Global Warming Misconceptions (Editorial)

Global warming is a topic that everyone has heard about these days. Whether they see someone on the T.V saying it is a hoax, or someone on social media trying to spread awareness. This topic is all over the media, especially now.

There are people who talk about global warming without fully understanding what global warming is. Many people wonder, it is cold outside, so how is there global warming? The term global warming talks about the average global temperature rising. It might be cold where you are today, but somewhere else in the world is warmer than ever before.

Those who agree that global warming is happening tend to have different views on the cause of global warming. Many people believe that it is a natural cycle that the Earth goes through, but others believe that it is caused by people. Technically, both of these statements are true, but if someone claims that the other statement isn’t a possibility then that is where there is a problem. The last 80,000 years or so, Earth has seen many fluctuations of CO2 produced. We can measure the amount of CO2 in the past by looking at ice that formed around 80,000 years ago. Scientists take samples and study the ice. At this point in time, we are at a couple hundred parts per million (ppm) of CO2 over the average peak in recorded history. This means that something is causing this “unnatural” rise in CO2.

Us as humans produce an incredible amount of CO2 everyday. Whether that is driving to and from work, turning on the A/C, and even using electricity. A lot of things we do in life produce CO2, which is one of the main factors in global warming. Take some time to research what global warming really means and ways to reduce your carbon footprint.