Monday, March 31, 2014

Article of the Week- Period 6

Read the op-ed.  Consider the author's tone, structure of the article, validity of evidence, persuasive techniques, and your personal reaction.  
2. Please add an intelligent comment (minimum 5 sentences) in response to the linked articles from The New York Times.  Be sure to use a minimum of one quote in your response.
3. Optional: Comment on a classmates post in a second post (minimum 3 sentences)
*Use only your first name, last initial and class period.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/science/earth/panels-warning-on-climate-risk-worst-is-yet-to-come.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article

26 comments:

  1. Clearly, global warming is a problem that is both immediate and widespread. It affects every person on the planet in some way or another, and is a force that is already taking its toll in various regions of the globe. The article cites some prominent examples, stating that, "Ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct." And as if these problems aren't big enough, experts warn that it will only get worse, saying, "The world’s food supply is at considerable risk." So, what do we do? Greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution are major factors, so limiting them will help slow the progress of global climate change. However, it has to be a cooperative effort from all of the countries in the world. Otherwise the change won't be significant enough to reverse the situation. The article expresses this, and its informative tone and variety of expert opinions and information strengthen its urgency. We need a cooperative effort to stop pollution to slow global warming, now. Jessica L. Period 6

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  2. Climate change is a scary problem that we are already experiencing the consequences of. As stated in the article, “Climate change is ALREADY having sweeping effects on every continent and throughout the world’s oceans, scientists reported Monday, and they warned that the problem is likely to grow substantially worse unless greenhouse emissions are brought under control.” This is a major issue facing the world today but is still not being addressed by many major countries. Even with all the scientific evidence that we have to back up the idea that green house emissions are having a profound effect on our environment there are still people that doubt the concept of global warming and environmental change. Some of the major sources of green house emissions are the countries who are currently the largest industrial giants of the world such as China and India. The amount of pollution that China dumps into the environment every year is astonishing yet no major steps are taken to avoid this.The world needs to realize that climate change is a reality and that it is happening now and that the only way to prevent this is to take action and work toward a better and healthier future.
    Hannah Beatty

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  3. Climate change is a huge problem, and it's good to see that it's finally being acknowledged. Not many people knew how dangerous the situation we've put ourselves in is, and some people don't even think that climate change exists. Which I think is pretty ridiculous. It's clearly obvious that we have caused this problem, with all of our excessive needs for non renewable resources, and putting all this pollution into the air. “Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,” says Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the intergovernmental panel. So basically, if we don't change our ways, using more renewable resources and cleaner ways of gaining energy, we are all screwed.

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  4. I definitely think we need to collectively do something about global warming because it's not going away. Resources and food are getting burned, and we've already seen the consequences of this with the wars going on. There are so many little things that can be done to reduce pollution and preserve resources, but none of this will make a significant difference unless everyone contributes. Global Warming is a dangerously widespread issue and won't be easy to slow down. Macau commented, "No amount of renewable energy or recycling will do any good if we don't check population growth. People consume resources." This is a really good point because population growth is the biggest reason why global warming is getting so much worse every year. If we as a planet cannot find a way to contain all of the population and maintain our resources, then I think population control may have to be seriously considered as an option.

    Jonathan Williams
    p6

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  5. When I think of climate change, I, like many people try to ease the thought of the problem by thinking of how it might be nice for the earth's temperature to rise. The new wave of information regarding the severity of this issue has trumped these positive thoughts, unfortunately. Commenter "erik" posted that, "It's called climate change by many now because it more accurately describes a phenomenon where when you add heat to the system you get more than just a temperature increase, you also get: ocean acidification, changing rainfall patterns and sea level rise, to name a few." This is exactly why we can't just dismiss the idea of climate change by seeing it as a way to grow oranges in Connecticut. An increased temperature results in numerous other changes to the environment. Even if some of these changes are good, the other changes are too unpredictable to be dealt with in a safe and timely manner. And, unfortunately we're not ready to leave and inhabit mars yet. The biggest issue of all, though, is that no limit on emissions is really enough to fix a problem of this scale. I'm no ecologist but I see our best option as being switching to alternative fuel sources on a large scale. Yes, it's expensive, but waiting until oil is 15$ a gallon and food has skyrocketed in price will be far worse. This problem is only compounded when we think of the fact that profitable but developing countries like China and Mexico are so invested in mass production in environmentally-unfriendly ways. The world needs more unity to solve global problems.

