It’s safe to say that we all have heard about Global Warming in some shape or form. Most commonly, we have heard of the escalating temperatures it has caused; however, there are many more side affects, such as rising food prices, sea levels, and species extinction. Global Warming has already affected our communities and will continue do so. At this point, we can only slow this problem that we created, so why not adjust according? It’s time for us to adapt to our new conditions by preserving the natural resources we have left, and making the transition to green communities/lifestyles.
We should start with addressing our personal lives. It can be as simple as limiting ourselves to ten minute showers, only doing large laundry loads, unplugging our electronics when we aren’t using them, or just turning our sink faucet on and off when washing dishes and brushing our teeth. We don’t need to cut ourselves off, but just learn to be aware of the amount of resources we are using and noticing when we are being wasteful.
I know it’s hard to believe that one person can make a global difference, but if 300 million people alter their lifestyles too, we will conserve a vast amount of natural resources! But, in order to tackle the health of our atmosphere, we must reduce the amount of toxic emissions that are released from our corporations and vehicles and transition to more energy efficient and environmental friendly techniques.
By investing in electric vehicles, we can carry on with our busy, traveling lives, just in a cleaner and more energy efficient way. In addition, worldwide, we will be using much less oil and gasoline. Energy Department Invests More Than $55 Million to Advance Efficient Vehicle Technologies states, “As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce dependence on foreign oil and transition to a clean energy economy, the Energy Department today announced more than $55 million for 31 new projects to accelerate research and development of critical vehicle technologies that will improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs.”
Here is one of the new 2015 Electric cars. Volkswagen Golf GTE.
We need to be building energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings that sustain themselves. According to Climate Change, A Very Short Introduction, by Mark Maslin, the amount of carbon in our atmosphere has been rising rapidly since the industrial revolution. Maslin states, “According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the first major source of CO2 is the burning of fossil fuels, since four-fifths of global CO2 emissions comes from energy production, industrial processes, and transport.” One way we can cut down on our emissions is to pass a law that would allow only a certain amount of toxins to be released from firms, yearly. This way, we will be conserving our natural resources and making the transition to become greener in order to preserve our Earth.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try to reverse Global Warming, but that we need to accept that it’s happening and adapt accordingly. It’s time to invest in energy efficient and environmental friendly systems and preserve our natural resources.
Works Cited
Maslin, Mark. Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction.
To learn more about Investments in Efficient Vehicles
To learn more about the 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTE
I like your idea of adapting. It’s something I haven’t thought about before because all I see when hearing about this is changing it. But this idea of adapting is a whole other perspective that can be very beneficial in the future.
I agree with your idea about people needing to be aware of the amount of resources they use daily. If everyone in the world took a shorter shower or unplugged unused electronics we could preserve some of the Earth’s natural resources. I also agree that we must learn to adapt because global warming is something that is actually happening and something that will continue happening but I also believe by following simple steps like the ones you listed then we could slow down the process.