Relief for the Planet | Teen Ink

Relief for the Planet

November 30, 2012
By lucybran GOLD, Hartland, Wisconsin
lucybran GOLD, Hartland, Wisconsin
10 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Global warming is becoming one of the most prominent issues in the eyes of world leaders. Greenhouse gases from by the burning of fossil fuels and forests are increasing significantly. According to an article in the New York Times, “Global Warming and Climate Change” on the editorial in the NY times Global emissions of carbon dioxide have rose 5.9% in 2010, the largest jump in history. The economic slowdown in the United States has caused us to ignore the fact that global warming is still an important issue. China and India have proposed plans of curbing their carbon dioxide emissions, as long as their economy isn’t affected. In 2008, when you won the election, you declared that you would help the planet begin to heal. But you were distracted by the economic crisis, and the planet suffered.

For almost 20 years, the United Nations sponsored annual global talks and discussed global warming and climate change. The conflicts that are discussed include different obligations of developing nations, who will pay for the poorer nations to adapt, how to protect tropical forests, and the way in which cleaner energy will be organized. The meetings have died down and when meetings are held, there is very little action on the environment.
You had pledged to reduce American emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and put a nationwide cap system for carbon pollution. This was passed by the House in 2009, but died in the Senate the next year. America needs to stop putting off regulations on carbon dioxide emissions and just organize a strategy. The biggest distributor of these emissions is power plants. In March 2012, the E.P.A. unveiled a rule that would limit carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants to 1,000 pounds per megawatt-hour. The recently built power plants are fired by natural gas and can follow these regulations. But the coal- fired plants can’t be changed. I believe that in order to make an impact on the amount of carbon dioxide released the coal power plants should be eliminated or turned into natural gas power plants.
When you were elected in 2008 you said “This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” You made global warming a prominent issue. But the economy and all of the issues that the President has to deal with distracted you. I believe that there should be more action on the rising carbon emissions in both the US and the world. There should be meetings with other countries to discuss how to save our planet. The biggest producer of these emissions is power plants. These power plants should receive regulations on their carbon dioxide emissions, which increase global warming dramatically. Although you do believe that all these things should be done about global warming, you have yet to take action. I believe you should make the US a greener country.



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