World's Biggest Problem

Addressing the problem: Global warming

Global warming is defined as the heating of the earth's surface. It is caused by greenhouse gases trapping heat brought by the sun, warming the earth's surface, this is called the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, Carbon dioxide(CO2), Methane(CH4), and nitrous oxide(N20), some minor greenhouse gases include Water vapor and Fluorinated gases. Greenhouse gases are a product of human activity, namely:

-Burning fossil fuels

 Power plants use fossil fuels to power combustion turbines or steam boilers, in turn

 produces electricity but also produces greenhouse gases as a waste product.

-Deforestation

 Wood companies chop down trees for wood. But trees absorb CO2 and produce oxygen,

 so by chopping trees, not only do we worsen global warming, but also hinder long-term

 Oxygen production. Deforestation is especially problematic because most trees take around

 30 years to mature.

-Residential activity

 Residential activity is the fastest-growing contributor to Global warming. This is because the

 way ACs work is by expelling hot air from a room, and since cold is just an absence of heat

 or energy, your room can be cooled. Unfortunately, since the hot air gets sent outside and the 

 world gets hotter, you will be more tempted to use your AC, amplifying the problem. You can 

 see how this is a problem. Our rooms get cooled but the world gets warmed.

It's effects on the world

Over the last 50 years, global temperatures have risen by 0.17 degrees Celsius because of global warming. Not only that, but sea levels have risen by 14cm in the last 50 years and are projected to increase by 30cm, to some, that may not sound like a lot, but the ocean covers 70% of the earth's surface. Another notable consequence of global warming is biodiversity destruction because species struggle to adapt. Coral reefs are also getting bleached because of warmer water, which will further devastate marine life. But there are still more problems we need to address, communities are getting displaced, the risk of heatwave and heatstroke has risen, and climate patterns have been disrupted, leading to more hurricanes, heatwaves, droughts, and floods.

How to beat Global warming

Beating Global warming will be no easy task. It will need collaboration between governments, corporations/companies, and us, the people. That is the hard part, every country in the world needs to work together to beat Global warming, and with all the cultural differences, language barriers, and political tension, I don't mean to be pessimistic but until Global warming gets REALLY bad, that's not gonna happen. But that's on a Global level, if local governments want to reduce greenhouse gas levels in their area, they can:

-Develop their public transportation

This means making their buses and trains more convenient, fancier, and cheaper. This will encourage people to use public transport instead of their cars which are expensive, horrible at 

transporting people around because it can only carry 4 people at once, and horrible for the environment.

-Invest more in eco-friendly infrastructure

Solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear-sourced energy is way more sustainable than coal or oil-sourced energy.

-Put a quota on annual greenhouse gas production

Limiting the production of greenhouse gases will slow down global warming in the local area

-Restore forests and build parks

Replanting trees can absorb CO2, meaning planting trees is one of the only ways to reverse global warming, not by a lot, but it can. Trees also produce oxygen, increasing the air quality.

-Guarding shores

Most people think forests absorb the most CO2, but that's not true. Algae is the world's biggest absorber of CO2.

But that's what governments can do, companies can:

-Use recycled and recyclable materials

 Using recycled material shrinks landfills, which is a good thing.

-Put a quota on their annual CO2 production

 If governments don't regulate this, companies should limit their annual CO2 production even without government regulation

As for us, the people, we can:

-Use energy-efficient appliances

 Using energy-efficient ACs and lights can help minimize our damage to the environment.

-Use public transport

 Even without the encouragement of governments, we should start using public transport more

-Spread awareness

 Even with all this media coverage about global warming, some people still don't know how bad global warming is, which is where we come in and educate them

Conclusion

Although Global warming is largely irreversible, there are some ways we could reduce global warming levels and even reverse a little damage