ANOTHER VIEW
Roger McCord: Paris Hilton meets the Kyoto Pact
A small group of students at our school has been researching and studying the effects of global warming. The evidence and data we collected is so overwhelming that we have decided to write about this issue.
We want everyone to help curb Global warming. It truly means that the Earth is getting warmer. The ocean is warming at such an alarming rate that the continents are in danger.
Such a warming of the ocean is fuel for more severe hurricanes such as Katrina. Katrina was only a Category 1 storm when it crossed Florida. It became a monster storm by feeding off the extremely warm water in the Gulf of Mexico.
Not just the ocean temperature, but also the overall temperature on the planet is rising to dangerous levels.
The 10 "hottest" average years on record have occurred within the last 14 years. We continue to see record carbon dixoide levels in the atmosphere year after year. Just notice the strange weather around us this winter and spring and even summer-like days in March.
The United States is the leading contributor to the global- warming crisis, producing one-third of the total greenhouse gases in the world, more than South America, Africa, Asia and Australia combined.
Please think about what people are doing and what could happen if they do not stop.
Have we ever wondered what life might be like in 50 to 100 years? We might have imagined big robotic cities and flying cars, but I bet we didn't imagine huge cities and tall skyscrapers underwater. Well, that's what life will be if we keep burning fossil fuels without thought.
Here are some facts that might help people realize the danger we are facing.
Glaciers are melting at a faster and faster rate and glaciers are a huge source of the world's drinking water. Greenland and the Arctic ice shelf are melting faster each year and will disappear in our lifetime if our fossil fuel usage continues unchecked. That melting will raise the water level of the world's oceans nearly 40 feet. Basically, Manhattan would be underwater.
Hopefully, people will understand the danger we are facing. Do Mainers want this to be our future? Although global warming is a huge pending global disaster, we all have the means to change it together.
Because the United States contributes one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, here are seven sensible ways to save our seven beautiful continents:
nChange light bulbs to long lasting fluorescents and save 150 pounds of CO per year in every household.
nDrive less and save 1 pound of CO for every fewer mile.
nSave 2,400 pounds of CO by recycling plastics and paper.
nPlant a tree -- it breathes over a ton of helpful gases per lifetime.
nTurn off any electrical items (TV, games, cell phones, lights, etc.) when not in use to save 1,000 pounds of CO.
nBe informed -- go to www.stopglobalwarming.org or www.climatecrisis.net.
nStay informed -- Watch Planet Earth (kids) and An Inconvenient Truth (families).
Is our future already chosen for us? We are all young students, ages 9-11, and cannot change the world like adults can. All the facts we have presented are true, real, and will shape our future unless decisive action is taken.
We will be in great danger if we don't get this problem in the minds of all people and curb the unchecked growth of greenhouse gas emissions.
It is our future our nation is playing with, so please change the way people are playing. We encourage everyone to take action and stop global warming.
— Special to the Press HeraldHave we ever wondered what life might be like in 50 to 100 years?
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