ISLAND SCHOOL

Global Perspectives GCSE:

Global Warming
How will global warming likely to affect our future
and what can be done to reduce its impact?

Ema Nishikiori s16421
2276 words





Contents
Introduction Page 1
Impacts on Everyday Life Page 1
Impacts on Industries Page 2
Impacts on Our Future Page 3
Global Perspectives Page 4
Cross- Cultural Perspectives Page 4
Solutions Page 4
Conclusion Page 5
Bibliography Page 5

Introduction
Global warming is a major problem that the whole world is living through. Global warming is
associated with the increase of the average temperature on Earths near surface air and oceans
since the mid-20
th
Century and is still continued. There are many organisations and people
that are trying to help the world by suggesting many different movements that we could do
easily to help the world. Global warming has impacted many people so far and will have a
big impact on us in the near future. The impacts we would have of global warming can be
very severe. Others may only affect some people. These impacts could take place right away,
and others may take a few years later. But all of these impacts can be something that we could
prevent from happening. Each country will be having a different impact from others, and each
impact will have a different solution to it.
Impacts on Everyday Life
Global warming is affecting our lifestyle already. Extreme weather has been more frequent
over the past few years. An example is the frequency of heavy rain. Another is the difference
of time between each rainfall, which has become a lot longer. The differences between two
opposite climates have increased, so climates with a wetter environment have become wetter,
and dry, deserted climates has become drier. The environment has decreased in the amount of
days we have for colder days, and there is already an increase with warmer weather. Because
of these climate changes, the earth is slowly changing how they look. Some of these changes
may not be irreversible. One of the changes we hear a lot about is the melting of ice caps.
There are many animals that live in the colder regions that die from hunger, drowning from
the lack of the area of ice they stand in. Wildfires will occur more often which will be another
effect of climate change. This will take away some peoples lives. Fires that will go through
drought-stricken lands will be the most dangerous for people because it spreads across quicker
and burn longer. This will destroy many forests, homes and public recreation spaces and
grasslands. The University of Arizona stated that from 1987 to 2003, forested land had been
burned in the west of United States increased by seven times, and large fires were 4 more
frequent. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) predicts that if the world gets warmer
by another 3.6 degrees, wildfires in the west of United States will burn four times more land
than they do now.
Another effect is the rise of sea levels. Sea levels rising mean that there would be more
frequent coastal flooding. There would be land subsidence that would affect some small
island countries like Maldives, Kiribati, Seychelles, etc. Between 1870 and 2000, the sea level
increased by an average of 1.7 millimetres. Each year, the rate of increasing sea levels
accelerates.
Other than the effects of weather, the prices for foods will become more expensive, because
the ingredients will be harder to get in hand. This is because of the change of climate, so there
may not be many vegetables that will be produced. Not only food, but fresh water would be
harder to get, so they would become expensive as well.

