Connor McMahon

Final Reflection

My three favorite blogs this semester were the skin care one, the endangered speacies one, and the one about my hometown. I liked the skin care one because I did not know there were so many labels for skin care. I really liked the endangered speacies one because I did not know there were that many endangered speacies. I also really liked talking about my hometown. I really feel like you should add  a blog about National park because they are all so beautiful. The blog that you should replace it with should be the food labeling one. If there was another writing assignment I would love it to be a short paper about national parks. I just feel like there is so much information about natinal parks. If you were going to have your students read a short essay you should have them read about animal  protection. I say that because we really need to be educated about animal protection because they are so majestic and we need to protect them. Overall, I really liked this class because I love the environment and that is what this class is about. I feel like it was the perfect amount of work because you never overwhelemed us with work which is amazing. If I could take another class with you I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank you for the great semester!

Why We Need to Act on Climate Change                                                                                       1

Connor McMahon

Professor Liebenberg

English 130

13 May, 2020

Why We Need to Act on Climate Change

Climate change is the greatest threat our world is facing going into the middle of the twenty-first century. For years scientists have been advocating for an increase in efforts to increase environmental protection. Through an understanding of how climate change works, how it affects our planet today, and how it can impact our world in the future, it has become apparent that action must be immediately taken to fight the increasingly worrying problem of climate change. 

From a historical standpoint, the planet is warming up at a much faster rate than ever recorded. Between the end of the last ice age and today, the planet has warmed by and average of five degrees celsius. This is over a period of five thousand years. In the last fifty years alone, the temperature has increased by 1.4 degrees celsius. Earth is heating up at a rate of ten times faster than normal, according to an scholarly article called History Compass. This is potentially disastrous for the planet’s wildlife. Animals have a much more difficult time evolving to higher temperatures in such a brief span. Scientists believe that the rapid change in heat is due to man-made pollution. Since the start of the industrial revolution, levels of carbon output have increased exponentially. Large corporations are engaging in huge rates of pollution in order to mass produce their products in order to maximize their products. With little regard for long term environmental consequences, this could wreak havoc on our planet’s wildlife  if left unchecked. This is why it is imperative that change is made to slow, and eventually stop the pollution of our Earth as  quickly as possible.

Today, the increase in Earth’s temperatures occurs because of a process known as “The Greenhouse Effect”. In this process, the increase in Carbon emissions gets trapped in our atmosphere, similar to a greenhouse, making it warmer. There is evidence of this, as pre industrial studies of the air showed that Carbon levels in the air were approximately 280 parts per million by volume, whereas today they are 380 parts per million by volume, according to “Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach” by William James Burroughs. Furthermore, our hurricane seasons have become deadlier due to climate change. According to an article in Global Warming Focus, 2017’s Hurricane Harvey was stimulated by the increase in ocean temperatures, which in turn led to more moisture. The added moisture brings strength and durability to hurricanes in the South Atlantic, making them much more dangerous and capable of ravaging cities.

The scariest part about climate change is how it will derail our future. Due to the sudden rise of global temperatures, the ice caps in the arctic are melting. If nothing is done to curb the heat, it is estimated that 40% of Western Antarctica is in danger of melting, according to a May 2018 article of Nature. This melting will raise sea levels by multiple meters, which in turn will leave several coastal cities at risk of being underwater. This would cause a huge migration problem, as a vast amount of people living in coastal cities will be forced to move, with all their property now essentially worth nothing. This will likely impact the poor more than anyone else. While upper and middle class citizens would likely be able to rebound and land back on their feet, those living in poverty will likely create a situation of mass refugees, looking for a safe place to continue their lives.

Even with the staggering evidence of climate change, there are still those who doubt its existence. One argument that climate change deniers often make, is that there are still some years that are colder than the previous year, so therefore the theory of the rising temperatures is debunked. While the warming of the Earth does not exactly occur in a perfectly straight line, the patterns over the years create an undeniable correlation of heat over time. According to the Guardian, the case is not that we increase one degree per year, but that we are increasing multiple degrees on average over several years. The case is that this is a long term geographical crisis, that has been proven over and over again by scientists time and time again, that will get progressively worse unless drastic measures are taken to halt it.

