Global warming is considered the reason why hurricanes are becoming more prevalent and why temperatures are changing, but there is much more to global warming than that.
Global warming, according to the Oxford Languages, is defined as a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect which is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons and other pollutants. Everything on earth plays an important role in global warming. From the people to the trees to the mushrooms to the fires, everything that uses air takes part in affecting and being affected by global warming.
We could compare the atmosphere affected by global warming to a hamster ball with hot water in it. The ball would be slowly heating up, and the space around it would also heat up. Eventually the ball would expand, but the plastic (ozone layer) would soon start to break down from the hot temperatures.
The south has experienced major hurricanes in the past, and currently we are experiencing more. We recently just experienced one of the hardest hurricanes to hit. Hurricane Sally happened in the midst of the second most active hurricane season in recorded history. Although the number of fatalities were not that high, the cost in damages exceeded over $7 billion.
Because the Atlantic hurricane season became so active so fast, the National Hurricane Center has run out of names to give to hurricanes and tropical storms, resulting in the current use of the Greek Alphabet. This is the second time in history that forecasters have had to use the Greek alphabet for naming storms. The first time happened in the season of 2005 when a record-breaking 28 storms formed.
Fires also play a big role in global warming. Fires take in oxygen at a super fast rate, releasing carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide aids in the breakdown of the ozone layer, causing more sunlight to get through, thus heating up the Earth. Carbon dioxide is also the most important heat trapping gas in the atmosphere. The more fires we have increases the amount of carbon dioxide we have, which increases the amount of heat being trapped in the atmosphere, causing the Earth to get hotter.
Recently, the United States has experienced an increase in forest fires. Prisoners have been aiding the public with putting out these forest fires, earning $1 for every hour they fight fires while risking their lives.
Climate grief is how many people respond to the future based on the world today, and that grief is becoming a normal way to feel. The world is slowly dying, and many people would not like their kids to grow up in a world like this one now.
Global warming is naturally occurring and cannot be stopped. Because the Earth is constantly being heated, whether by fires, trapped by carbon dioxide molecules, or other ways, global warming will continue to occur. The only way we can stop global warming is if all life ceased to exist. Global warming can’t be stopped but it could possibly be slowed down by less fires and less things that lead to the breakdown of the ozone layer.
by Ashanti Brown
