Opinion: Humans have increased the rate of Global Warming

Gracie Warda, Assistant Online Editor

By 2100, ocean levels could rise up to 26 inches— enough to cause significant damage to some coastal cities. Hurricanes, tornadoes and other forms of extreme weather have become more unpredictable and more extreme. The Polar Ice Caps are melting at a record-breaking rate. All are thanks to global warming, or rather, the humans who have caused it.

According to LiveScience, over 197 scientific organizations have confirmed that “global warming is real and has been caused by human action”. Everyday activities, such as driving a car to work, contribute to the global climate change. Anything that emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributes to it.

Many argue that this global warming is not the fault of humans, but rather is part of the Earth’s natural cycle. We’ve had over five Ice Ages and a similar amount of Interglacial periods, why would this one be any different?

The answer is one simple word: patterns. These past climate changes created an easily distinguishable pattern, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the current climate change does not fall within this pattern. Additionally, absurdly high human rates of CO2 emissions tie them to the crime scene.

All this being said, what can we do to stop global warming now? Isn’t it too late? Most definitely not. The root of global warming is carbon dioxide emissions, which can be reduced by driving less, taking shorter showers, planting trees, recycling and conserving electricity. It is up to humans to clean up the mess they made and save our Planet Earth.