In conclusion, drastic government measures must be taken in order to ensure the safety of the future  of our planet, as evidenced by the background of climate change, its effects on our world today, and the potentially disastrous effects  on our future. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in awareness of climate change, and citizens’ personal efforts to stop it. This is great, but unfortunately it will not mean much until the largest pollution offenders, multinational corporations, change their methods and become more environmentally friendly. In the United States, it is very possible for an educated population to demand this change by boycotting their products, or demanding government oversight. Either way, if the US takes initiative in stopping this major issue, the rest of the world will likely follow suit. The climate issue will be daunting, is not unbeatable, but it will take all of us to stop it. 

Work Cited

Das, Pallavi V. “People’s History of Climate Change.” History Compass 16.11 (2018): N/a. Web.

Burroughs, William James. Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Web.

“New Findings from National Center for Atmospheric Research Describe Advances in Climate Change.” Global Warming Focus (2018): 163. Web.

Fox, Alex. “Antarctic Seals Recruited to Measure Effects of Climate Change.” Nature (2018): 018-05204-y. Web.

Burnett, Dean. “Climate Change Is an Obvious Myth – How Much More Evidence Do You Need? | Dean Burnett.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 25 Nov. 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/nov/25/climate-change-is-an-obvious-myth-how-much-more-evidence-do-you-need.

Connor McMahon

Short Story

My whole life I have been surfing in the southern part of Florida. It is just the only way of life I know. I get up and surf all day then do the same thing the next day. The scariest part of living in southern Florida is the hurricanes. I have been through a couple in my lifetime and I hate it because I always have to evacuate and risk losing my home. Every single time there is a hurricane it seems to get worse and worse because of climate change. If we do not make a change quickly a bunch of people will lose their homes. That is why I started a non-profit to help the cause. The goal of the non-profit is to find a cleaner way to get everything done so we can stop climate change. The other goal is to build as many homes as possible just in case a hurricane happens. It is always better to be safe than sorry because some hurricanes are natural but the climate change hurricanes are super strong and they destroy anything that gets in their path. Another great thing that my non-profit does is build underground shelters because it can not be destroyed because it is underground. We could make these underground shelters huge and fit a lot of people in there and could help a bunch of people get back on their feet. I would allow them to stay there for as long as they want to and we would provide food and water for them. With that being said, we need to come together and eliminate climate change because it is only doing harm for our planet. We have to remember that we have one earth and we have to take care of it.

#19

For the final I would love to draw a picture of the earth before all the disasters happen then draw earth after all of the disasters happen to show people what will happen if we do not make a change. I could also write a song about climate change. There are just so many different possibilities.

Mexico’s Car Rules

In Mexico City there are driving restrictions to improve the air quality in the city. This can also help prevent the pollution of the bad gases that come out of the car when it is driving. They made this rule because Mexico City is  kind of in a dome so all the pollution gets trapped. It works very well because the pollution has gone down a ton. The city is a lot safer and it helps prevent climate change which is really amazing because we only have one planet and we need to take care of it. The rule is that you are only allowed to drive on certain days and it depends on the last number on your license plate. If it is your day you are allowed to drive, but if it is not you are not allowed to drive at all. With the regulations being so successful, I feel like America should do that in its bigger cities because the pollution is worse in bigger cities. It will help keep earth the way it is and it will also prevent climate change. I feel like we should create more ways of travel that are good for the environment because it will help the cause of climate change. If we can create regulations in our bigger cities we will have a way cleaner earth. All in all, I believe Mexico City is doing a great thing for their city and I believe they are leading by example.

252

. Any info must go with the info from the quote

.Page numbers should always be in parenthesis

. authors name could be in a quote

. not a direct quote

. You can use a corporation if the author is from one

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OIlqh2SXrEDlHNX2ng5eZWsZMZoKUqYuOYEzZxVkdGw/edit?usp=sharing

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Connor McMahon

Professor Liebenberg

English 130

22 April, 2020

The Hot Topic

Climate change is a huge problem that our world is facing today. Climate change is on its way to making the world’s problems irreversible. Another terrible thing that climate change is doing to our world is that it is affecting our economy. The last reason why climate change is affecting the world we live in is that people are losing their homes every year. The effects of global warming create a growing danger for the ecosystem and world we live in.

