Advanced Argument Essay: Global Warming
Hello readers! I have recently been attending this Advanced Writing Course on Coursera. Week 1's assignment was to choose any topic of your interest, and write an advanced argument essay on it, applying all the things we had learnt in that week. The essay was supposed to be peer reviewed. I chose Global Warming as my topic, since I am interested in the thing and what is causing it. I did a lot of research on on it, and spend several hours working on the essay. In the end when I submitted it, it didn't meet the criteria, because my essay had only three body paragraphs while an advanced essay should have more than three body paragraphs. So I added one more paragraph and some more detail to the other paragraphs, and submitted it again. I haven't received any feedback for my second attempt yet. Anyhow, I am posting this on my blog now.
Global warming is a
serious issue that is creating problems for the whole world. One of the major problems
that have resulted is climate change, which is leading to extreme weathers and
natural disasters all over the world.
Human activity is the
main cause of global warming, as it leads to greenhouse gases and carbon
emissions. Deforestation is happening at an alarming rate; approximately ‘13
million hectares of forests were lost each year between 2000 and 2010 due to
deforestation’ (WWF). The carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation account
for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Activities such as extracting and
burning fossil fuel are releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere every year. The gases released trap heat, which is causing the
Earth’s temperature to rise steadily. Carbon dioxide emissions from industries,
power plants and vehicles also contribute greatly to the rise in CO2,
causing a rise in climate.
The effects that global warming is having on our lives are quite severe. Extreme weathers are being experienced in many countries. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and are anticipated to be even more common if global warming continues at this intensity. Droughts are being experienced in many regions due to this change in climate. On the other hand, some regions are experiencing too much rainfall and floods. Increased natural disasters are evidently the result of global warming as ‘human-caused changes in climate played a role in 14 of 28 storms, droughts’, creating a catastrophic climate (Loftis).
Apparently, global warming is not just an environmental issue; it has plenty of social implications as well. Many developing countries do not have the capacity to adapt to climate change well, and may suffer as a result. Global warming is also causing ocean levels to rise rapidly. People may be forced to vacate their cities as ‘they are exposed to rising sea levels, extreme drought that puts strain on resources, or even extreme rainfall that becomes the norm’ (Byrd). Another social impact of global warming is that the availability of food may be affected. Due to rising temperatures and extreme weather, the availability of food and its access for people may become more difficult.
Global warming has put human health in danger. First of all, diseases and infections; most of which are caused by global warming, are increasing and becoming more severe. Diseases such as malaria, ‘is strongly influenced by climate’, kills over ‘400 000 people every year’ (WHO). Secondly, our air has become quite polluted, mainly due to smog and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is causing infections and putting millions at risk for ‘irritated eyes, noses and lungs’, while also worsening ‘respiratory allergies and asthma’ (NRDC). Another health issue related to global warming is the rise in water-borne diseases. Industrial wastes, which are dumped into the oceans, are causing many diseases. People who do not have access to safe drinking water consume the contaminated water, which often leads to serious diseases, which are often fatal.
Global warming and climate change is creating too many problems for people. However, it is mostly the result of their own actions and activities, which has led to these problems we face today.
The effects that global warming is having on our lives are quite severe. Extreme weathers are being experienced in many countries. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and are anticipated to be even more common if global warming continues at this intensity. Droughts are being experienced in many regions due to this change in climate. On the other hand, some regions are experiencing too much rainfall and floods. Increased natural disasters are evidently the result of global warming as ‘human-caused changes in climate played a role in 14 of 28 storms, droughts’, creating a catastrophic climate (Loftis).
Apparently, global warming is not just an environmental issue; it has plenty of social implications as well. Many developing countries do not have the capacity to adapt to climate change well, and may suffer as a result. Global warming is also causing ocean levels to rise rapidly. People may be forced to vacate their cities as ‘they are exposed to rising sea levels, extreme drought that puts strain on resources, or even extreme rainfall that becomes the norm’ (Byrd). Another social impact of global warming is that the availability of food may be affected. Due to rising temperatures and extreme weather, the availability of food and its access for people may become more difficult.
Global warming has put human health in danger. First of all, diseases and infections; most of which are caused by global warming, are increasing and becoming more severe. Diseases such as malaria, ‘is strongly influenced by climate’, kills over ‘400 000 people every year’ (WHO). Secondly, our air has become quite polluted, mainly due to smog and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is causing infections and putting millions at risk for ‘irritated eyes, noses and lungs’, while also worsening ‘respiratory allergies and asthma’ (NRDC). Another health issue related to global warming is the rise in water-borne diseases. Industrial wastes, which are dumped into the oceans, are causing many diseases. People who do not have access to safe drinking water consume the contaminated water, which often leads to serious diseases, which are often fatal.
Global warming and climate change is creating too many problems for people. However, it is mostly the result of their own actions and activities, which has led to these problems we face today.
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Works citied:
- http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/
- Loftis, Randy Lee, ‘Half of weather disasters linked to climate change’. National Geographic, 5 Nov, 2015. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151105-climate-weather-disasters-drought-storms/
- 5 Reasons Why Climate Change Is a Social Issue, Not Just an Environmental One http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosaly-byrd/climate-change-is-a-socia_b_5939186.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change
- https://www.nrdc.org/climate-change-and-health-air-quality#/map
Wow this is a brilliantly written essay Fatima! It drew me in right from the beginning in the first paragraph! I really like how you've backed the text up with scientific facts and statistics from various different sources - it makes it very convincing! The way you jumped straight into the facts in "Deforestation is happening at an alarming rate" is very dramatic and intrigues people to read on. Not to mention, you made the perfect choice for a subject and it's one I personally agree with too.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a shame that the governments aren't doing much to prevent climate change and it's just becoming worse with every second. And, as you mentioned, climate change and human intervention is even resulting in numerous deaths! Speaking of which, it's interesting how you ended the article with the mention of humans making problems for themselves. I love the work you've produced for the course overall! I think my brother used Coursera at one point, maybe I should give it a go too! Is there anything on there you'd recommend? Keep writing! :)
Thank you for the lovely comment Kenza! One of the major things that I learnt in that course was to support your ideas by citing quotes from different sources. And their was a lot of content available related to the topic I chose on the internet, so I could back up my argument pretty well.
DeleteMany people agree with this view on global warming, but sadly, we can't take any big steps to stop it. We can take small steps, such as using water and electricity carefully. But an individual like me or you (especially since I'm not even legally an adult), we can't take any big steps; we can't just go and stop deforestation. And you are right! It's quite a pity that the governments aren't taking any big measures to stop it.
Thanks! Yes, Coursera is really useful; I would recommend you to use it. Although I signed up for this course on Advanced Essay Writing, I didn't meet many of the deadlines, and eventually dropped it. I also found some of the assignments a bit difficult, maybe because I haven't started studying language at an advanced level yet.
I don't think I can recommend a particular course because tbh I haven't actually done a complete course on Coursera yet! I signed up for a course on graphic design a while ago, but didn't get around to completing it. And a course on Chinese for Beginners a year or so before, and I didn't attend more than a couple of weeks. Zainab is doing a poetry workshop on Coursera, it's called 'Sharpened Visions'. Maybe you could check that out?
Thanks! :)