Essay - Global Warming: is it Really a Threat? Issue: Global Warming...

Global Warming: Is it Really a Threat?

Issue:

Global warming has become a modern issue of considerable significance. It has been the subject of many debates, articles and conferences. Desp*****e the amount of debate around the issue, there is still no clear conclusion. Yet the possible consequences that are attributed to the threat are highly concerning. As one report describes:

The most recent projections of state-of-the-art computer models of the Earth's climate (GCMs) have projected a globally averaged warming ranging from almost 3 to 10.7 degrees F over the next 100 years, if greenhouse gases continue ***** accumulate in the atmosphere at ***** current r*****e. Climate scientists believe that such a warming could shift temperature z*****s, rainfall patterns, and agricultural belts and, under certain scenarios, and cause sea level to rise. They further predict that global ***** could have far-reaching effects -- some positive, some negative depending how it may be experienced in a given region ***** on natural resources; ecosystems; food ***** fiber producti*****; energy supply, use, and distribution; transportation; land use; water supply and control; ***** human health" (Justus & Fletcher 2002, p. 2)

The seriousness of the potential consequences ***** explain why the issue continues to be debated so widely. If *****se ***** are realistic, then everything should ***** done to understand the issue and prevent ***** worst case scenario from becoming the reality. This al***** explains why so many resources have been applied to ***** warming. ***** includes re*****rch funds and funding ***** support government and environmental actions.

Yet ***** reality is, that ***** is still no ***** answer as to whether global ***** is a re*****l threat, or an imagined one. The ***** consequences *****d the ***** *****ly being applied to the issue are two good reasons why the issue deserves significant consideration.

Pro side:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) researchers reported that ***** 12 warmest ***** (globally *****) since his*****rical records have ***** kept occurred in the past ***** decades, with 1990 and 1998 among ***** *****" (Justus ***** Fletcher *****, p. 4).

Ever ***** accurate temperature records have been kept, the 1980s ***** been the warmest 10-year period recorded and included several warm years" (Mahahan 1994, p. 409)

The global-mean ***** at the earth's surface is estim*****ed to have r*****en by 0.25 ***** 0.4 °C during the past 20 *****" (CGER 2000, p. 1).

The Antarctic is experiencing significant ice breakups (Revkin 2002).

***** 150-year period ***** 1846 to 1995 showed a trend ***** rivers and lakes being covered with ice for reduced lengths of time (Magnuson et al. 2002).

Converting the figures of ice coverage to temperature indicates a warming of 1.8 ***** Celsius (Magnuson et al. 2002).

***** disparity between surface ***** upper air trends in no way *****v*****idates the conclusion that surface temperature ***** ***** rising" (CGER *****, p. 2).

A the warming trend in ***** surface temperature observations ***** the ***** 20 years is undoubtedly real and is substantially greater than the average rate ***** ***** during *****