Christine Morales

April 23, 2007

English 145 Paper 2

The Numbers Don’t Lie-Global Warming is Here

“I would like to say we're at a point where global warming is impossible to deny. Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers, though one denies the past and the other denies the present and future.” –Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe.

As Ellen Goodman so eloquently states, global warming is not just a hypothesis anymore; it is an inconvenient truth. In recent years, more and more data has been collected and shared with the public about the dangerous effects global warming will have on future generations. One of the more convincing arguments for global warming is Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth. In this film he states that if we don’t begin to make some changes in our day to day lives, our earth will not be the majestic place we see it today and our children are the ones that will be asking us why. To validate his argument that global warming is changing the world, Gore focuses on some key issues such as rising CO2 levels that are increasing the world’s temperature, the melting of Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic, and the numerous species of animals that are in danger of extinction. However, due to Gore’s previous political involvement, many skeptics and critics have voiced their opinion that An Inconvenient Truth is nothing more then[CS1] Gore’s attempt to test the waters for future elections to come. They also criticize Gore’s data and continually console the public by saying that global warming is not as big of an issue as Gore makes it seem. However, I believe that Gore’s documentary is very [CS2] informative and accurate and that we must listen to his message to save our planet.

One of the beginning points that Gore makes in his documentary is that CO2 levels are rising drastically and the earth’s temperature will begin to rise as well because CO2 emissions and the temperature seem to fluctuate together. Gore even [CS3] shows a graph of this and to help illustrate his point further, Gore enhanced his graph [CS4] so that the CO2 levels would reach so high that they would be off the screen in his presentation. To back up his claim that CO2 levels and temperature are connected he also states that delete the “ten hottest years on record have occurred in the last 14 years and that the hottest of all was 2005” (chapter 11). Critics like Tom Harris of the Canadian Free Press argue that, "It is not unusual for some locations, out of the thousands of cities and towns in the U.S., to set all-time records. The actual data shows that overall, recent temperatures in the U.S. were not unusual." However, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) report Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia, has had average temperatures increase as much as 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 4 degrees Celsius) in the past 50 years. The rise is nearly twice the global average. In fact, Barrow, Alaska (the U.S.'s northernmost city) average temperatures are up over 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius) in 30 years (Handwerk, 2004). I believe that these numbers do not lie. Global warming is happening and even though not every city is experiencing steady increases in temperature at this moment [CS5] doesn’t mean that they never will.

Later on in the documentary, Gore begins to show the effects of global warming by showing numerous glaciers melting, especially those by [CS6] Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic. Critics of this [CS7] , such as Dr. Dick Morgan say that "There has been some decrease in ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic over the past 30 years but no melt down. The Canadian Ice Service records show that from 1971-1981 there was average, to above average, ice thickness. From 1981-1982 there was a sharp decrease of 15% but there was a quick recovery to average, to slightly above average, values from 1983-1995. A sharp drop of 30% occurred again 1996-1998 and since then there has been a steady increase to reach near normal conditions since 2001” (Harris, 2006). Nevertheless, according to Brian Handwerk of National Geographic.com “the numbers show that the rising temperatures have a dramatic impact on Arctic ice. Since 1978 Arctic sea ice area has shrunk by some 9 percent per decade, and thinned as well. ACIA projects that at least half of the Arctic's summer sea ice will melt by century's end, and that the Arctic region is likely to warm 7 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 7 degrees Celsius) during the same time.” Professor Peter Wadhams supports this data as well by saying that “Rising air temperatures, possibly the consequence of global warming, are melting the ice from above. And warmer water is also rising from the depths to attack the ice from below. (Consequently the Arctic) had thinned by 43% during the Arctic summer” (Kirby, 2002). The data presented in Gore’s documentary is consistent with the findings of many scientists that have been studying the glacier melting phenomenon and should be taken seriously.[CS8]

Gore also touches on the subject of the numerous animal species that are at risk of extinction because of global warming. [CS9] In the film, Gore shows that because of the melting glaciers, polar bears are drowning because they have to swim farther and farther distances to find a glacier to live on. According to Steven Amstrup, a polar-bear specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska, "As the sea ice goes, that will direct to a very great extent what happens to polar bears” (Carlton, 2005). Furthermore, researchers from the USGS, the University of Wyoming and the Canadian Wildlife Service found that the population of polar bears in Canada's western Hudson Bay -- near the southernmost habitat for the bears in the world -- fell to 935 in 2004 from 1,194 in 1987, a 22% drop. Researchers said “the decline -- the first recorded for these bears -- came in tandem with an extension by nearly a full month in the time it takes for Hudson Bay to ice over after the summer” (Carlton, 2005). Again I must say that the numbers do not lie. [CS10] As Gore says in his film and the polar bear specialists are finding, the decrease in the polar bear population can be linked with global warming.

However, polar bears are not the only species in danger of extinction because of global warming. [CS11] According to Tanya Plibersek of the Sydney Morning Herald, “Australia has more endangered animal and plant species than any other continent - numbering hundreds - with 54 animal species and 61 plant species already extinct. Climate change will speed their demise. The number of bird and animal species listed as extinct, endangered or vulnerable rose by 41 per cent in the 10 years to last year.” This is consistent with the figure that Gore stated in his documentary that the ten hottest years on record have occurred in the last 14 years. This [CS12] shows that humans are not the only thing [CS13] that will be affected by global warming. The animals we live with will suffer far worse because of their dependence on nature. When an animals’ habitat changes as drastically as it has been in the past ten years these animals will not have enough time to adapt [CS14] thus causing their extinction- the exact thing that Gore warns us about.

Overall, I believe that An Inconvenient Truth is an accurate account of the current information about the issue of global warming. I believe that since global warming is still relatively new and highly controversial, many people don’t want to wholeheartedly [CS15] accept everything Al Gore is saying. It is easy to find information that opposes the facts presented in the documentary; however, the main issue is the creditability factor of the writers of such facts. I believe that Gore uses credible sources and that he has researched all of the points he presents in his power point thoroughly. As soon as [CS16] people realize and change their attitudes about global warming, the better chance our earth has of surviving [CS17] for generations to come. [CS18]

Works Cited

Carlton, Jim. “Is Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears?.” The Wall Street Journal.

Online. 14 December 2005. 20 April 2007. <http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB113452435089621905-vnekw47PQGtDyf3iv5XEN71_o5I_20061214.html>.

Goodman, Ellen. “No change is political climate.” The Boston Globe. 9 February 2007.

20 April 2007. <http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/02/09/no_change_in_political_climate/.>.

Handwerk, Brian. “Global Warming Fast Facts.” National Geographic.com 6 December

2004. 20 April 2007. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html>.

Harris, Tom. “Scientists respond to Gore’s warnings of climate catastrophe.” Canada

Free Press. 12 June 2006. 20 April 2007.

<http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/harris061206.htm.>.

Kirby, Alex. “Arctic ice ‘melting from below.’” BBC News. 27 March 2002. 20 April

2007.< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1894740.stm>.

Plibersek, Tanya. “Inconvenient Truth That Can’t be Ignored”. Sydney Morning Herald.

5 September 2006. 20 April 2007. <http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0905-33.htm>.