Green Power Reading Response Essay

As the year 2013 is gradually coming to a close, global warming and pollution is not. Glaciers are becoming smaller, the ozone is becoming thinner, and the air pollution levels are at an all time high. How is the earth heading downhill in such a fast manner? Who is to blame? Is there ever going to be a resolution? California Governor Jerry Brown stated, “Our wealth, our society, our being is driven by oil and carbon. And when we say we have to make a shift, that is extremely difficult.” He is completely correct. Parents, children, cousins, co-workers, friends, and nearly everyone able to grasp the concept of global warming and the danger the earth is in are all wondering what is going to happen to the environment in the upcoming years. As he stood on a steep ridge some 19,000 feet high, David Braeshears was able to distinctly see the Rongbuk Glacier in Tibet. He was in dismay with the sight of the glacier’s major change from a picture he had seen from 1921. “The glacier’s just gone,” he said. The obvious difference from 1921 to the day he stood on the Himalayan outcrop in 2006, was appalling. 40 percent of the glacier had melted away in the eight-five year difference. Green house gasses are to blame for the intense climate change. Carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone gasses are the prime factors in this dramatic earth change. The burning of caol and oil are the cause of the outrageous fossil fuels that are destroying the ozone. Majority of the world relies on electricity to survive. Over 50 percent of electricity produced in the world comes from the burning of coal. The average American uses enough electricity, annually, to burn over 9 tons of coal. Along with the burning of coal, gasoline is another highly used resource when it comes to every day living. Car manufacturers are taking the necessary steps in producing vehicles that do not run on gasoline. Hybrid and all electric cars have been created in hopes of decreasing the gas consumption. Personally, my car holds 20 gallons of gas. A tank of gas lasts me roughly two weeks. With that being said, I use AT LEAST 40 gallons of gas per month, equalling out to over 480 gallons per year. And that is only my car. Imagine every single person using the same amount of gas as me, if not more. The number of gallons of gas used by the world in a year is outrageous. Every single person is virtually contributing to global warming by the insane amount of gas we use. Unfortunately, that is not the only problem we have! Far more issues have risen than just the gas consumption by vehicles. Numbers calculated in 2011 say that under 15 percent of energy produced was created by renewable resources and 62 percent of energy was produced by fossil fuels and coal. These numbers are far too low and high to guarantee a healthy environment in the upcoming years. If all states would have someone like Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens or California governor Jerry Brown, the United States would be on the right track in slowing down global warming. Boone released a campaign saying that he wanted to create the worlds largest wind farm which would provide energy for millions of homes. However, due to reasons such as the recession and falloff in natural gas prices, he did was not able to follow through with his plan. With plans to better the environment, Brown signed a law stating by the year 2020, 33 percent of California’s energy would be powered by renewable resources. It is no secret that the issues talked about in the Green Power article, are real. Global warming and the pollution of the earth are in-fact serious problems. As the article stated in many places, the use of fossil fuels and coal are at an unacceptable high. Without immediate action and cooperation from the whole planet, our beautiful earth will continue to deteriorate to a state that we may not be prepared for. Life for the upcoming generations will more than likely be way different than what we experience now. Parents, children, cousins, co-workers, friends, and nearly everyone able to grasp the concept of global warming and the danger the earth is in are all wondering what is going to happen to the environment in the upcoming years.