem and it needs to be addressed now. Global warming will have negative effects on agriculture and the sustainability of the planet. The earth could increase 2-5 degrees Celsius by 2100. This would cause a tremendous amount of problems.

Burning fossil fuels and deforestation are the main causes of global warming. The solutions to this problem are somewhat simple. The technologies are developed and available for use. Why are they not being used? Why are they not being used? WHY ARE THEY NOT BEING USED? This question rang through my mind when the professor talked about solar and wind powered energy sources. If these technologies are available are proven to be able to provide us with more than enough energy to sustain us, WHY IN THE HELL ARE THEY NOT BEING USED?

I don't have a real answer to this question, but I have an idea. Greed. The people in charge of making these decisions are being persuaded by fossil fuel burning, tree-slashing, smoke puffing, animal killing, pocket stuffing jerks who keep their own interests at large with campaign dollars and sponsorships. The representatives chosen to protect us and vote in our honor is being swayed by money. It all comes down to money, after all.