There's an essay exam coming up for me, and I need some helpful feedback. Thanks!
I chose to take on a dissenter's point of view, so please don't reply with comments like how I'm a ignorant cynic or anything like that.
Full Prompt: Nature has its own cycles and global warming is also a part of the cycle. There is nothing to worry about. Do you agree?
20,000 years ago, the world's Ice Age occurred. Cold winds howled above the ground as animals clad in thick fur scavenged amongst the snow. And yet today, the Earth stands proud, a home for more than 7 billion humans and 20 million species of animals. Almost all traces of the ice have disappeared, leaving Earth warm and snug.
But some say that perhaps the world is becoming a little too warm.
Global warming is the process which has garnered an immense response amongst the masses. It is the reason why rising sea levels will engulf the Earth, some people claim and others say that it is the big bad monster that will cause raging typhoons to tear through the world. I think that global warming is simply part of a natural cycle that the Earth will go through. The scare-mongering done on this cliché topic has caused unnecessary panic over what nature truly is. I believe that just like the Ice Age, Earth will emerge from the microwave, standing proud.
Granted there will definitely be some people who dispute this fact. They say that the warming of planet Earth is disastrous. They speak of it as the bringer of apocalypse. Perhaps this is because they believe that our planet has never gone through such changes in climate. Human nature dictates that though we anticipate change, we fear it, because change causes unknowns. Xenophobia has caused us to exaggerate the effects of global warming, seeing it as evil and unnatural.
But are these people right in being afraid of the "unknown"? Is their fear warranted? I do not believe so, because the phenomenon of global warming is simply not unknown. As a matter of fact, humans have gone through the warming and cooling cycle for a very long time. There was the Roman Warming lasted from 200 BC-600 AD followed by the Dark Ages Cooling, followed by the Medieval Warming which lasted until 1300 AD and the Little Ice Age which ended in 1850. Currently, we are smack in the middle of a warm period that could last any amount of time ranging from a hundred to a few hundred thousand years. Therefore, it really should not be all that surprising that the temperature of our neighbourhood has been slightly elevated. The point is, that the Earth has been following a natural cycle for a very long time. Environmentalists often claim that going against nature is what lands man in the hottest soup. Then in order to escape the dreaded apocalypse, should we not simply let nature take its course?
Of course, there are some slightly less ignorant people, who simply point to the fact that global warming may be happening too fast. They say that the speed at which the temperature rises is unnatural. It will augment the number of natural disasters and will be infinitely detrimental to our planet.
While there is some semblance of truth in that fact, the temperature of the planet has been rising at a rather fast pace, but the Earth has been through worse and survived. We have been through worse and survived. The average temperature of the Earth during the initiation of the first Ice Age took only a hundred years to drop by 3oC, compared to the 1oC rise over the last two hundred years. Clearly, the rapidly decreasing temperature during the Ice Age was much more significant than what we are experiencing now. If humankind could survive endless plateaus of ice with tinier brains and minimal technology, then it would stand to reason that the current period of global warming should not be a cause for much concern. This would also show that global warming is part of nature's cycle, and not out of it.
However, while global warming is part of nature's cycle, there is no reason why we should not be worried about it. Nature may dictate that beautiful harmless orchids bloom in spring, but nature also dictated that several meteors wipe out the dinosaur race. Nature is dangerous and unpredictable, and every change in nature could lead to something bigger and more devastating. Because we cannot accurately predict its effects, global warming may be every bit as dangerous in the long run. The amount of damage the Ice Age did to many animal species is a clear example. Therefore, I believe that there is a lot to worry about with regards to global warming.
Warm, cold, warm, cold. In conclusion, global warming is simply a warm period in one of nature's many cycles. I do not believe that it will defeat the resilience of animal adaptability and much less defeat planet Earth. However, that is not to say that we should not be worried about it. There is a very big difference between being afraid of a phenomenon and being afraid of its results. Even though the human race will survive this fever, there are people who may die. It may be me or you, so there is, in the end, a need to be worried about the undeniable situation of global warming despite the fact that it is wholly natural.
