Global+Warming+and+Nuclear+Energy

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Overview
Global warming is rapidly heating up our planet. We are making it worse every day by continuously adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We are warming our toc planet and putting life at a risk.The polar regions melt earlier and earlier every year and it is because of us.The United States produces 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the world (What). Some people say that since the United States produces the most carbon dioxide emissions from one place, we should take a leadership position in stopping global warming. A solution to this heating planet is nuclear power. This is a type of power that can be harnessed with no greenhouse gasses. Furthermore, it is a very efficient power. It creates a lot of power without using a lot of natural resources.

Severe Weather:
The [|Greenhouse gases] trapped in the atmospheric level heat up the earth which alters weather. This makes it likely that in the future we will see more severe weather. This includes heat waves,downpours,droughts,and powerful storms(Climate). This affects us by creating more floods, hurricanes,and wild fires(Climate). These severe weathers will keep growing over time and be more destructive if the planet is still being treated as it is.

Rising Temperatures
[|Global Warming] is making the surface temperature of the earth rise. It isn't a very large amount, but after a while, it can add up. The temperature rising melts the glaciers in the polar and arctic regions. In Montana's Glacier National Park, there used to be 150 glaciers in 1910. Today, it 2012, there are only 27 left ("Global Warming Fast"). Also, the rising temperatures make weather worse. The temperature rising can greatly impact hurricanes. Ocean water temperature is rising, which creates a more effective breeding ground for hurricanes. Also affected by weather are wildfires. In 2002, Colorado, Oregon, and Arizona had their worst wildfires in recorded history. In 2003, a heat wave in Europe caused more than twenty thousand deaths (What).

Rising Sea Levels
The levels of [|sea water are rising]. Glaciers in the arctic are melting. All the water in those glaciers that is trapped because of the freezing is being released into the water and making the level rise. This can be a big problem for people living along the shore. A lot of people are at risk of flooding. The most vulnerable state for flooding is Florida, with about half of the at risk people living along the shores there (Gillis). A lot of people live within a few feet of the shore. The estimated sea level rise for the 21st century is 2-3 feet (Global Sea Level). This can greatly affect these people, and if the sea level continues to rise, then they might have to move back from the shore line and farther inland.

Nuclear Power
[|Nuclear power]is a good answer to our global warming issues. It is a relatively simple process for the amount of energy that it creates. First, by combining, or subtracting, the nucleus from a atom of uranium. This creates heat and light energy (Shlager and Wiblatt). This process, is one of the most efficient. It releases no greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. This saves our world from millions upon millions of tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere (Moore). Some of the other benifits are that it nuclear power uses minimal natural resources. One of these being water, which is renewable, and the other is uranium. One pound of uranium gives off the same amount of power as 3 million pounds of coal (Nuclear Power). This is why nuclear power is an alternate energy that is [|extremly efficient].

Reusable Energy
Reusable energy may not be as crazy as everyone thinks. Some say it may not create as much power as needed but history says otherwise. Just 150 years ago, almost 90% of the United States power was generated by renewable resources, wood. Wood burning has fallen out over the last 150 years, but the use of more powerful energies has created a problem (Renewable). This problem released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some other powers that could be harnessed included, wind, solar, geothermal, or water. Over the next forty years, BP is expecting that these types of resources will become more popular (Alternative).