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  6. Michael Caminear Period 6
    Global climate change has been a rising, and prominent, issue throughout the world for some time now. All generations have been educated on this topic in at least one way, and solutions have been tossed around, but not really acted upon. This article gives useful ,relevant insight as to how global climate change could have a significant impact on peoples' lives. More importantly, the author's informative tone allows the readers to formulate the fact that countries need to considerably focus their efforts on finding a solution to this global crisis. Although it may not be a pressing issue today, it has the potential to be very harmful in the future. Therefore, a solution needs to be prepared sooner rather than later. Secretary of the State, John Kerry, even said, "...waiting is truly unaffordable. The costs of inaction are catastrophic.” This shows that if we don't act now, then we will be hit like a train by all of the problems that will eventually present themselves as a result of global climate change. Overall, this was a very interesting article that really made me think about the prospective possibility of the catastrophic effects of climate change. The main thing that I will take away from this article is that we shouldn't, as a human race, procrastinate with global crises.

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  7. "Very sobering. The current natural gas and oil boom in the USA, with many European countries flocking here for cheap energy will be the final nail in the coffin for the climate. Not to mention the USA and Canada shipping lots of coal to China. We criticize China for its pollution, but supply the substrate for it, and the market demand for its products. Renewable energy is just not financially competitive unless there is a price on carbon, and profits trump climate concerns. There is no sign that the USA will lead on this one. The result will be culling of the Earth's population, at the expense of the poor countries who are least responsible for the damage as noted in the article. The rich countries will also pay their price in different ways, potentially fighting wars for the limited resources." - Tommy from California

    "Humans adapt very well to environmental changes. We have big brains and it is easy to use technology to live in inhospitable environments (e.g., humans can live on the moon). We build houses with furnaces and AC so that we can survive in very cold climates and very hot climates, respectively.

    This not true, however, for all other species. We adapt by changing the environment to suit us. Adaptation for all other species is only through genetic change. Unfortunately for them, genetic change is very slow. This means that many will simply go extinct because we like to burn fossil fuels.

    Historically there have been mass extinctions because of climate change (e.g., the dinosaurs were wiped out by meteor impact that cooled the earth because of the dust and debris that was spewed into the atmosphere). A meteor impact is a force of nature. Humans causing climate change by burning fossil fuels is not.

    The question humans must answer is: what moral obligations do we have to other species?" - Magnus from Nebraska

    The first comment listed is one that I was very happy to read. It points out the major underlying issue we face: economic interests still outweigh the overwhelming need for climate change prevention. We continue to mine, drill and drive as if it has no effect on our futures.

    The second comment was pretty stupid. Of course, it does bring up the valid point that we are causing more harm to other species than to ourselves. But it claims that we can survive without the balance that the earth provides us, saying that we can adapt to whatever this planet becomes. Which is absolutely false. We have tried before to recreate Earth's systems in the biosphere, which was an utter failure. We would have to successfully develop a large scale recreation of the water cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, sulfur cycle, phosphate cycle, and all the rest of Earth's practices. On top of this, we probably wouldn't begin this project until it became clear it was the only possibility of sustaining life here, which would leave a very small window of time to find a perfect balance. Along with that, no society or civilization of man has ever created a perfect balance of anything, despite countless attempts to institute Utopian societies. The chance of finding a perfect balance of natural systems is even slimmer than one of human interactions. So for anyone standing behind the idea that humans will inevitably survive even if the world becomes an inhospitable place: good luck

