Ronald Richards

Professor Hubert

Political Science

05/01/2017

Climate and the United States

Many scientists have collected data to show the dramatic increase in the climate changes

throughout the years. Global warming is not a joke because it can cause a big impact on how we

live and what we eat. An article by Amber MacMillan defines global warming as the following;

Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse

gasses collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the

earths surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into spacebut these pollutants, which

can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter

(MacMillan 2016). There are many other gasses that contribute to the cause of Global warming

such as Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Fluorinated gases. The gas that is the most influential in the

cause of global warming is Carbon dioxide. It makes up of 65 percent compared to the other

gases, being the leading problem.1

The United States is known for it's influence on the world, yet we are one of the biggest

problems when it comes to global warming. In regards to this negative impact, MacMillan states

The United States comes in second. Despite making up just 4 percent of the worlds population,

we produce a whopping 16 percent of all global CO2 emissions as much as the European Union

and India (third and fourth place) combined (MacMillan 2016). Carbon dioxide is used for 80

percent of the United States energy.2 The use of many fossil fuels makes a big impact on the
1 EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency you can find the statistics at
www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data#four
2 IER includes graphs and other statistics on US consumption. Website:
instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/encyclopedia/fossil-fuels/
worlds environment because it being trapped here can affect the overall temperature over time.

This can have impact on the glaciers melting; causing sea elevation and can impact the species

that exist causing them to become extinct over a period of time. Some plants affected by the

temperature change will cease to grow making it harder for farmers to produce certain crops.

There should be certain policies made in order to regulate the fossil fuels being used by large

corporations. An important policy to have would be a limited energy intake per year for the

amount of fossil fuels that can be used for a larger corporation. If more energy is needed then the

corporation must use solar energy. The reason this would be a great benefit is because solar

energy is a renewable source causing no harm to the environment and yet the businesses would

still be able to attain the energy needed to continue working in their establishments. My second

policy would be for those with homes. If a person has solar energy for a home the government

would give them exemptions of a certain percent depending on what they saved compared to

normal amount of fossil fuels that were burned from the previous year. For example the average

a persons home uses 11,040 kilowatts hours a year.3 A website which tracked consumption of

one light bulb stated, that 714 pounds of coal compared to 143 pounds of natural gas are needed

to keep a single light bulb lit for a year (Kilisek). If the majority of people were to have solar

powered homes it would make a huge difference because we could go from one of the worst

counties in using fossil fuels to one of the leading countries in saving them. My third policy

would be to make solar easier to come by and not more expensive because of how beneficial it

is. There would be a certain brand that would be cheaper for those who want solar and that way

more people would be willing to receive it.

3 Credit loan it tracking the consumption of energy use for utilities in a home Website:
www.creditloan.com/blog/how-the-average-american-uses-energy/
Each policy that has been carefully thought about would each play a role in lowering the

consumption of fossil fuels and relying more on solar powered energies. From the past 50 years

to now there has been a dramatic increase of the CO2 in the atmosphere due to the careless use

of fossil fuels but, if we were to cut back on the use it may slow down the process so that global

warming may not take as much of a toll on the environment.

Citation

Kilisek, Roman. "Infographic: Energy Use of a 100-Watt Light Bulb per Year by Source."
Breaking Energy. N.p., 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
 MacMillan, Amanda. "Global Warming 101." NRDC. March 11, 2016. Accessed April
15, 2017. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101.