Global Warming's Terrifying New Math By Bill Mckibben

Great Essays
Global warming is still considered a controversial topic in modern politics. More people believe that global warming is real but aren 't worried about the immediate threat it imposes. Conservatives believe that changes in global temperature is naturally proven by examples like the Ice Age. They believe that there is no evidence that human beings are causing climate change. Liberals, however, believe the opposite. In the 2012 article Global Warming 's Terrifying New Math by Bill McKibben, the author doesn 't even address the political arguments for or against climate change. Throughout the article, McKibben emphasizes the implications of climate change and whether humans have a chance to save the planet, meaning he doesn 't believe climate change …show more content…
He insists that there are three simple numbers that will allow us to understand the dangerous future that 's to come.
Through these numbers, McKibben explains that the fossil fuel industry is most to blame for global warming and that if we don 't figure out a way to limit the use of fossil fuels, it will be too late for the future of this planet. Although I agree with McKibben on two points, arguments against global warming tend to be economical and his claim that the fossil fuel industry is most to blame, I can not accept that his pessimism is rooted in a lack of faith in humanity because there is evidence, such as the decreasing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide, prove that human efforts can work. McKibben is surely right that arguments against global warming tend to be economical. According to a poll that came out just this year from The Hill, more than seventy percent of people
…show more content…
The Earth is ridiculously close to it 's tipping point where it wouldn 't be possible to avoid the worst probable consequences, but it has not passed the tipping point yet. Even if global warming is irreversible, should everyone just sit back and watch the Earth go up in flames? Should we just adapt to the situation we put ourselves in and not try to lengthen our planet 's life for our future grandchildren? Absolutely not. Why should the people of the future have to pay for the crimes they didn 't commit? According to a poll from the Associated Press, almost forty percent of Americans weren 't too worried about climate change and referred to the problems of today, like the economy and global terrorism, as their main concern. This makes sense that global warming wouldn 't be our top priority considering the state of our economy and the threat that terrorist groups pose on the world. However, even if global warming isn 't our top priority, the repercussions of inaction should be concerning if top politicians decide to put this off. This includes the total loss of Artic ice and parts of Antartica, which will result in a huge up rise of sea levels. This can potentially be stopped if global emission of carbon dioxide is reduced dramatically starting from today. Luckily for us, more fossil fuels and

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The correct use of the term, especially by an influential figure aids in the acceptance of climate change’s presence. Research in the article "The Scientific Consensus On Climate Change As A Gateway Belief: Experimental Evidence" notes that “at least 97% of climate scientists have concluded that human-caused climate change is happening” (van der Linden et al. 1). The scientific evidence supporting climate change is paramount, yet numerous people--conservative Republicans--continue to believe that the severity of the situation does not exist. Climate change has gained controversy within the political sphere due its negative portrayal of fossil fuels an energy source which Americans have relied on for decades. This financially and politically motivated reliance has left little to no room for alternative energy sources: ethanol, geothermal, solar, and…

    • 1270 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bill McKibben twenty years ago wrote a book called The End of Nature, which predicted some of the earliest signs of global warming. Years later McKibben has written Eaarth; Making A Life On A Tough New Planet which expands on the previous book in more depth about global warming and the effects it is having on our world today. The novel was published by Alfred. A Knopf Canada in Toronto 2010. McKibben has previously written other books on this topic which ensures he is a reliable and relevant source.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the reading, “The Environmental Issue from Hell” the author portrays some of the dangers of global warming, such as how it affects the polar bears in the Arctic, how SUV’s are a big part of the problem and how we can influence change to people by switching to solar power and possibly change the politics that affect global warming greatly. Although the influence of solar increasing and GNP’s is generally reducing the amount of smog that goes in the air slowly, that still doesn’t mean we’re better off now and there’s still much we can do about global warming. McKibben’s main argument is the crisis of global warming is affecting us, animals and how it’s our own doing because of financial gain for the economy the smog that comes certain from…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Importance of Life Life is an incredible thing and can be found in countless different shapes, sizes, and forms. But no matter what form life takes, it always has one characteristic that never changes, and that is it’s always important and is always discussed in the highest regards. In two articles from the Coyote Reader, “To Really Save the planet, Stop Going Green by Mike Tidwell”, and “Topic of Cancer” by Christopher Hitchens, the idea that life is important is exemplified and explained through two very different scenarios. By looking at these two articles, one talking about saving the environment and the effects that will happen if it is not saved, and one talking about a man trying to save his life from the devastating effects of…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Climate Of Doubt Analysis