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  8. Global Warming is a serious issue right now for the world. The affects and problems it could cause are most likely far more catostrophic to the world than any single problem here in the United States. The article states that, "ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct." In addition, the resulting climate change was reported "to slow down economic growth, make poverty reduction more difficult, further erode food security, and prolong existing and create new poverty traps, the latter particularly in urban areas and emerging hot spots of hunger." To me this seems like some of the major problems in this world compiled under one specific cause, global warming. This problem needs to be fixed as soon as possible even though it may take several years to get under control. Global warming should be taken seriously and not be dismissed by those who "don't believe in it."
    Jessica M. Period 6

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  9. I found this authors tone to be very convincing. Climate change is as serious issue our world has to face. Some people don't believe in climate change but the article changes opinions by having facts. Facts about green house emissions and how its increasing."Organic matter frozen in Arctic soils since before civilization began is now melting, allowing it to decay into greenhouse gases that will cause further warming." I believed the author said this to make the readers aware of the serious changes occurring. We can't keep ignoring this problem. Like Rajendra K. Pachauri said “Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,” Meaning we all have to do our part to help reduce it.
    Rachel C. per 6

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  10. A couple of years ago I went to an art show at the MoMA. While we were there we wandered as people normally do at an art gallery. Anyway we came across ideas about how New York will have to change when the water levels get to high for people to continue living there. And we are talking serious redecorating. One person thought we should build houses from the bottoms of really tall bridges. Just heighten the cite out of the way. And while the pictures looked cool if you actually thought about how much it will cause to do that the numbers get pretty scary. And that is just one city. "It cited the risk of death or injury on a wide scale, probable damage to public health, displacement of people and potential mass migrations." Take this quote it talks about damages to public health as if they will happen in the future but they are already happening. We have had two hurricanes in the last three years and three killer winters in the last four. The damages are already coming. Just this week Chile was hit with a 8.2 earthquake. The natural disasters just keep coming and if we aren't prepared we will be in serious trouble soon.
    Sam Period 6

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  11. Global warming is a serious issue in today's society that should be dealt with accordingly. Our man-made production of new innovative tools that help us on a daily basis comes at a cost that not many people realize. As the article, Panel’s Warning on Climate Risk: Worst Is Yet to Come, had mentioned our carbon admissions are extremely high and we run the risk of causing some species to go extinct which could have the potential of severely damaging our ecosystem. The article had also mentioned how we run the risk of not having enough food, water, or other resources to supply to the growing population. This could severely hurt third world countries.
    As humans that use the resources that our planet has to offer we should st least feel some responsibility to keeping our communities, ecosystems, and overall environment in relatively good conditions. At this point I would like to mention our rain forests. According to nature.org about 90% of people living in extreme poverty depend on rain forests as a way of living. This number is at a staggering 1.08 billion people who depend on rain forests as a way to survive. But that being said, there are only 2.6 million square miles of rain forest left whereas we started with around 6 million square miles. 56,000 square miles of rain forest are lost each year.
    We need to do more to prevent global warming and that starts with getting people to care about the world they live in. Nature should be left alone as much as possible in order not to harm the ecosystem.
    Shoshanna Longo
    Period 6

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  12. Global warming is a pressing issue in today's world, and it is relieving to know that it is finally being acknowledged.Many people do not know the consequences of global warming, and it is important that everyone is educated on the topic. Global warming can be environmentally disastrous, and can cause many problems in the future of our Earth.
    Aidan D
    Per 6

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  13. Not only does global warming threaten our lives, in threatens every ecosystem on the planet. Global warming increases land and ocean temperatures and raises sea levels. Oceanic ecosystems would be destroyed by only a degree temperature change. This would be economically disastrous as well. Shift in temperatures would shift agricultural prospects and change where what could be grown. "The costs of inaction are catastrophic.” The quicker we accept global warming as the science that it is, and take action to preserve our earth and its ecosystems. the better.
    Emma P per 6

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  14. Ben G
    Per 6
    “Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change”, so doesn't it make sense that everyone should be interested in helping to solve the problem? Global warming is not Chinas problem. It is not indias problem. It is not the US's problem. It is the human races problem. We all must work together, because alone we are weak, but together we are strong.

