The Life In A Greenhouse Essay, Research Paper
The life in a greenhouse may be a deadly one in the future. Every single day people pollute the environment and the ozone layer cannot withstand all the pollution that takes place. Much of the pollution comes from cars, trucks, factories, and everyday house hold items, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Holes start to form when the ozone gets to its thinnest point. When this happens, the greenhouse effect then starts up to haunt everyone. The greenhouse effect is the effects the sun has on all living things. The earth gradually becomes thrown off its seasonal balance. People then start to get unusual amounts of harmful radiation. People from all over the world have tried to come up with a solution to fix this problem. The Kyoto Protocol, the world s clean air act, is now being offered to many countries. The United States, however, has not signed the Kyoto Protocol. Due to government stipulations, the United States feels like it would be a good idea to hold out of the signing.
Forty years ago, if you asked was the ozone being depleted, people would laugh and say, I don t know. The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere and is twenty-five miles wide (Cooper 291). Today ozone depletion is a very big issue and it could have and effect on the way you live your life. Almost everyone in the world helps to deplete the ozone layer. Gases such as the ones fire extinguishers give off contain a great deal chlorine monoxide (Cooper 291). It is a direct derivative of chlorofluorocarbons, better known as cfc s (Cooper 290). Cfc s were abolished when research was preformed and the results showed a major break down in the ozone layer. Bromine monoxide is also a gas that causes problems in the ozone (Cooper 290). NASA was the first organization to notice the ozone s depletion when a study was preformed on the gases left by space rockets (Cooper 290). The also took samples from all over the world. They found out that in nineteen eighty-five, there was a hole over Antarctica (Cooper 292). By nineteen ninety, the hole had stretched to Purina Arenas in South America (Cooper 297). The ozone level in the hole was fifty percent less than what it should be. In the winter months, the ozone can be depleted at a rate of one to two percent per day (Cooper 293). It can also deplete to as much as forty percent during this time (Cooper 293). Depletion of this amount can cause serious damage to the whole world. If there were a hole to appear over Japan or China, the United States and all the other countries would feel a dramatic impact. People could possible die from harmful radiation and that would cause production of exports to decline. This in return would cause the countries to lose revenue. The ozone being depleted makes the greenhouse effect start to take its toll.
The greenhouse effect is when gases act as a blanket to the earth. Even though ozone holes could cause severe problems in certain areas, the greenhouse effect takes its toll on the whole world. Humans and animals feel the effects the most. Extreme temperatures can cause malaria and severe fever (Lemonick 24). Temperatures are hotter now than in the past one hundred million years (Lemonick 26). Warmer temperatures have caused glaciers to melt, in return, causing seas to rise to three feet or more in areas around the world (Lemonick 25). The most popular snows of the Kilimanjaro are now disappearing (Lemonick 25). In the most beautiful waters, the coral reefs that were once a popular site seeing activity are drying off (Lemonick 25). The event that hits home to the United States is the unusual El Nino events that were once happening in the eastern pacific (Lemonick 25). El Nino brought many rainy days, hurricanes, and tornadoes (Lemonick 25). The North Carolina Coast has seen its share of changes because of the greenhouse effect as well. The Atlantic Ocean has risen one and a half meters in the past few years (Lemonick 29). In the past century, temperatures have risen to one degree Fahrenheit above normal (Lemonick 25). The past decade, the nineteen nineties, was the warmest decade on record . Scientists predict that by the year two thousand one hundred, temperatures could rise from two and a half degrees Fahrenheit to ten point four degrees Fahrenheit above the average temperature now (Lemonick 26). Most people say that isn t a great deal, but it only took a nine-degree rise to end the last ice age (Lemonick 26). The greenhouse effect can also cause problems to people who suffer from breathing problems. Asthmatics and others could have possible losses of breaths. Farmers might not be able to grow a majority of crops that they grow now. To the worst extent, humans and animals might have to wear protective clothing when walking outside, because one minute of exposure could burn your skin cells (Cooper 291). No one in the world wants to wear protective clothing when going outside, so many countries are trying to find ways of controlling pollution. Leaders from most countries gathered in the town of Kyoto to advise some sort of control policy of pollution. The Kyoto Protocol is an act to clean up the environment by putting a limit on how much percentage of greenhouse gases is let into the atmosphere. The United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the European countries are involved in the Kyoto Protocol (Wharton 9). What it states is that the percentage until the year two thousand ten should be no more than they were in the nineteen nineties (Wharton 9). In the United Sates, the percentage should be no more than ninety-three percent of what it was in nineties (Wharton 9). All of the larger countries are encouraged to sign it. The only exceptions are the Latin and most Asian countries (Wharton 9). They are in what is called a bubble. These selected countries have a very poor status and are still developing. They are put in this bubble to try and let the countries develop as much as possible before restrictions are put on them as well. The countries will only be lightly checked for status purposes only. If they would like to join freely, they may do so. If they decide to sign freely, the same limitations will apply to them. The Protocols consists of limitations on only six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane gas, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride (Wharton 9). Carbon dioxide and methane gas mostly comes from automobile use. The others are from household, factory, and chemical lab use. These gases have to be kept in a reasonable limit pledged by the leader of that country. The President of the United States, George Bush, has not yet signed the protocol. President Bush promised to cut emissions, but has yet to do so.
The United States is home to four percent of the world s population and twenty-five percent of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere (Kluger 30). The United States will be greatly affected by the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. President Bush refuses to sign the Protocol because of the power shortages across America. President Bush feels like it is not the right time and the standards stated in the Protocol is not in the best interest for the people. The United Sates will lose three hundred billion dollars if the Protocol is signed (Wharton 1). This is not including the debt the United States is already in. Farmers would only earn fifty dollars for one acre of wheat (Kluger 35). Most families will lose about two thousand seven hundred dollars if the signing occurs (Wharton 1). The unemployment rate will increase from five point forty-three to almost seven percent (Wharton 1). This could also affect many businesses, especially small ones that are still in the developing stages. The price of gasoline would dramatically increase (Wharton 2). The cost of home oil and electricity would nearly double from the rate it is now (Wharton 1). Some people are trying to find different ways to get around the protocol. The best alternative to solve the electricity problem is wind turbines. Wind turbines efficiency is about ninety percent (Kluger 35). They also account for about fifteen gigawatts of energy for the United States (Kluger 35). The automobile industry, as well as the government has also tightened up to lower emissions. They have got it to where the average sport utility vehicle gets about twenty miles to the gallon (Kluger 34).
In conclusion, each and every individual in the world directly affects our environment. Most everyone pollutes the environment, whether they mean to or not. Depletion can come from your vehicle, home, or business. The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion will continue to increase unless some kind of act happens, and happens soon. A complete turn-a-round cannot change the way people are affected by all of the environmental problems. There is no way a change in our ozone layer can happen over night. It is going to take all of the countries pulling together as a team to fix the ozone problem. After that they have to remain as one to help fight the pollution in the future. People should agree that it is going to take some kind of act to get to an agreement. People cannot just look at it as individual country problems, because holes can spread all around the world. Even if your country develops a hole over it, the next country better be on its heals, because they could get it too. Everyone has heard about the depleting ozone, greenhouse gases, and the Kyoto Protocol. What people haven t heard is what they are about. If more people knew about what is going on, they would get more involved in it. This would eventually lead to the best possible solution in the matter. The leaders must get together and make a reasonable decision based on the situation at hand and the situation in the future.