Averting the Effects of Global Warming

Averting the Effects of Global Warming

Climate change and global warming are serious environmental issues that have the capability of ending the humankind. Global warming is the gradual rise of the earth’s temperature that can be attributed to the lasting effects of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Through global warming, the world faces the danger of decreased food production, leading to food shortage. Agriculture has been dramatically affected by global warming and the shifts in climate patterns associated with environmental issues. Thus, Al Gore, through his Ted Talk presentation, discusses ways in which it may be possible to mitigate and remedy the effects of global warming and possibly save the planet. His Ted Talk presentation highlights some of the dangers of global warming and how they are more likely to affect future generations if the current generation does not take any form of action to remedy the situation. He suggests that people and countries should adopt the use of clean energy, embrace the use of technology to reduce pollution, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Through his Ted Talk presentation, Al Gore discusses the issue of global warming, factors contributing to the environmental problem. He shares his ideas of how global warming is an extinction-level threat that, if it is not kept in check, may lead to the destruction of the planet. He makes a comparison of the current rising temperatures of earth versus the earth’s temperature in the past and notes that human activities are gradually raising the earth’s temperature to levels of unfathomable proportions (Gore). The emission of greenhouse gases through human activities such as industrial activities, driving vehicles that use fossil fuels and the burning of fossil fuels are some of the leading factors that facilitate global warming. The effect of global warming is well documented in the documentary Global Warming the Future. The documentary suggests that if the temperatures continue to rise, the sea level will rise due to the melting of the polar caps in the North and South Poles (TL Documentary). The documentary suggests that most of the cities and islands will sink and become submerged in water. Thus, Al Gore raises concern on the need to mitigate global warming.

One-way countries and people can reduce the rate of global warming is to adopt the use of clean and renewable energy that does not pollute the atmosphere and the environment. Al Gore acknowledges that human activities are the leading producers of GHGs and Carbon gases. Coal has been used to produce energy used by industries as well as run engines. However, using coal as a source of energy is highly destructive to the planet’s atmosphere and the ozone layer. Thus, countries like China and America have banned or reduced the use of coal as a source of energy. According to an article by the New Yorker, new energy rules by the government will provide incentives for energy companies, “to develop cleaner ways of using coal and of capturing and storing its emissions” (Cassidy). This can be achieved through the use of wind, solar, and hydro generated electricity that will seek to serve many homes and industries. Another way to reduce the emission of GHGs is through the use of natural gas for domestic uses such as cooking.

Apart from adopting the use of clean energy, people, as well as the world governments, should embrace the use of technological achievements witnessed in the twenty-first century.  Embracing technology will help reduce the rate of rising global temperatures and even possibly remedy the effects of global warming. Adoption and embracing technology will reduce the amount of GHGs people emit. Al Gore states that vehicles produce more GHGs than homes. An article by states that the Chinese government “has implemented multiple incentives to encourage the transition to electric vehicles” (China Power). Electric cars will reduce the amount of GHGs people emit through the use of their cars. Another important thing to highlight is that through technology, new sources of clean and renewable sources, energy will be realized. For example, technological innovations will allow the supply and usage of nuclear energy at home. By embracing such technologies, the future generations are ensured that the earth temperatures will be controlled, and they may not live in cities that are about to be submerged in water.

Lastly, people and societies should be encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total pollution that a person contributes to environmental degradation taking place. The Ted Talk presentation by Al Gore suggests that people should take responsibility for their role in global warming and pollution by reducing their carbon footprint (Gore). Thus, people should adopt ways to reduce their pollution as a way to mitigate global warming and its extinction-level effects. Recycling of waste provides a way people can reduce their carbon footprint. Recycling of biowaste results in the production of hydrochars and biofuels. According to an article by Owsianiak and his colleagues, recycling biowaste can be “used as a solid fuel for domestic heating, but its use in agriculture as a soil conditioner with some carbon storage value has recently attracted attention,” (Owsianiak et al.). Recycling waste materials such as litter and plastics increase the number of uses the waste material, which can benefit the user. Also, it provides an effective and cheap way to reduce a person as well as society’s carbon footprint.

Adoption of the use of clean energy, embracing technology, and making an effort to reduce carbon footprint are some of the ways to remedy and mitigate global warming, as suggested by Al Gore during his Ted Talk presentation. Global warming threatens the existence of humankind, plant species, and animals on the planet. The gradual rise in temperature of the earth has been caused by the emission of greenhouse and carbon gases into the atmosphere. Through the use of clean energy and electric automobiles, the emission of these gases can be controlled thus, reducing pollution. In addition to this, people should take responsibility for their pollution by reducing their carbon footprint by recycling waste materials like bio and plastic wastes. By doing so, Al Gore believes that the effects of global warming can be remedied and even averted.

Work Cited

Cassidy, John. “Obama’s “War on Coal” Is Worth Fighting.” The New Yorker, 2 June 2014, www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/obamas-war-on-coal-is-worth-fighting.

China Power Team. “How is China Managing Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions?” ChinaPower Project, 7 Mar. 2019, chinapower.csis.org/china-greenhouse-gas-emissions/.

Gore, Al. “Averting the Climate Crisis.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_averting_the_climate_crisis.

Owsianiak, Mikołaj, et al. “Evaluating Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Hydrochars: Compounding Insights from Three Different Indicators.” GCB Bioenergy, vol. 10, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 230-245. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/gcbb.12484

TL Documentary. “Global Warming The Future – Full Documentary 2019 HD.” YouTube, 8 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOMRF7t5Vn0.