the end

After studying climate, watching 13 days, and all of the other lessons we have learned in History class i have not only learned a substantial amount on history, but also on how to influence and the importance of influencing current events. Without people like JFK and other important people in history who stood up and did what is best the world would not be what it is today, and there probably would not even be a world. I have learned that its is very important to take action and not sit idly by and just watch problems like climate change grow.  This has been a great history class and I have learned a lot.

Climate Change

         
             Dear Future,

             I am writing this letter on the 9th of May, 2016. I am writing to you to tell you about the Concerns of climate change. Incase climate change is no longer a thing, it used to be the warming of the earth, and all of the problems that brought. Climate change is one of the major concerns in the long term health of the earth. I am going to tell you what we, in 2016, believed the possible effects climate change would have on the earth are.
           NASA (1) has found that the average global temperature has gone up 1.4 degrees fahrenheit since 1800. They also found that 9 of the 10 warmest years in history have occurred in the 2000s, and the warmest in 2015. The IPCC predicts that climate will rise 2.5 degrees to 10 degrees fahrenheit over the next century. This rise in temperature brings many other problems with it.
           The biggest and most discussed concern when it comes to climate change is usually about the land ice melting. With the rise in temperature it is causing more and more land ice to melt. This problem is already occurring, and according to NASA(1), land ice is going down 287 billion metric tons per year. The melting of land ice will also cause many more problems. The most obvious one is the rise in sea level. According to EPA(2) since 1870 the sea level has risen 7.5 inches.The rise in sea level will affect many peoples homes and many cities near water in the future. The rise in sea level will also cause the change in many ecosystems. Many of the animals that rely on land ice as part of there habitat will die and already are dying. A researcher named Bill Fraser tracked the decline of Adēlie penguins in Antarctica. He found that the number of breeding pairs had fallen from 32,000 to 11,000 in the last 30 years. Also with the glaciers and land ice meting into the ocean it will greatly decrees the amount of freshwater. Humans are currently very reliant on glaciers and other land ice for fresh water. According to gracelinks(4), more than 50% of the worlds freshwater is currently being supplied by mountain runoff and snowmelt. If all of the land ice were to melt then there would be a major water shortage.
           Climate change will also throw the world of balance. According to Climatehotmap(5), climate change will cause more droughts, floods, and and other natural disasters that involves precipitation. Storm, and hurricanes will also become much more dangerous, powerful and frequent. The change in temperature will also mess up the balance of certain insects. There will be a significant increase in the number of pests. This will result in even more change in ecosystems. According to National Geographic(3) the Spruce Bark beetles population has greatly increased as a result of climate change. Thanks to the past 20 years of warm summers in Alaska the Spruce Bark beetles have flourished, and as a result have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees.
           The increase in temperature will also greatly affect farming. With the rise in sea level the salt water will pollute many good farming areas. This is called saltwater intrusion, and it is were salt water intrudes into groundwater so it is no longer freshwater. Also with the increasing number of pests and more frequent droughts it will become even harder to farm. With all of the effects climate change is having on the supply of water it is making irrigation very difficult.
           The change in temperature will also cause the acidity of the ocean to increase, and that will affect the population of fish, coral, and other sea life. According to EPA(2) if the CO2 concentrations continue to rise at the current rate then the combination of climate warming and ocean acidification will slow coral growth by 50% by 2050. With all of the effects climate change will have on farming and wild life, food supplies will be greatly affected. In addition to food and water being affected, so will electricity. Many places rely on water for energy, and with the changing in water level many places will have a major energy shortage.
           Climate change is something that is impossible to avoid. Many things can be done to avoid it, but by simply living you are contributing to it. So in a way climate change is also the fault of nature, but is it almost exclusively the fault of the actions of humans. Even thought it is impossible to stop climate change that does not mean it is a lost cause. If humans were to work together then they could have a major impact on climate change and significantly slow it down.
           Currently in 2016 there are no were near enough people concerned about climate change, and even less that are taking action. Hopefully that will change, and you will not have experienced all of the impacts climate change will have.

Sincerely,

Brooks Johnson 

         
Sources:
1. NASA- NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is part of the United States government. NASA is in charge of U.S. science and technology that has to do with airplanes or space.

2.EPA- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a government run agency designed to protect human health and the environment.

3.National Geographic- National Geographic is a global nonprofit membership organization that focuses on science, exploration, and storytelling.  

4.Gracelinks- GRACE Communications Foundation focuses on increasing public awareness of environmental and public health, and to advocate for more sustainable alternatives.

5.Climatehotmap- Climate hot map is a website made by The Union of Concerned Scientists. The Union of Concerned Scientists is a group of scientists and engineers that work together to solve some of the world's most important problems.