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Anahi Lara
Professor Melisa Malvin
English 114A
October 28, 2015
Running Out
The environment is a provider for every species on earth to survive. Humans, animals,
plants, and other resources need the basic essentials such as water, food, and land in order to
sustain their lives. According to the USGS, About 71 percent of the Earths surface is watercovered... The vast majority of water on the Earth's surface, over 96 percent, is saline water in
the oceans. The freshwater resources, such as water falling from the skies and moving into
streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater, provide people with the water they need every day to
live. Throughout the years we had been able to sustain the use of water because there was
plentiful, however as we started to condone to using more water that we would need, we came
too far. Water has become difficult to maintain due to misuse and global warming, parts of the
world are reaching into severe droughts. Global warming has caused the earth to run out of
water, run out of land as more populations have expanded, and glaciers to melt. The melting of
glaciers has also caused for the ocean levels to rise even higher with more water but is not
potable. Human beings have caused global warming; we have disregarded the changes in our
climate and utilization. We need to stop and consider that if we dont make changes into our use,
it will be too late and we will then run out of water, food, and land in order to progress onto the
future that still lies ahead.
An inspiring advertisement picture that I have come to acknowledge has a very powerful
illustration and meaning towards the topic of global warming. The image is formed into an

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hourglass where on the topside, illustrates wildlife in the arctic suffering from the melt of ice
caps while on the bottom side demonstrates the intake of human consumption. As the glaciers
melt, the people who only care for cutting down trees and building more roads and buildings
consume every drop. With being busy and wanting more and more land, they dont realize that
the water that is not potable is raising the ocean levels, eliminating the land they already have.
The people are headed towards poverty and everything that used to be our history and present is
starting to slowly diminish.
When the earth was starting to develop, people had their basic needs at their hands. There
was no question if there wouldnt be enough but actually having an overabundance of supplies.
People didnt care of how much water they would consume. On how they moved in and settled
in any part of land they claimed to have as they chopped trees down and built their houses. As
well as they would execute any animal that came into sight. It was a matter of survival. Keep
moving forward. The use of our resources has come to a point where we reached our limit. Here
in California for example, we are facing the consequences of a drought. Before there was a lack
of water, there was an abundance to be used for drinking and keeping our lawns beautifully
green. Outside our very homes we would have a fascinating view of tall trees flourishing and a
variety of wildlife to visit. You could see there was so much space around you, the open land,
small town houses, breathing the fresh air and feeling the suns rays slightly glimmer onto your
face.
Today, once you step out of your crowded one bedroom apartment, there are endless
roads filled with combustion where one gasps for air. The cities streets have become mountains
of unrecognizable debris. All wildlife has either migrated to a better habitat while others hide in
what is left of their homes. Peoples houses are now just landfills. Their lawns have died out

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because of the lack of water. What used to be the most alluring landscapes are now like a
concrete desert where all you see is an isolated grey land. The people have become used to just
absorbing whatever is in front of them and replace it with the most needless materials such as
petroleum, more cars, and unnecessary buildings. The development of the future has focused on
having everything standardized and technologically modified that is supposed to be helpful in
reducing global effects but in reality it is doing more damage.
I found my chosen ad very intriguing because it is unlike any other. The way the picture
promotes the cause of global warming is framed in a form of time. As I analyzed the picture,
using Molly Bangs Picture This: How Pictures Work, the setting of the picture is focused at both
the top and bottom of the picture. The background is plain and simple but all the popping colors
that stand out are the main points such as the water at the top and the greenery where you see
deforestation and a city. The cars in the bottom center are going towards the city away from the
audience. As how I see this format, the cars are giving an indication that those are the ignorant
people who seek poverty and are not realizing the damage they are causing to their planet. The
water that is falling from the top of the hourglass is slowly running out while the bottom
consumes more by the minute. The water at the bottom is also filling up, which refers to the
ocean levels rising. The animals such as the seagulls are in mid air trapped in the hourglass
where they have nowhere else to go. As global warming is affecting humans, it affects everything
else on earth. Habitats are being destroyed causing animals to lose their homes and food. Some
major species of every kind are becoming extinct due to the environmental changes.
In the ads description, it focuses on time. As the description states, We are running out
of time, act now before its too late. The description references to the image of an hourglass
where time only goes one way. As the top part of the hourglass represents the arctic, it runs the

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water that was melting into the bottom half as rain. The bottom half is what is consuming all the
water and at the same time fills the ocean with even more water. The water cannot be returned to
its original place unless the hourglass is turned over. The text of the advertisement proclaims
that the earth is running out resources as time progresses. If we dont make any changes of how
we use our resources such as water especially, it will be too late to recover what is left and we
will face severe consequences in the future.
In the article, How the Average American Wastes Water by Daniel Wesley, he states
3.9 trillion gallons of water is consumed in the United States per month. We can consider that
on a daily basis we waste water on things such as showering for long periods of time, watering
the lawn constantly, letting the water run when brushing our teeth, and even when flushing the
toilet. Instead of wasting water, people should really consider that they could reduce the use of
water little by little. People can start by setting a timer to how long they shower, water the plants
and grass every other day, and dont let the water run when washing dishes. One has to be patient
and considerate to the changes in their life styles. It might not seem like a lot at first but with
time, it can make a major difference towards the environment. The environment will begin to
stabilize and people could manage to preserve what is left of their resources.
Global warming is a very simple but most devastating topic to discuss. When it comes to
our planet Earth, people such as myself see it as a remarkable place we call home. A home
should be seen as a beautiful place where you would see people taking endless strolls at the park
watching the children laughing and being cheerful. The Earth shouldnt be remembered as a
rundown wasteland. People will become anxious and will lose control of all sustainability. It will
bring chaos and there will not be a future for the next generations. In order to not cause such a

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tragedy of losing our home, we have to act fast and change our habits. Time is passing by as we
go on with our days. We have to stop and consider saving our resources before it will be too late.

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Work Cited:
Alexandru. Global Warming Advertisement. Award-Winning Not For Profit Printed Ads.
Topdesignmag.com. 2010-2015.Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2000. PDF. 29 Oct.
2014.
Perlman, Howard. How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth? U.S. Geological
Survey. 5 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Wesley, Daniel. How the Average American Wastes Water. Credit Loan. Visual Economics. 29
Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015