    “Throughout the 21st century, climate-change impacts are projected to slow down economic growth, make poverty reduction more difficult, further erode food security, and prolong existing and create new poverty traps, the latter particularly in urban areas and emerging hot spots of hunger,” As the article says, climate change affects more than just the climate. It affects every aspect of our lives. Global warming is THE problem of today, and with the technologies at our disposable today, we can fix it.

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  15. Global warming is becoming more and more of an uprising issue in the world. The effects global warming will be catastrophic. The article reads, “ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct.". As a world we need to find a way to prevent Global warming. One way we can do that is by reducing the use of greenhouse gases. However the article states, ‘‘But with a global failure to limit greenhouse gases, the risk is rising that climatic changes in coming decades could overwhelm such efforts to adapt, the panel found. It cited a particular risk that in a hotter climate, farmers will not be able to keep up with the fast-rising demand for food.’’ Global warming is a serious threat to the world and the more and more people continue to ignore it the worse it will get.
    Teagan Mockus

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  16. Jackson M
    Period 6
    Climate change is an important problem that needs to be dealt with. This article successfully addresses the problem and spreads the word that it is not a joke. It will lead not only to environmental damage, but also economic damage, a decrease in food supply and fighting over land. The worst part is that everyone talks about climate change as a problem for the future, when really, as the articles says, it is "not just a problem of the distant future, but is happening now". Even though I agree with the article, I did not like it. The article only talks about the problem, and not really a solution. The only solution it suggests is paying $100 billion each year just to slightly offset the effects of climate change. This will not do. We need better solutions than that and the article doesn't suggest that. It is good to get the message across, but they need to do more than state it is a problem.

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  17. Ahmad Zaidi
    Period 6
    In my opinion we should really pay attention to global warming because ignoring it is not going to make it disappear and it would just keep getting worse. Global warming is not just a rise in temperature but it can do so much more damage for example rising sea levels and drowning islands around the world which affects millions of people around the world. For example in the article it says "Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct.” This shows how badly global warming is affecting our environment. So if we don’t do anything about global warming right now then earth is going to be in big trouble in the future.

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  18. Climate change is an obvious problem that is effecting people and the environment throughout the world. “ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct.” (Panel’s Warning on Climate Risk) The most immediate problem is food supply shortage in poorer countries, which would cause people to starve. Clearly this issue needs to be addressed, but the economic recession has put strains on wealthy countries who cannot supply enough money to benefit the cause. “The poorest people in the world, who have had virtually nothing to do with causing global warming, will be high on the list of victims as climatic disruptions intensify, the report said. It cited a World Bank estimate that poor countries need as much as $100 billion a year to try to offset the effects of climate change; they are now getting, at best, a few billion dollars a year in such aid from rich countries.” (Panel’s Warning on Climate Risk) Although the UN has been working on the issues and impacts of climate change, the problem continues to worsen the environmental and food supply risks. Society must contribute more to the issue of climate change. Most people do not care about issues until they impact themselves, but for this reason change will drastically impact everyone unless more is done to stop the effects of global warming.

    Caitie Perricone
    Period 6

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  19. Trinity F
    Period 6

    We've been hearing about Climate change since we were in at least third grade, cries of "Save the Polar Bears" and phrases like "greenhouse gasses," "global warming," "fossil fuels" and "carbon emissions" have become so familiar to us that I'm sure most of us could define them off the tops of our heads. It's often considered an over-spoken topic, uninteresting because we all know about it, but at the same time so little is being done about it that we can't help but beat this deceased horse with it's crop again and again. The article definitely gives that feeling, and although it's informative about the damage cause, as Jackson said, it does better at pointing fingers than it does at offering help. Maybe that's because it's a newspaper article, and it's meant to make the citizens of the richer country that it's offered to continue to read it without making them, us, feel guilty about all damage that we've done, glancing over the subject briefly with a seemingly objective: "That argument has fed a rising sense of outrage among the leaders of poor countries, who feel their people are paying the price for decades of profligate Western consumption." But it doesn't /really/ hold anybody accountable, just stating that the leaders of poorer countries feel /as though/ we're to blame, rather that outright saying that we are, and that they're right to be upset. I don't know, something about that doesn't sit right with me.

