Global Warming (Temperate Desert)

Climate Change is one of the defining issues of the 21st century. Humans are challenged to
find a set of policies, practices, and standards of behavior that provide long-term economic
opportunities and improved quality of life around the world while maintaining a sustainable
climate and viable eco-systems, The social sciences have an important role to play in meeting
these challenges, and sociologists have much to contribute to the global effort to understand the
human dimensions of climate change and to design strategies for mitigating and adapting to the
effects of climate change. There is a growing recognition in the federal government and the
scientific community about the value sociological perspectives, analytic tools and research
methods can bring to this nationally and internationally important issue.

There are many likely effects of climate change: positive and negative, economic and
ecological, humanitarian and financial. The latest estimates of climate sensitivity suggest that
such temperatures may not be reached till the end of the century. Some people might agree that
global warming is not harming the Earth. Climate change has done more good than harm so far
and is likely to continue doing so for most of this century. This is not some barmy, right-wing
fantasy; it is the consensus of expert opinion.

For most of the population global warming is causing the destruction of so many things even
in the desert. It's hard to imagine that global warming would have much effect on the world's
already hot deserts. But even small changes in temperature or precipitation could drastically
impact plants and animals living in the desert. In some cases global warming is predicted to
increase the area of deserts, which already cover a quarter of Earth. People might thing that
because is the desert is not getting harm but is actually harming deserts this will eventually affect
society because even the desert has plants that contribute to the carbon cycle and they are part of
the food chain in the desert, just imagine what would happen if producers disappear of the
desert? Animals wont have food and eventually animals that live there will become extinct wich
will end up affecting the entire atmosphere. Human activities such as firewood gathering and the
grazing of animals are also converting semiarid regions into deserts, a process known as
desertification. Population growth and greater demand for land are serious obstacles in the effort
to combat this problem.

For the first time since 2008, Americans are more likely to believe most scientists agree that
global warming is happening than believe there is widespread disagreement on the subject (44%
versus 36%, respectively). This is an increase of 9 percentage points since March 2012.
Americans belief in the reality of global warming has increased by 13 percentage points over
the past two and a half years, from 57 percent in January 2010 to 70 percent in September 2012.
At the same time, the number of Americans who say global warming is not happening has
declined nearly by half, from 20 percent in January 2010 to only 12 percent today.
For the first time since 2008, more than half of Americans (54%) believe global warming is
caused mostly by human activities, an increase of 8 points since March 2012. Americans who
say it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment have declined to 30 percent (from
37% in March).
A growing number of Americans believe global warming is already harming people both at
home and abroad. Four in ten say people around the world are being harmed right now by
climate change (40%, up 8 percentage points since March 2012), while 36 percent say global
warming is currently harming people in the United States (up six points since March).
In addition, they increasingly perceive global warming as a threat to themselves (42%, up 13
points since March 2012), their families (46%, up 13 points), and/or people in their communities
(48%, up 14 points). Americans also perceive global warming as a growing threat to people in
the United States (57%, up 11 points since March 2012), in other modern industrialized countries
(57%, up 8 points since March), and in developing countries (64%, up 12 points since March).
Today over half of Americans (58%) say they are somewhat or very worried - now at its
highest level since November 2008.

Threats:
Higher temperatures may produce an increasing number of wildfires that alter desert
landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing
grasses.
Irrigation used for agriculture, may in the long term, lead to salt levels in the soil that become too
high to support plants.
Grazing animals can destroy many desert plants and animals.
Potassium cyanide used in gold mining may poison wildlife.
Off-road vehicles, when used irresponsibly, can cause irreparable damage to desert habitats.
Oil and gas production may disrupt sensitive habitat.
Nuclear waste may be dumped in deserts, which have also been used as nuclear testing grounds.

Solutions:
More efficiently use existing water resources and better control salinization to improve arid
lands.
Find new ways to rotate crops to protect the fragile soil.
Plant sand-fixing bushes and trees.

As a person and human being I know global warming is affecting and harming the earth and
is sad to see that we are the ones that are doing this to the planet, we dont realize that this will
be the planet where our future generations will live it is important for us to try to improve our
behavior to help the place where we live to be better and healthier.