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Global Warming: Solutions


Over the past few decades, there has been much discussion about
global warming and its negative effect on our population. Many realize that
humans are the cause for global warming but are blind to what can be done
to combat it. in this essay I will to educate the reader on what effects we are
already seeing from global warming, what role the greenhouse effect has on
global warming, what countries are already doing to join the fight against
global warming, and why switching to an electric car would be an effective
form of fighting global warming.
As we all may know, global warming is an issue that will be affecting us
directly and at an increasing rate in the future. According to Macmillan (p.1),
global warming will affect Melting glaciers, cause early snowmelt, and severe
droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages and increase the risk of
wildfires in the American West. We will see an increase in troublesome pests,
heat waves, heavy downpours, and increased flooding. All of these will have
negative effects on agriculture and fisheries. There will be a disruption of
habitats such as coral reefs, and alpine meadows that will drive many
species to extinction. And finally, there will be an outbreak of asthma,
allergies, and infectious disease all due to higher levels of air pollution.
The greenhouse effect has a direct effect on global warming. According
to William D. Nordhaus (p. 1) the greenhouse effect happens when Carbon
Dioxide (CO2) And other greenhouse gases (GHGs) get trapped within our
atmosphere. The greenhouse effect will cause hotter temperatures in places

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that have hade lower temperatures, we will also see lower temperatures in
places that would otherwise be a much higher temperature. With Carbon
Dioxide and other greenhouse gases getting confined within our atmosphere
we see what we call the greenhouse effect that leads to global warming.
In todays world, we are starting to see more and more countries
making an effort in order to combat the greenhouse effect. Norway for
example according to Jolly (1) is among the many countries that encourage
the use of electric cars. Electric cars are a great way to combat global
warming by lessening the emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and other
greenhouse gases (GHGs). Norway encourages its citizens by giving
incentives, tax exemptions, and subsidies in order for people to be able to
afford electric vehicle considering that they are extremely expensive.
Scientists argue that electric cars are essential in the switch to a low-carbon
economy. According to Jolly (1) If countries were to follow in Norways steps
we would see more efficiency in using electric vehicles than conventional
autos that transfer about 60 percent of their energy to the wheels. That
compares with only about 20 percent for gasoline motors, which waste most
of their energy in the form of heat. In addition to all of these perks, Norway,
according to Jolly (1) electric vehicles will also be exempted from pricey
parking fees, high tolls for bridges and tunnels, and expensive ferry tickets.
Some would argue that trying to switch to electric cars would be to
expensive for the average worker and would therefore backfire. But with
countries providing incentives, tax exemptions, and subsidies we would be

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able to make electric cars affordable, as well as moving one step closer to
eliminating global warming. Lars Andreas Lunde, the deputy minister of
climate and environment and a Conservative Party politician, said in an
interview. It has to be more expensive to pollute than to use
environmentally friendly fuels. According to Ms. Bu, of the electric vehicle
association, if we can keep the incentives going till 2020, the car industry will
shift its view on transportation. This will bring us one step closer to ending
global warming.
In this paper I hope I have shed light on what global warming is, what
role the greenhouse effect has on global warming, what countries are doing
to combat global warming, and why people should consider switching to an
electric vehicle to decrease global warming. Like James Hansen said global
warming isnt a prediction, its happening.

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Work Cited
Nordhaus, William D. To Slow or Not to Slow: The Economics of the
Greenhouse Effect. The
Economic Journal, vol. 101, no. 407, 1991, pp. 920937.
www.jstor.org/stable/2233864
NASA. "A Blanket around the Earth." NASA, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
"Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions." EPA. Environmental Protection
Agency, n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
McMichael, Anthony J. "Climate Change and Human Health: Present and
Future Risks."
Thelancet.com. The Lancet, 11 Mar. 2006. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
http://www.thelancet.com/action/showFullTableImage?
tableId=tbl1&pii=S0140673606680793
John Cook, et al, "Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus
estimates on human-caused
global warming," Environmental Research Letters Vol. 11 No. 4, (13
April 2016); http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/17489326/8/2/024024/meta
Macmillan, Amanda. "Global Warming 101." NRDC. NRDC, 11 Mar. 2016.
Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

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https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101
Jolly, David. "Norway Is a Model for Encouraging Electric Car Sales." The New
York Times. The
New York Times, 16 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/business/international/norway-isglobal-model-for-encouraging-sales-of-electric-cars.html?_r=0

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