Global Warming In Ohio - Essay Example

Global Warming In Ohio One of the most profound and greatest threats to the Earth and its inhabitants in this 21st century is the issue of global warming. The effects of this worrisome issue are quite evident especially after the massive amounts of destruction caused by storms like Snowmaggedon and Sandy along the Eastern Coast and by wildfires, droughts and flooding in the rest of the state. Weathers continue to become extreme in nature as a consequence of increased global warming and sea levels rise to abnormally high limits. As a result, it also happens to threaten the coastal communities, destroy natural habitats, drive numerous species towards endangerment and extinction and cause a significant increase in health problems. Local problems Carbon pollution is seen to be one of the greatest contributors to the issue of global warming. It has been observed that the single major source of this pollution are the power plants that use coal as a fuel to produce energy. Not only that, but statistics have shown that the state of Ohio has a share of 20 percent among the carbon polluters in the United States ("Blade"). The major dilemma of the community is that even though this piece of information is now a widespread fact, there is no imposition of any sort of federal limits on the rate and quality of the emissions from these power plants. For many years, the government has been unwilling or rather said to be least bothered about implementing any kinds of measures that would help in solving this issue. With the increase in the population and hence, the demand of fuel in both commercial and domestic sectors, coal power stations continue to spring up every now and then all across the state. This coupled with the government’s ignorance simply happens to add fuel to the fire of global warming. Any guidelines or standard measures proposed by organizations dedicated towards protecting the environment have more or less been ignored up till now. Little has been made out of those that have been considered worthy enough to act upon since the rate of pollution is much higher than their capacity to deal with. The state of Ohio has long been the major hub of the transport industry in the country, with a heavy network of highways. It has been one of the first states on the entire United States which experienced Industrial Revolution and transport revolution by Rail road. Also, the annual steady increase in population means more cars and bikes and buses on the roads, which then means a larger volume of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide released through the exhausts of the vehicles and thus, an even more increased rate of global warming. This has recently alarmed some people who are trying to grow more and more awareness in the local population about Global warming and its consequences. A recent study showed that the state of Ohio ranks second in the US in regard to the amount of toxic airborne substances, especially mercury that it produces at a large rate ("Blade"). Such toxins are being produced by different industries such as tanning, smelting, plastic manufacturing and likewise. A research conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council back in the year 2010 showed that only the companies producing electricity in the state were alone responsible for the release of 36.4 million pounds of toxins into the air ("Blade"). Again, that is due to the lack of incentives that the private industries have for following the rules and regulations that demands them to be user friendly. As the rate of urbanization increases in the state by each passing day, a dire need has been felt to have more clear land and ample space to accommodate to newer projects. To resolve this issue, the government has encouraged the clearing up of forests and the cutting down of a massive number of trees. This has in turn led to a significant disturbance in the carbon cycle and thus, contributed greatly to the issue of global warming. Cutting down of forests has also resulted in reduced rainfalls in the area and thus, contributed to extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods. Global causes Since wars with countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan have been one of the leading priorities of the US government in the last decade, much of the country’s revenue has been dedicated towards the expenditures regarding arms, ammunition and military. As a result of this, projects which are expected to be environment – friendly and would help in reducing the risk of global warming are still in the pipeline. This is a major reason why the governments have still not been able to promote the use of renewable resources such as wind and water as sources of energies all over the country and the coal power stations continue to operate, posing a great threat to the environment as discussed earlier. A secret vote regarding whether to work on reducing air pollution has presented some very strong supporting evidence for the point being discussed. Sources narrate that during the vote, about 193 members of the House and more or less, 39 Senators were found to be voting against the proposed projects since they considered it a waste of government’s money, labor and resources (Boggs). However, not surprising was the fact that these villains were mostly the ones who posed to be very active contributors of the polluting campaigns and violating environment protection policies. Secondly, since the US currently has one of the leading developmental rates in the world, the number of immigrants pouring in from all over the world is very high at the moment. Immigration in America is very common from South Asian or Latin American countries. Many foreign students also prefer to remain in the US as permanent residents after completing their studies. This is causing a significant increase in not only the population of Ohio but rest of the states as well, which then further amplifies all the problems associated with growing population and high urbanization rate. Wars such as those being fought in Afghanistan also happen to send a lot of immigrants to the US, and thus again contribute to global warming. Thirdly, it is also very essential for the government to recycle certain plastics so they do not harm to the environment when they are eventually burned. Harmful gases enhance the effect of global warming and accelerate the consequential changes. Previously, China was importing such plastics from America on a regular basis, which allowed the US government to get rid of such plastics. But ever since China has stopped the import of cheap and harmful plastics, the US government has not stepped up to take care of the harmful material that is being kept in the country (Guilford). Conclusion For long Globa warming has been considered a secondary international problem and has not been given proper concentration by international powers. It was previously considered as a ‘local’ issue. It is no longer a phenomenon that is restricted to some country’s border. It is an international crisis that must be dealt with immediacy. Although the after effects of this crisis may seem gradual, if we do not start dealing with them as soon as possible, then the consequences will be disastrous, not only for the state or the Planet but for the human race as well. It should be a part of our mentality that the environment needs to be preserved from such catastrophe and that we make a binding pack with ourselves that we will defy the odds, and protect our home. Works Cited "Bad buckeye air." Blade 17 Sep 2012, n. pag. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. http://www.toledoblade.com/Editorials/2012/09/17/Bad-buckeye-air.html Boggs, Julian. "NRDC Action Fund, Environment Ohio Identify 14 Ohio Members of Congress as ‘Dirty Air Villains’ Who Voted Against Clean Air Protections."Environment Ohio. N.p., 12 Sep 2012. Web. 28 Nov 2013. http://www.environmentohio.org/news/ohe/nrdc-action-fund-environment-ohio-identify-14-ohio-members-congress-‘dirty-air-villains’. Guilford, Gwynn. "A lot of US plastic isn’t actually being recycled since China put up its Green Fence."Quartz. N.p., 16 Sep 2013. Web. 28 Nov 2013. http://qz.com/122003/plastic-recycling-china-green-fence/. Read More