by Joseph Kelley

Created on: November 19, 2008

Aids, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, the War in Iraq, and the 2008 election are among the most discussed topics on television these days. Even though these topics are important, some people find it to be less imperative than one other topic. That topic is Global Warming.

Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has killed 25 million people since its discovery in 1981.1 Cancer has affected the lives of the patients and their families in ways no one can imagine. How could some people think that Global Warming is more important than people's lives?

Part of the problem is that Global Warming is a horrible term to describe what is actually happening. When people think of warming, they think of a warm sandy beach, or a load of dried laundry. Global warming is too general of a term; Global warming should be described as a Global Climate Disruption, which covers not only the environmental impact but also the political and economical problems brought about by "Global Warming".

But what is Global Warming? Many people attribute it to the raising of the Earths temperature due to green house gasses, the by product of burning fossil fuels, getting in to the atmosphere. After that, not much is know by the general populous. What CO2 (the main problem child of Global Warming) does is it gets into the ozone layer and exhausts it. The sun lets out much more than light, its numerous hydrogen reactions produce untold amounts of radiation and harmful rays that normally are blocked by the Ozone Layer. However due to the CO2 depleting it, those rays get through to the earths surface. With these rays reaching the earth's surface, numerous problems are caused. For one thing, and by far the most obvious, is the earth is getting warmer. Also these rays bring up a health concern. Melanoma, or skin cancer, is developed by extended exposure to the suns rays. However with the rays getting stronger melanoma is becoming a bigger and bigger problem to the general public.

It surprises some people when you tell them that there is more to Global Warming than just the earth getting warmer. It is the problems that arise from the increase in Global Temperature that are the main concern. Sea Level rise, increased intensity of storms, Glacier Retreat, and Species Extinction are among the main concerns of Global Warming.

The Sea Level rising is brought about by two factors, both related to Global Warming. Because of the rising temperature the water in the ocean is expanding, raising sea levels by 1mm

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