Mary Chitty

Dr. Angela Miss

UWRT-1102

18 July 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Fox-Skelly, Jasmin. "Earth - There are diseases hidden in ice, and they are waking up." BBC.

BBC, 04 May 2017. Web. 18 July 2017.

Jasmin Fox-Skelly, a journalist for the BBC, talks about the dangers that may lie

under the thawing permafrost soils. Frozen for thousands of years, these soils are

undeniably melting in response to global warming. Ancient viruses and bacteria

that once lain dormant with in the frigid soils are being resurrected in response to

warming temperatures. The author explains that throughout history, deadly

pathogens and mankind have engaged in an evolutionary arms race. Germs infect

up, we gain a resistance to them sometime through antibiotics, and then the germs

morph to infect humans in new ways. Fear of deadly pathogens awaking from

melting permafrost is not just a theory, but currently happening today. Fox-Skelly

gives an example that occurred in August of 2016 in an isolated portion of the

Siberian tundra in the Artic Circle. At least twenty people were hospitalized and

one body died after being infected by anthrax. The cause of the infecting was a

75-year-old frozen reindeer carcass containing anthrax within the permafrost.

During a 2016 summer heatwave the permafrost containing the reindeer thawed,

releasing anthrax into nearby soil and water and then eventually the food supply.
 This article goes on to explain in detail how melting ice could potentially open a

Pandoras box of disease.

The author of this article is a freelance science writer with a bachelor in science in

neuroscience and a masters in science in science communications. Fox-Skelly

produced an article that appeared unbiased

Kulshreshtha, A. "Carbon Dioxide Is Not the Cause of Global Warming." Chemical Business

Bombay. 22.3 (2008): 32-38. Print.

Anand Kulshreshtha writes a controversial magazine article on global warming

for Chemical Business. Unlike many articles on this subject, the author argues

that carbon dioxide emitted from human sources is not the preeminent cause of

global warming. He contends that carbon dioxide has been a staple for life since

the Earths creation. This molecule is the driving force in cellular respiration for

all vegetation, without which there would be no plant life. Kulshreshtha goes on

to clarify the major distinction between carbon dioxide pollution and global

warming. Carbon dioxide pollution is a localized phenomenon while global

warming can only exist at a global level. Many would argue that carbon dioxide

would accumulate and wreak havoc on the ozone layer. This author claims it is

not carbon dioxide, but actually chlorofluorocarbons that is the most destructive

pollutant to the protective atmospheric layer. His argument continues by opposing

popular thought that climate predictions and control is impossible. The author

sums up his argument by claiming that mass extinctions have happened

throughout history, ergo manmade carbon emissions cannot be the main source of

climate change.
Anand Kulshreshtha is the journalist who wrote this article which was published

in the Chemical Business magazine. The Chemical Business magazine focuses on

chemical prices, key issues and current projects that are driving the global

chemical markets. The author had neither special environmental credentials nor

did he use a slew of references to back up his claims. The article was clearly

biased towards the chemical industry. Petroleum refining, rubber and plastic

products are all major industrial customers of the chemical industry. These

businesses are notorious for producing the most carbon dioxide and

environmental pollution.

This unique article challenges humanitys negative impact on the environment

and the ultimate decline in livability, all points which the essay will attempt to

defend. Aside from news articles addressing the new Administrator of the EPA

disclaiming climate change, finding published articles that go against global

warming and carbon emissions is nearly impossible. The author of this article

gives many points that are commonly brought up by anti-environmentalists. This

rare gem would work well as a counterargument for the effects of human-made

carbon emissions and global warming.