It’s been estimated by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) that by 2030, global warming may become irreversible if we don’t take immediate action to undo the damage that has been done.

Global warming has become the most pressing issue of 2023, concerning researchers all over. Temperatures are reaching new record levels, raising concerns about whether we can get them back down.

From the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution, we have been utilizing natural resources such as coal to power factories. Our usage of coal produces high quantities of CO₂, adding greater amounts of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gasses only continue to rise from there. As a society, we have been depleting the Earth of its natural resources since the beginning of time. But as the population grew, the more valuable these resources became. 

Big oil and the burning of fossil fuels entered the game and have increased, and are continuing to increase, the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon is a heat trapping gas meaning the more carbon in the atmosphere, the more heat it’s trappin which in turn causes the Earth’s temperature to increase.

The increase in water temperatures, melting of the glaciers, and rising sea levels have all been the result of the excessive carbon emissions. 

Florida’s water temperatures have met a new all time high, a whopping 101 degrees around the Florida Keys. Water temperatures of 90 degrees have been recorded on Key Biscayne, an island located near Miami. According to New York Times writer, Particia Mazzei,  “the ocean felt like a thick, simmering syrup. Almost gooey”. 

The scarily high water temperatures have put marine life and coral population at risk. Not only has marine life been threatened in Florida  but all over the globe. For example, the marine life in Antarctica is heavily affected  due to the rapid melting of glaciers.

Glaciers have been melting since the early 1900’s, and although glaciers melt naturally, they are melting away much faster than projected by scientists . It all traces back to human activities. As the atmosphere traps more carbon, the more the glaciers start to melt, causing sea levels to rise.

 According to World Wildlife Fund, “if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2040.” If all the glaciers of Antarctica were to melt, sea levels would rise by 70 meters, causing a reduction in land size. As for the animals, the ice is their home.  Their habitat, food sources, and living conditions would dwindle down to merely nothing, causing the extinction of many species. 

A huge amount of our freshwater supply comes from the very glaciers themselves. This has become a serious threat to not only our water supply, but of the animals as well.

Circling back to big oil and fossil fuels, they are mainly consumed by large and wealthy corporations. Their consumption of these natural resources seem to have a much more negative impact on the environment rather than good.

It has been expressed to big oil companies that their utilization of oil will have a strong effect on the world, and not a good one. 

An Exxon study published in 1979 stated that fossil fuels “will cause dramatic environmental effects” in the decades to come. Many members of the public believe that these corporations are choosing to ignore these growing concerns and deceive the public into thinking that fossil fuels wouldn’t harm the environment. 

These corporations hold the most responsibility when it comes to the cause of global warming. They have the most significant impact on today’s current state of the environment.  Moreover, many believe it’s time they be held accountable for their actions.

If global warming continues to take over the world, we will lose essential habitats to sustain wildlife and freshwater, witness sea levels encroach on habitated up land, and watch as marine life suffers in harsh weather conditions. 

An opinion shared by many professionals across the globe is that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes too late to make a change.