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Maxwell Gibson

Mrs. Tolkan

English ERWC

Oct 20, 2017

Our Planet is being Destroyed

As a species, humans, are going to destroy the only planet we call home, and will

ultimately be the cause of our own extinction. The issue of global warming or climate change has

been relevant for centuries, but just recently, over the past thirty years or so, it has gained mass

recognition. The very fact that temperatures are rising on a global scale does not hold much

weight, it is the effects that this temperature change will have on the plant that concerns so many

people. The two biggest effects of this change are the rising sea levels, and the air quality in

relation to the lower ozone levels.

Around the world we are seeing a significant rise in sea levels, and this is from the

unnatural presence of human development. The world is a big place, but for research purposes I

will only use data from the U.S. in this paper. Now, for coastal cities the event of flooding and/or

high tides are not an uncommon occurrence. Although, on top of this natural tide cycle, there is

now added inches of water to make this cycle more impactful. In an article published last year by

Climate Central they said “Recent research attributes about 6 inches of the world’s sea level rise

that has occurred since 1900 to human-caused global warming. And given current levels of

carbon emissions, that rate is expected to accelerate”. Now, flooding like this isn't considered

severe, and disasters such as hurricanes and tropical storms have a much more profound effect on

the area they hit, but smaller flooding like this is much, much more frequent in coastal cities.
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Global temperature rise will not only intensify the natural flooding cycles that already occurs but

also create more floodings for these cities. The same article stated, “Since 1950, 67 percent of all

flood days would not have happened without the sea level rise that has taken place because of

rising greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet”. Rising sea levels are probably the

most immediate effects of global warming but there are many more.

Living in the U.S. I am more than familiar with the blistering hot days of summer, and

the cool, flowing breeze that is non-existent among these triple digit days. When the air is

stagnant, and there is little air circulation, hot weather will trigger high levels of air pollution that

has health consequences for us human beings. This combination of increasing heat and stagnant

air causes an unhealthy ground-level ozone. In a 2016 study by Climate Central, they said, “We

have found that 66 percent of the U.S. has experienced an overall increase in the number of days

with stagnant air since the 1970s. This increase is consistent with what you expect in a warming

world…”. Rising temperatures, as expected, will increase stationary air masses, and with little

circulation, ozone will be driven up rapidly. “Drawing on air quality data since 1980, we found

that in many cities... summers with more stagnant air events also had more days with unhealthy

levels of ozone. A high ozone day was one when concentrations exceeded those levels classified

by the EPA as unsafe…”. So, overall this rise temperature combined with the increase in

stagnant air days creates many “unsafe” days with ground-level ozone. In the following decades

the warming temperatures, and the continued emissions are expected to increase stagnant air

conditions.

In conclusion, the unnatural occurrence of rising temperatures on a global scale will have

many more effects on the way we live other than the days will be hotter. This will have a major
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direct impact on the rising sea levels, and will increase pollution and smog in an uncirculated

ground-level ozone. If we want our grandchildren’s, grandchildren to have a planet to live on, we

as a species needs to redirect our efforts and focus on reversing these effects and not intensifying

them.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/stagnation-air-conditions-on-the-rise-20600