-end-
I chose to take on a dissenter's point of view, so please don't reply with comments like how I'm a ignorant cynic or anything like that.
Full Prompt: Nature has its own cycles and global warming is also a part of the cycle. There is nothing to worry about. Do you agree?
20,000 years ago, the world's Ice Age occurred. Cold winds howled above the ground as animals clad in thick fur scavenged amongst the snow. And yet today, the Earth stands proud, a home for more than 7 billion humans and 20 million species of animals. Almost all traces of the ice have disappeared, leaving Earth warm and snug.
But some say that perhaps the world is becoming a little too warm.
Global warming is the process which has garnered an immense response amongst the masses. It is the reason why rising sea levels will engulf the Earth, some people claim and others say that it is the big bad monster that will cause raging typhoons to tear through the world. I think that global warming is simply part of a natural cycle that the Earth will go through. The scare-mongering done on this cliché topic has caused unnecessary panic over what nature truly is. I believe that just like the Ice Age, Earth will emerge from the microwave, standing proud.
Granted there will definitely be some people who dispute this fact. They say that the warming of planet Earth is disastrous. They speak of it as the bringer of apocalypse. Perhaps this is because they believe that our planet has never gone through such changes in climate. Human nature dictates that though we anticipate change, we fear it, because change causes unknowns. Xenophobia has caused us to exaggerate the effects of global warming, seeing it as evil and unnatural.
But are these people right in being afraid of the "unknown"? Is their fear warranted? I do not believe so, because the phenomenon of global warming is simply not unknown. As a matter of fact, humans have gone through the warming and cooling cycle for a very long time. There was the Roman Warming lasted from 200 BC-600 AD followed by the Dark Ages Cooling, followed by the Medieval Warming which lasted until 1300 AD and the Little Ice Age which ended in 1850. Currently, we are smack in the middle of a warm period that could last any amount of time ranging from a hundred to a few hundred thousand years. Therefore, it really should not be all that surprising that the temperature of our neighbourhood has been slightly elevated. The point is, that the Earth has been following a natural cycle for a very long time. Environmentalists often claim that going against nature is what lands man in the hottest soup. Then in order to escape the dreaded apocalypse, should we not simply let nature take its course?
Of course, there are some slightly less ignorant people, who simply point to the fact that global warming may be happening too fast. They say that the speed at which the temperature rises is unnatural. It will augment the number of natural disasters and will be infinitely detrimental to our planet.
While there is some semblance of truth in that fact, the temperature of the planet has been rising at a rather fast pace, but the Earth has been through worse and survived. We have been through worse and survived. The average temperature of the Earth during the initiation of the first Ice Age took only a hundred years to drop by 3oC, compared to the 1oC rise over the last two hundred years. Clearly, the rapidly decreasing temperature during the Ice Age was much more significant than what we are experiencing now. If humankind could survive endless plateaus of ice with tinier brains and minimal technology, then it would stand to reason that the current period of global warming should not be a cause for much concern. This would also show that global warming is part of nature's cycle, and not out of it.
However, while global warming is part of nature's cycle, there is no reason why we should not be worried about it. Nature may dictate that beautiful harmless orchids bloom in spring, but nature also dictated that several meteors wipe out the dinosaur race. Nature is dangerous and unpredictable, and every change in nature could lead to something bigger and more devastating. Because we cannot accurately predict its effects, global warming may be every bit as dangerous in the long run. The amount of damage the Ice Age did to many animal species is a clear example. Therefore, I believe that there is a lot to worry about with regards to global warming.
Warm, cold, warm, cold. In conclusion, global warming is simply a warm period in one of nature's many cycles. I do not believe that it will defeat the resilience of animal adaptability and much less defeat planet Earth. However, that is not to say that we should not be worried about it. There is a very big difference between being afraid of a phenomenon and being afraid of its results. Even though the human race will survive this fever, there are people who may die. It may be me or you, so there is, in the end, a need to be worried about the undeniable situation of global warming despite the fact that it is wholly natural.
-end-