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Are temperatures around the world increasing or decreasing?
Results so far:
| Increasing | 62% | 352 votes | Total: 567 votes | |
| Decreasing | 38% | 215 votes |
Increasing
by Lime Yellow Tesseract
Created on: March 10, 2010 Last Updated: March 24, 2010
Contrary to what every oil company would like us to think the world's climate is changing. Global climate change is affecting all of us, causing our world to warm though there is a problem here, the question asks if the warm is warming, and yes, the average world temperature is increasing but this warming is causing the worlds weather to tend to its extremes. What I mean by this is that when the weather becomes cold it becomes really cold (like -40 degrease Celsius) and then it becomes really warm ( to positive 40 degrease Celsius) in these temperatures are now almost common in my area where they were a rarity not 10 years ago.
Now I live in a generally cold environment so when some naive people hear global warming they think it's a positive thing, what they do not realize is that the world is changing in more drastic ways then just warming. These drastic changes are not only effecting out weather but also the the delicate ecosystems that house all of our worlds species. Those of you who think nothing should be done for this problem because you think it is not a problem I would like to present you with 4 situations.
The first is a situation where the problem exists and we do something, the result of such situation is the problem is resolved and we all live happily ever after. A second such situation that the does not problem exists and we do nothing, we start with no problem so there is nothing to resolve and so once again we all live on to the future. The next situation is that the problem does not exist and we do act this would mean, that our efforts would be for nothing and so we might waste some money but no harm would be done and we would probably develop new industries which would help our failing economy.
The fourth and most dire situation is one where we the problem does exist and we do nothing, this situation not only leads us to destroying our world the exclusive place that we know of that houses life. Are we so selfish as to not act not only for ourselves but for the existence of life itself? One can see that by not acting we are taking a fifty percent chance of destroying our world, and if we do act, we can see that no harm can be done. In fact we might avoid a situation where the future of life on our planet disappears.
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Decreasing
by Ethel Smith
Created on: March 31, 2010
Until very recently it appeared as if temperatures around the world were, in general, increasing. However, it would now seem as if the jury is out and the debate as to whether temperatures are increasing or decreasing is far from decided. One thing is certain, climate change is affecting usual weather patterns around the world. Scientists, however, still seem unable to say if these changes are permanent, man-made or simply part of the earth's life cycle.
In the past the earth has experienced many unusual weather and climate changes. For example, the UK experienced what has been termed a mini ice age, from around 1300 to1850. In more recent years, winters have been getting gradually milder in the UK, that is until the winter of 2010. Various countries around the world also experienced the worst winter weather for many a year, in 2010. The weather was not only bad, it was also prolonged.
When considering the world temperatures though, we must consider different factors.
One of the reasons why Great Britain has a temperate climate is the Gulf Stream. This ocean current helps keep the UK milder than it otherwise would be. A change in the Gulf Stream could in theory begin an ice age in the UK. The warm winds associated with the Gulf Stream also help keep the climate of parts of Europe mild. In the late 1990s and the early part of the 21st Century measurements were taken which seem to indicate that the Gulf Stream is changing.
There is more than one theory regarding the flow of water from the Gulf Stream. Some believe that as ice masses have melted colder water from Siberianwaters have entered the stream and had a negative impact on the temperatures. Others think that the earth is attempting to redress the balance and is trying to counteract problems caused by man-made pollution.
Overall it would seem that, for parts of the world, the likelihoodof temperatures decreasing is just as high as the possibility of temperatures increasing. After all the world is a complex planet. Even without our interference climate and weather changes are inevitable. With increased pollution, de-forestation and more mankind may have tipped the balance further.
Now that scientists are more sceptical about global warming perhaps investigations will begin again in earnest, to see exactly what may be happening. Time will be of the essence, as extremely low temperatures will be just as damaging as high ones. The problems the world will have to face will be different, but just as troublesome.
It is not certain the the temperatures are increasing or decreasing but, right now, it would seem as if we may have a mini ice age to face again, in the not too distant future.
Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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