The sooner we start making changes about climate change the better because the changes started from climate change are starting to become irreversible. With things getting so bad, Dr. Taalas said “The only solution is to get rid of fossil fuels in power production, industry and transportation”. That just shows how bad things have gotten and proves that changes need to be made. The only way to save the planet we live in is to make drastic changes. If we do not make changes coastal cities will be flooded because “Seas are warming and rising faster, putting more cities at risk of tidal flooding or worse”. If changes are not made coastal cities will be gone forever. With that being said changes need to be made because horrible disasters will happen if not taken care of.

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America has a great economy and it would be a true disaster if climate change affected the economy, but right now we are on a path where the economy could be in trouble if we do not make changes. Since climate change affects the temperature,  the wine experts said “Many of the world’s prime wine-growing regions could shrink dramatically due to human-caused climate change”. That could really hurt the economy because the wine industry is huge in California and it would be a huge blow to the economy if they could not grow wine anymore because of climate change. Climate change is affecting the wine industry a lot and a projection says “If the global temperature rises by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, the regions of the world that are suitable for growing wine grapes could shrink by as much as 56%”. That is just crazy to think because that is over half of the wine grapes. Again, that just proves we have to start making changes with climate change because it is affecting the economy.

The saddest part about climate change is that people are losing their homes every year. Experts say “Climate-fuelled disasters were the number one driver of internal displacement over the last decade – forcing an estimated 20 million people a year from their homes”. That is two million people a year that are losing their homes because of climate change. Eric Dinerstein said “human migrations, triggered by climate change–induced droughts and sea-level rise, in combination with extreme weather events, could displace more than 100 million people by 2050, mostly in the southern hemisphere.” That is just absurd because that is a lot of people without a home. That is why we need to make changes because people are being affected by climate change and it needs to stop!

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The effects of global warming create a growing danger for the ecosystem and world we live in. We need to come together and make a change in climate change because it is ruining our world. 

Fountain, Henry. “Climate Change Is Accelerating, Bringing World ‘Dangerously Close’ to Irreversible Change.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/climate/climate-change-acceleration.html.

Rice, Doyle. “’Wine Is like the Canary in the Coal Mine.’ Climate Change Is Threatening Our Wine Supply.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 28 Jan. 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/27/wine-supply-threatened-climate-change-new-study-says/4590653002/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=amp&utm_campaign=speakable. “The Dark Edges Of Climate Change.” RADIO ECOSHOCK | 91 Radio Stations and Growing!, www.ecoshock.org/2019/12/the-dark-edges-of-climate-change.html.

Outline

The world is coming very close to having irreverable problems. It is affecting the economy. It is causing people to lose their homes. The effects of global warming create a growing danger for the ecosystem we live in. 

We are causing all the problems and we are coming very close to those changes to be irreverable. “Things are getting worse,” and that shows that we have to make a change. Seas are warming and rising faster, putting more cities at risk of tidal flooding or worse. Glaciers are melting at a pace many researchers did not expect for decades. The amount of Arctic sea ice has declined so rapidly that the region may see ice-free summers by the 2030s. That just shows that we are putting cities in danger. Fountain, Henry. “Climate Change Is Accelerating, Bringing World ‘Dangerously Close’ to Irreversible Change.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/climate/climate-change-acceleration.html.

Climate change is affecting the economy. Many of the world’s prime wine-growing regions could shrink dramatically due to human-caused climate change, a study released Monday suggests. That just shows climate change is affecting the economy.Rice, Doyle. “’Wine Is like the Canary in the Coal Mine.’ Climate Change Is Threatening Our Wine Supply.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 28 Jan. 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/27/wine-supply-threatened-climate-change-new-study-says/4590653002/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=amp&utm_campaign=speakable.

Climate change is causing people to lose their homes. “Climate-fuelled disasters were the number one driver of internal displacement over the last decade – forcing an estimated 20 million people a year from their homes.” That just shows that climate change is causing people to lose their homes. “The Dark Edges Of Climate Change.” RADIO ECOSHOCK | 91 Radio Stations and Growing!, www.ecoshock.org/2019/12/the-dark-edges-of-climate-change.html.

If we do not make a change we will end the world as we know it. We need to come together and make a change.

Blog #9

Protest signs are a powerful way to express your opinion. Through the use of a symbolic picture or a few words, protest signs help deliver a message. By using pictures and fun word play, protestors attract a younger generation to the awareness they are trying to raise. The first protest sign I found online is a sign with words written in red that said “ YOU’LL DIE OF OLD AGE, WE’LL DIE OF CLIMATE CHANGE”. This sign reaches out and speaks for the younger generations. Many of the lawmakers passing bills to prevent climate change are older and will not be around to see the effects of what society is doing to our environment. The younger generations will have to fix older generations mistakes and live in the world older generations ruined. While  many protest signs are harmless and fun, some are on the more serious side. The second protest sign I found was a flag that stated “Resist Trump, Climate Justice Now”. The flag is not referring to peaceful protesting and is relaying the message to resist authority in order to recieve climate justice. Although I found a variety of protest signs against climate change, I could not find any for the opposing side. An argument that could be made against climate change is that it does not exist. Many people stand with climate change being a myth, mainly older generations. If I were to create a protest sign for climate change, I would use fun words that convey my thoughts on climate change. I would use a sign such as “climate change is worse than homework”, becuase it is a funny message and gets my point across. 

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Connor McMahon

Professor Liebenberg

English 130

8 April, 2020

The Hot Topic

The effects of global warming create a growing danger for the ecosystem we live in.

Fountain, Henry. “Climate Change Is Accelerating, Bringing World ‘Dangerously Close’ to Irreversible Change.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/climate/climate-change-acceleration.html.

This article started off by saying how bad the natural disasters are in this world, then it stated that climate change is the worst thing that has ever happened to planet Earth. It also says that climate change is the cause for all of Earth’s natural disasters. Things are just going to keep getting worse unless we make a change. One step in the right direction is to get rid of fossil fuels in all industries. If we do not make a change soon cities could be underwater because the seawater is rising. If we do not make changes fast the effects of climate change will not be able to go back to how they once were. If we do not make a change the natural disasters will happen more often and be more deadly each time. Everything is getting warmer, even the ocean is as well. One reason why the seawater is rising is because the icebergs are melting because the atmosphere is too warm. 

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I will use the information that I obtained to get a point of view for what climate change has done to our planet. I will show how this could affect our everyday life because natural disasters will happen more often. I could also write about how some cities could be underwater in the future because the seawater is rising. I could also write about how the natural disasters are getting worse and that we need to make a change before the mistakes that we are doing now do not become permanent. 

Rice, Doyle. “’Wine Is like the Canary in the Coal Mine.’ Climate Change Is Threatening Our Wine Supply.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 28 Jan. 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/27/wine-supply-threatened-climate-change-new-study-says/4590653002/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=amp&utm_campaign=speakable.

Because of climate change the best spots to make wine could shirk. If the temperature continues to rise most of the wine growing products will be gone. Climate change is affecting agriculture because the temperature is getting too warm for most of the plants to grow. Places where wine grows in warm areas will be affected, but in places where the wine grows in cold areas will not be affected. The quality of wine will go down if we do not fix climate change.

I can use the information to show how climate change is affecting the agriculture economy. It is affecting agriculture because it will make the quality of the plants not as good because it is not growing at its ideal temperature. That could lead to a loss of jobs and affect so many lives. 

“The Dark Edges Of Climate Change.” RADIO ECOSHOCK | 91 Radio Stations and Growing!, www.ecoshock.org/2019/12/the-dark-edges-of-climate-change.html.

Over a million people are losing their homes every year because of climate change.  Some of the reasons are because of natural disasters which are caused by climate change and they are becoming more powerful and happening more often. When people lose their homes they tend to stay in their country rather than come to America or Europe. They predict even more people will be affected by climate change in the future. 

I can use the information that I obtained and write about how climate change is affecting the people. Climate change is causing millions of people to lose their homes because of man made mistakes. If not taken serious, even more people will lose their homes and it could lead to a bunch of chaos.