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  20. Leah Braley Period 6
    Just the general fact that we are doing this to our own planet, the only one we have, along with the entire population of it is horrifying to me. But what makes it even worse is that we've known about this for a while now, but that"Talk of global warming was once avoided in some quarters" and just that countries really didn't take any powerful initiative to do something. I mean sure now President Obama is "trying to use his power under the clean air act", and other rich countries are starting to realize they need to start doing something, but look where we are, we can't undo the damage that we've done, even by lowering green house gases; only slow it. We can already see the affects on the environment, and if they continue they could cause problems of food shortages or "violent conflict over land". I think many people believe climate change is only rising sea levels or melting ice caps, and they don't understand the way that it is hurting people in other countries with food shortages, or exactly how much it is hurting our environment, like making species migrate or go extinct. I think there has to be intense world wide education on this serious issue, educate the people of other countries, especially the major greenhouse gas producers, and push green air policies on every government so we can what we can while we can.

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  21. I like how the author of this article comes through to the reader right away with an opinionated stance and a strong voice. This made the article more interesting to read. One aspect of climate change that this article addressed very well was that everyone thinks climate change is an issue that we will deal with in years to come and there is no rush. However, the sad truth is that we need to be taking steps in our day to day lives to decrease our environmental footprint. One quote I liked stated, "It cited the risk of death or injury on a wide scale, probable damage to public health, displacement of people and potential mass migrations." This quote brought to live the broad influence climate change has. It will cause problems with human health and cause a complete lifestyle change for people in both developed and developing countries.
    Cassidy M. Period 6

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  22. March 29, 2014 about ten days after the spring equinox, mother nature dumped about an inch of snow in Connecticut. Many people were shocked and claimed, "but its spring!" It may be spring, but climate change can cause some wacky weather like lightening in the winter, snow in the spring. Then climate change also effects people and the environment. Environmental issues like melting ice caps, heat waves, heavy rains, dead coral reefs, fish and other creatures going extinct, but most importantly its effecting our crops "For the world's poorer countries, food is not the only issue, but it may be the most acute." Climatic disruptions in crop areas have thrown the scale of supply and demand out of balance thus from there prices increases and thousands go hungry. Global hunger returns back to its original rate. According to the NY Times article, wheat and corn output is being dragged by climate change. Many people in third world countries rely on this consumption. Leaders in poorer countries are enraged and desperate trying to feed their own country. Many people fail to care about this, but at the current rate, global climate change could lead us to future destruction. Humans are destroying this Earth, and thus one should stop being so oblivious to the impending doom and start the transformation now. By using cleaner energy using less greenhouse gases it would improve the state of living, it would help the wacky weather. It would stop excessive acid rain and killing crops. People are starving, this should be a clear enough sign to take a step and create some legislation to clean up this Earth. Its not just the United States, its the whole world. Together all must join together to fight this global issue especially the overpopulated countries like China and India.
    Miranda S. Period 6

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  23. I think that Global Warming is a one of the serious issues worldwide. The affects and problems it has created to our environment is most likely hazardous. The article states that, United Nations group that periodically summarizes climate science concluded that ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct.” The story talks of other major problems in the world and honestly, it probably all falls under global warming. I think that this problem should be fixed ASAP. Global warming is a serious issue and it should be taken in to fact that it is causing lots of trouble to all of us and that we all need to come together and try to make a difference than just to ignore or just to leave it to other people to fix all the complications.
    Period 6 Vicky Seok

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