Persuasive Essay on “climate Change Deserves to Be a Huge Priority” – Bill Gates

Misra Basil Hussain 

20020046 

Maham Javaid  

SS 100, Section 11 

October 26th, 2016  

“Climate change deserves to be a huge priority” – Bill Gates 

Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you woke up one day and heard news about how the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica have ceased to exist; floods have devastated a plethora of nations and large dwindling species in the natural habitat are a thing of the past? We can safely predict that this awaits us shortly. Our increasing dependence on nature coupled with the increase in the rate at which planet Earth is heating up has led to disastrous consequences — deforestation has wiped out the landforms that provide the nutrients needed to replenish the soil, reducing agricultural supply. The number of natural disasters has risen to a great extent with 980 loss events (natural disasters) taking place in 2014. (Geo Risks Research 2) Apart from this, humans face the threat of “disease vectors” — the mechanisms that spread diseases; Insects previously stopped by cold winters are already moving to warmer latitudes carrying the same diseases. This paper argues that the wide-ranging consequences of climate change cannot be eradicated; however, further damage can be prevented. Individual elements lie for the notion that it is possible to slow down the disastrous effects of climate change and furthermore, scientists have even proven this support for three reasons. Firstly, the switch from non-renewable resources (fossil fuels) to renewable resources paves the way for a cleaner and environment-friendly energy. Secondly, afforestation will help all living species in a plethora of ways. Thirdly, the installation of catalytic converters in cars will reduce the emission of harmful gasses, which contribute to the greenhouse effect.  

The first argument is that fossil fuels including coal, oil, and natural gas form a major component of any developing nation’s production process. Increased reliance on coal for electricity generation, steel production, and cement manufacturing involves burning of coal. This combustion releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere including nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which are greenhouse gasses. A solution for this could be the switch to renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectric power, wind power, and nuclear power. Hydroelectric power involves the use of turbines to convert water into electricity and supply it to households, firms and whoever else that may need it. Yugoslavia is an example of a country utilizing energy through this source. “The activation of this plant, the largest yet constructed in Yugoslavia, marks an important stage in the development of the country’s power industry” (Hamilton 70).  This energy relies on the water cycle, which is driven by the sun making it a more reliable and affordable source. Another example of a clean fuel source of energy would be wind power which requires an open windy space to ensure continuous energy production. Wind turbines do not lead to the production of atmospheric emissions which contribute to acid rain or greenhouse gasses. This source of energy is environmentally friendly and if the government subsidizes them, citizens would be encouraged to further develop and carry out extensive research, slowing down the rate of climate degradation.  

Another solution to climate change lies in the process of afforestation which refers to the planting of trees in an area lacking any vegetation or tree cover. High levels of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gasses trap heat from the Earth in the atmosphere and prohibit it from releasing the heat into space. This creates a phenomenon known today as the “greenhouse effect.” Trees act as a savior by removing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Afforestation involves planting trees either from saplings or directly using seeds. However, a problem that prevents the planting of trees is the scarcity of land coupled with increasing cultivation to fulfill the growing demand. To solve this problem, land which has been overgrazed by livestock (exceeding the carrying capacity of pasture) and replenished of its nutrients has been rendered useless for commercial exploitation and thus, is used for afforestation. Trees play a major role in curbing pollution caused by factories and other sources — they absorb the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and so are referred to as “carbon sinks”. Afforestation policies have been adopted in China and “afforestation initiatives create tremendous employment and promote the sustainable development of a low carbon economy” (Shuifa, KE et al. 251) Deforestation cannot be stopped due to increasing demand and ever rising population growth. For this reason, amends can be made in the form of afforestation techniques.  

Apart from deforestation, one of the major contributors to pollution would be the emission of harmful gasses, from cars and other automobile vehicles, namely carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide — these gasses prolong the greenhouse effect and lead to increased global warming. To reduce the emission of these gasses, catalytic converters are installed in compatibility with car engines. A catalytic converter is an emission control device which converts harmful pollutants into less harmful ones by catalyzing a redox reaction (conversion to less toxic chemicals and then reducing them). This has provided a significant change and led to a major drop in the pollution rate of different countries. Life has become easier as people can now use their own vehicles, rather than make use of the bus or public transport. People’s health has also improved as they are no longer prone to inhaling the polluted air in the atmosphere.