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Frontline’s Climate of Doubt was a compelling film showing how climate change has become more of a political issue than an environmental one. The film followed correspondent John Hockenberry around the United States as he interviewed several individuals that included scientific specialist, conservative republicans and liberal democrats who may or may not have been holding a position in office at that point in time. He asked simplistic questions surrounding the issue of climate change that could have been answered by anyone who was able to comprehend their own beliefs, however some individuals refused to answer the question directly and the pattern seen behind their response seemed to be associated with their political choices. It was clear to see that throughout the film there was a trend occurring. Republicans refuse to believe that human-made climate change is an issue and the real question is why they believe such lies.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Climate change is an occurring worldwide epidemic affecting nations across the globe. In the two articles chosen, both describe different viewpoints on the issue, both with the same consequences at hand. In the article, Point: Climate Change is a Proven Fact, written by Melanie Lambrick and Richard Renneboog, climate change is explained as a result of manmade activities that have created many global consequences. In contrast, the second article, Counterpoint: Climate Change Occurs Naturally and is not a Problem, written by Richard Renneboog, climate change is explained to be out of human control, that it is in fact the work of natural occurrences, like the solar system, that are to blame.…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    McKibben's article attempts to persuade his audience to accept this dreadful truth, as well as doing something about it. Factors such as, fossil fuels, the structure of carbon dioxide, and a neglectful federal government, affect the future of global climate change. Assuming that, we continue to do nothing about global warming, we stand zero chance against the consequences of our actions in the future. With…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition, he doesn’t use any expert’s opinion to propel a stronger argument. Mckibben uses anecdotal evidence to emphasize that things can be done by everyone to have less of a detrimental effect on the climate. By making…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Global warming, the carbon footprint, the greenhouse effect, whatever you wish to call it climate change is an issue that not only affects us but every living organism on this planet. In American author, Michael Pollan’s essay “Why bother?” he presents the issue of climate change and the very reason why it is still a problem after so many years, because of people who believe “why bother.” “Why bother” refers to the mental reality of believing that one individual can’t make any form of difference for an issue. Now while this idea is not entirely false I do feel it has a rather large hole in it.…

    • 1403 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anyone can have valid information, but the way they present it can affect their credibility. In the speech “Global warming alarmism reaches a tipping point” by Senator James Inhofe, he points out the targeted audience of global warming films. In his speech he uses a lot of ad hominems in an attempt to make his target lose credibility or damage their reputation, he uses fallacies against the person who made them to make them appear less credible, and he over uses pathos appeal which caused him to lose credibility. Inhofe’s speech is the least credible because he uses ad hominem attacks to discredit DiCaprio.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today’s world, global warming is common knowledge to most people. Every day global warming gets worse. Some people in today’s society are eager to stop global warming because they are aware of the problems that global warming is causing to people and the Earth. Across the world, people know that industrial smokestacks are a big cause of global warming in today’s society. Some people believe that by ignoring global warming that it will not affect them, and that they can’t make a difference.…

    • 2039 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the March 2015 issue of National Geographic, an article by Joel Achenbach entitled “The Age of Disbelief”, discusses the rise of climate change skepticism, explore the increasing polarization between cynics and advocates, and examines the what is causing reasonable people to distrust reasons. Achenbach, who is a staff writer for left leaning Washington Post and a monthly contributor for National Geographic, points out that the concept of climate change is born out of scientific methods which bear truths that are less than self-evident and can be hard to swallow. These are the same methods that Galileo use to proclaim that earth orbits around the sun and where Darwin proposed that we all evolved from a single celled organism, both of which vehemently opposed…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    CREDIBILITY : I did an assignment about two different thoughts between two environmentalist : Al Gore and Botkins. Al Gore, with the article “The time to act is now”, informed to the reader how bad global warming is and alerted them the need to react now . Botkins with the article “Global Warming Delusions” said that global warming is not a very serious problem and we don’t need to waste money on this problem . I have looked for much research to answer the question by myself as to whether global warming impacts seriously on our life or not and what we can do to protect our living environment. That’s why today I am very interested to share with you some basic information about global warming.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The valuable documentary An Inconvenient Truth persuades viewers that global warming is an issue through the graphs and images, the use of personal life stories, and the effects of natural disasters. Some people can be told the truth about global warming many times over again and still fail to believe it. But in An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore presents the information in a way that nobody can say is false. As Robert Swan said, many people believe someone else will save the planet. But the only ones who are going to save it are the people who truly stand up and make a change for the…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Global Warming

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Everyone has heard the term global warming, but how is this major issue being defined? To many people, global warming is defined as the steady rise of the Earth’s temperature from an excess of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. To numberless others, global warming is simply that the climate change and carbon emission has nothing to do with it. While this last definition seems to be the easiest due to being less scary and not having to deal with the problem, it does not mean it is correct. As difficult as it maybe to accept the truth, people are slowly making their own home an oven; therefore, leading to fluctuations in the weather patterns, drastically rising sea levels, the extinction of many species, and an overabundance of…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays