Global Warming
...ces that contribute to global warming are transportation, industry, and power plants. Automobiles emit tons of carbon dioxide into the air. . “Nearly 600 of the nation’s power plants have been “grandfathered” from new emissions standards, exempting them from emissions caps for smog- and acid-rain-forming pollutants (NOX and SOX)” (Sierra). If we were to bring these power plants up to today’s standards we would greatly reduce the amount of pollutants in the air. The most important step we can take to curb global warming is to improve our nation's energy efficiency. Our cars and light trucks, home appliances and power plants could be made much more efficient by simply installing the best current technology. Energy efficiency is the cleanest, safest, most economical way to begin to curb global warming. We can make cars pollute less by making them more fuel efficient. By using today's best technology, such as fuel cells, car makers could dramatically increase the fuel economy of their automobiles. Buildings today need to be more energy efficient to help with the cost of energy bills in the future. We also need to clean up our power plants. Electric utilities still use coal to produce electricity, which in turn, generates enormous quantities of carbon dioxide and other pollution. Part of the problem could be solved by converting these coal-fired plants to burn natural gas. Additionally, we could increase the use of clean wind and solar energy. “Technological advances have brought the cost of electricity generated by the wind down by 82 percent since 1981” (Sierra). As global warming continues to become a bigger threat there will be a huge impact on the world’s ecology. If the earth becomes too hot, for example, there will be no place for the Southern Water Skinks from Australia to go and cool their body temperatures down, causing them to produce only male offspring. This, ultimately, will lead to extinction. Humans will be unable to participate in outside activities due to the increase in temperature. I think that there will be an increase in respiratory diseases, such as asthma and lung cancer, due to declining air quality associated with global warming. A potential rise in sea level maybe too little to flood most coastal cities, but could damage some coastal plants and animals, beaches, and water supplies. While flooding under normal weather conditions might be small, higher sea l...