After reading the articles, watching the video and learning the information from class has helped me understand more about the global warming issue and that we need to do something now about it, if we want ourselves and generations to come to make it. Since I was not too aware of the world’s present situation, most others seem to be not fully aware of the “idea” of Global Warming either. It didn’t appear to be a big issue, because the past few winters have been immensely cold, but after reading, I have learned that the past ten years have been the hottest years ever recorded. Most people feel this same way. I have realized that Global Warming is not a myth, or not just something people talk about, in less than a day. If people are educated about how the changes of climate are actually taking effect, then maybe we would have a chance, because that would be our only chance. It would be our only chance, because politics play a major and important role in the world. They influence many, and have a lot of control to make things happen. If the president and other leaders in other countries don’t make it a big deal to do something about the environment, then other people will not either. It is not just the United States who is the problem; it is an international issue, and we “all” need to do something about it. China has just become the leader of global-warming pollution, with the United States following. Even if we know what we are doing to the environment is bad, we will still continue on our path. It is the way, us as humans think. It was shockingly true from a quote from “We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change” stated, “tobacco companies blocked constraints on the marketing of cigarettes for four decades after science confirmed the link of cigarettes to diseases of the lung and heart.” We may know that is is bad, but that doesn’t mean it has become illegal or made every one stop smoking. People just keep the mentality, “Oh, it’s not going to happen to me, so I don’t care.” But they are wrong, it may not happen to them, but it will affect them in some way, shape, or form. It’s scary to think about, “that our grandchildren one day may look at us like criminals, because their fate was in our hands” and we didn’t do anything about it. That is a way that is affects all of us. This is not something we need to just stop at teaching, but to implement a solution and sticking by it. We as the United States are a leading and powerful nation, and if we take a stand, then other countries will follow. If we can start by teaching, then doing, then we can work on doing what is required to save our environment. There are signs, major snow fall, drastic hurricanes and draughts, rise in sea-level, glaciers melting, more floods, and species going into extinction. These are signs we cannot just ignore. People need to learn and then do something about it, not just wait for someone else to take the first step.
