Global Climate Change

I find that global warming is a serious issue, alth0ugh second to the possibility of nuclear war, and that it could potentially destroy our way of life and planet as we know it. Note I did not say destroy Earth because that would be too extreme; there will likely be some organisms or even humans left to rebuild in the rubble. However, if left unchecked, it can and will trigger a disaster. Here's an analysis: if the temperature goes up another few degrees, methane pockets underneath the oceans will be able to burst. Also, large amounts of methane hidden under ice, with the ice gone, will be able to emerge. Here's the point: methane, CH4, is an even stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, somewhere on the scale of ten times stronger. And after that the greenhouse effect will go runaway until the methane decomposes into carbon dioxide.

Many skeptics at this point would say, bah, the Earth's temperature hasn't gone up / has barely gone up / is simply undergoing natural change. Well, last time Earth's temperature went up by a significant amount, it triggered a mass extinction. And that was natural. So don't attempt to say that natural warming is then not dangerous; even were it natural (and this I doubt, as rising temperatures are closely correlated to human emissions), it still has the potential to cause a disaster. And besides, even if it is not human-caused it doesn't mean humans shouldn't do something about it.

Another possible observation is that the winters are getting colder. Well... I suppose that one is true in certain places. However, that is part of climate change; just as winter temperatures is some places may be going down, summer temperatures in most places are going up.

So what can be done about global warming? Many think that to do something they have to change their lifestyle a lot / spend a lot of money. THAT IS WRONG. There are many simple things that people can do that end up saving them money in the long run. For instance, changing to LED or fluorescents. All right, the up-front cost is higher than incandescents. But a) they emit less heat, saving on A/C costs, and b) use less electricity, and c) last longer. Not only does it protect the environment, it also puts money in your pockets (provided you don't throw them on the ground) and reduces trash. 3 birds with one stone.

What can governments do? Well, for one, tax gasoline. Electric vehicles are on the market, and the taxing gasoline, combined with more efficient car batteries, will cause people to switch to electric vehicles. Even if the electricity comes from fossil fuels, it is still more efficient than gasoline vehicles, because electric companies have an interest in producing electricity efficiently to save money, while car companies don't have a large incentive to make their gasoline engines efficient.

So, in conclusion, global warming / climate change is an issue that needs resolving, whether or not it is human in origin. If a meteor were predicted to hit Earth, and something could be done about it, people would be screaming to do it. And the meteor definitely is not human-created.