Impacts on Industries
Global Warming will not only have impacts on our everyday life, but they will also have huge
impacts on industries. Most industries that have a connection with the nature, like farming,
fishing, etc. The impacts on these industries are mostly negative.
One industry with a big effect is the tourism sector. One reason is because many travellers try
to become eco-friendly and chooses eco-tours and eco-hotels to keep their carbon footprint to
the minimum amount. Another reason is because of the weather there. Bad weather events
like landslides and erosion prevent tourists from going overseas to travel. An additional
reason is because some of the tourist activities have decreased. Some famous tourist spots
have been closed down because of the rise of sea levels, shortage of snow, and lack of water.
Some tourist spots like beaches, ski resorts and golf hotels have already been closed down.
Industries like wine making industries, fishing industries and other industries that are there
because of the existence of living organisms. Global warming will affect wine making
industries because climatologists are warning that rising temperatures will bring disasters to
grape/wine growing areas. This is because climate change will impact the insect population,
flooding and soil erosion. Fishing industries will have a considerable consequence from
global warming as well. This is because the carbon dioxide in the air will acidize the water
and the sea levels will rise so the environment where the fishes live will change significantly.
Cold water fish like salmons will be poorly affected by the warm water currents. Additionally,
there will be a side effect for forestry. Dry weather and hot temperatures will increase the rate
of forest fires. But scientists say that forest fires will also slow down global warming because
leaves from trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. On top of all these industries,
there will be a massive aftermath for livestock farming industries. Eating less meat will help
slow down global warming. But this will make the livestock farming industry suffer.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Association, 18 per cent of the worlds
emissions come from cows methane stomach gases.
Energy and Water industries will take in a big reaction too. Facing global warming, the
energy industries are being forced to make something that will help slow down global
warming. Over time, solar panels (solar power) and wind turbines have become major
generators for power. The nuclear industry has also been appointed for an extensive
development. Water shortages are already a big problem around the world. It is said that
global warming will only make this problem worse. This will make the water industry
increase the price.
Impacts on Our Future
In the future, it is almost certain about the change in climate. Some of these changes are
contraction of snow covered areas, increase in the amount of typhoons occurring in a year,
precipitations increasing in high latitudes and decreasing in regions that are subtropical.
Others are the decrease in water resources.
Even though we have seen the changes already in the past few decades, the increase in
temperature will keep going. It is estimated that by 2100, the average global temperature will
increase from 2 degrees Fahrenheit, to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit, although some parts of the
world would have a larger temperature increase than the average (EPA). Also, it is predicted
that the temperature in 2100 will be at least twice as much as it is 100 years before. It is also
projected that the air temperatures on ground level will increase more rapidly on land than it
does over oceans.
The increase of greenhouse gases will have a vast amount of impacts. The concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will only increase until there is a huge decrease of
our annual emissions. The increase of greenhouse gases is predicted to increase the average
temperature of the Earth, increase acidity of sea water and reduce ice, snow cover and
permafrost.
Other than these impacts that are predicted, it is also being thought that there will be an
increase of storms, acidized oceans, sea levels rising, and increase on precipitation. All of
these will impact the world when it happens, but it will also have a big impact on the
generations after ours.
Global Perspectives
There are impacts happening all over the world already. Some of the recent impacts are
constant heat waves, hot days and hot nights, high sea levels. This also includes cold days and
nights that are frost less.
People living in flood-prone delta nations, such as Bangladesh are feeling the force of Climate
change already. Recurrent flooding takes away all the crops, spreads diseases and destroys
homes. Other countries, like Australia, have more common forest fires, and scientist believe
that this has to do with climate change. The temperature in Australia have been rising
significantly so this is what scientist think this is what the reason is for common forest fires.
Cross-Cultural Perspective
A Japanese farmer, who lives in the West of Japan grows different crops like rice, onions,
eggplant, potatoes, radish and other vegetables, finds that the climate change had changed the
growth of her crops, but not too much. She finds that global warming is a good impact,
because she feels that there are much more sunny days than rainy days compared to before.
As a farmer, she hasnt felt a big change with the climate and the environment she grows her
crops in. She has been trying to help prevent a big impact happening because of global
warming by trying to not burn glasses.
Solutions
There are many organisations trying to help stop global warming from happening. Even just a
little step can help global warming if everyone does it. One of the major solutions that are
happening is trying to reduce the amount of electricity being used. This can be happened by
changing light bulbs in to bulbs that does not use a lot of electricity. Usually, light bulbs that
do not use a lot of electricity can end up having the brightness of the light dimmer compared
to ones that uses a lot of electricity. Nowadays, there is a bulb that is very bright, and does not
use much electricity than others, which is called the LED. Bright screens you see around the
streets these days, like screens around Times Square in New York, the lights they use are
LED lights.
Other solutions can be buying fewer things. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only will this help the environment, but this will also help you because you wont need to
use much money. When youre going to buy a car, you should buy a car which lasts longer
and is environmentally friendly like hybrid cars. These hybrid cars will use less energy and
will reduce the impact on the environment. Even though you should buy fewer things, buying
everyday needs will be a different matter. If you buy your everyday needs all at once, it would
use fewer materials that you will use to bring back home. Sometimes, buying more things can
mean consuming less.
Conclusion
There have been many impacts that have already occurred and still occurring whilst some are
just waiting to happen. Most of the effects are mainly because we didnt really think about our
environment and we were being selfish to only think about ourselves. Although many impacts
have taken place already, we still can help and change the world and try to help prevent global
warming, and maybe make it an environment closer to the environment people lived in 100
years ago then to an environment with global warming.
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