i am 17 and am really worried abt the effects of global warming!!! i dont want it to happen!!!!!!?

Answer 1

Good to see that some younger folk are actually taking notice of what's going on in the world!

Have you seen "An Inconvenient Truth"? That's as good a place as any to begin your education methinks. This forum is another good place, even if it is only to see that there are a lot of complete idiots out there who are still being ostriches about the problem by refusing to believe that it could be happening.

This is a situation which the big companies who control the oil, vehicle and energy sectors really NEED to continue so that they can keep making disgusting amounts of money while the planet is dying.

The trick is to get educated and realise that we are both the cause AND solution of Global Warming. It CAN be stopped - all it will need is for the citizens of the world to pull together and say "ENOUGH LYING!".

Here's a few things that you and your friends can do to help reverse the worrying trends that we are witnessing:

1. Eat organic / locally grown foods...stops the production of more harmful chemicals, cuts down on transport costs and it's better for you as well! Also, make sure that the eggs you buy aren't from a battery farm!

2.Try going vegetarian as well...cows and cow farming is a big environmental / ethical nasty. I read a report recently that suggests that cows farting accounts for 3 times the amount of emmissions that cars do!!!

3. Buy ethical and fair trade goods. This helps increase the poorer nations citizen's basic wealth which in turn helps them to afford to achieve these kinds of changes as well!

4. Try to encourage your parents to break their addiction to their motor car. These beasts are one of the worst things for the environment that we've ever had the misfortune to deal with!!! Try getting them to use public transport or ride places they would normally drive to.

5. Encourage your parents to use low energy light bulbs in your home. CAsk them to consider buying high efficiency appliances (fridges etc.). Use gas to cook toast and heat water - toasters and kettles are huge consumers of power!

6. When it gets cold, put another jumper / sweater and thermal leggings on instead of switching on your heater.

7. Turn your television off at the wall at night, rather than leaving it on standby. This simple procedure can stop about 40kg. of CO2 getting into the atmosphere every year.

8. Ask your parents to consider buying "green" power from your energy supplier. It's not really "green" per se, but the premium you pay is used to subsidise people who are building sustainable homes and installing solar or wind generation equipment. The power so created is fed back into the main grid. If you can't, ask your power company "why not?"

9. Go see your local politicians and question them about what they're doing in parliament to affect change. Tell them that you're worried and that their answers will shape how you vote in the next election. It's a long shot, but if you live in a country with a parliamentary system, it can be a grand way to get change happening. Look at the Green Party and the amount of effect they've had across the globe since their inception in the mid-eighties. It might not appear much, but at least we do have a choice these days! "Never underestimate the power of the individual".

10. Finally, do an "Ecological Footprint" Test...it will show you how much you consume, based on your own lifestyle and residence...and then it compares that with how many earths it would take to support every person with the same lifestyle that you have....it's pretty scary, but very worthwhile.

Hope this helps!

Love and Light,

Jarrah

Answer 2

Don't panic, it's not the end of the world. There's a lot of uneducated hype in the media.

First off everybody should know that the climate is always changing. If not, why were there previous ice ages and why did they retreat? The earth would be warming even if there were no humans. And if humans never burned another drop of fuel the earth would continue warming for centuries anyhow. That's the opinion of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Obviously we can't stop global warming -- we can only slow down the human contribution to warming and that's a very small percentage of the total.

You're right to be concerned about the planet but a lot of the hysteria in the media and government is just nonsense. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Without CO2 there would be no plant life on earth. It is not THE cause of global warming, it's a minor factor among many more significant causes.

Bottom line - we can't stop global warming. Maybe we can slow it down but this is hotly debated.

Answer 3

I'm 47 and really worried about the effects of global warming too. It is too late to say you don't want it to happen, it already has. The best you can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Get a good education and understand the more we interfere with natural processes the worse we make things.

Answer 4

You should probably take a deap breath or two and relax. First, global warming has been going on for about 20,000 years, so it is nothing new.

Secondly, it is not happening all that fast. Think about it, you have lived seventeen years, how much hotter has it gotten during your life.

The impact of the change will probably be much less than the scare mongers have told you. Go find some real data, not Hollywood or political hype.

Realize that change is constant so you might as well get used to it.

Answer 5

You should be a LOT MORE worried about AIDS, violent crime, drugs and terrorism. Global Warming is a way for politicians to take the focus off of their horrible failure to develop policies that have ANY impact on these REAL threats. "Lets put all the blame on the big rich oil companies and make people feel guilty for owning anything." Kid wake up and smell the sewage, we live in a rotten society that does nothing to deal with these issues and instead would rather hug trees and talk about global warming. I don't know about global warming, but I do know there are kids your age in my town dying of AIDS and gang violence. THAT is where we should be putting our focus. That is where YOU can make a difference.

Answer 6

Global warming is neither trash science nor alarmist propaganda. However, people have the means to prevent the most severe consequences. Use less energy in general, and that will make a big difference.

Answer 7

Your worry is the first step in coming to acceptance of global warming so that you can help inspire others into acceptance. Acceptance is important if we are going to come up with creative solutions for our communities. We have the potential to slow down global warming and lessen the damage if we do something now. Your concern is essential. Now empower yourself into action. You've got heart and mind and passion. You're a good candidate for creative ideas.

Answer 8

Then make changes in your life. If everyone makes changes, then the effects will slow. However, do not spend your nights lying awake worrying about the enviroment. It's not worth your mental health. There is enough in this world for a 17yr old to worry about, than for you to worry about the world. If, however, you want to make a difference, joice an enviromental protection club in your area. Go to parks and clean them up, clean the streets, sign petitions to help logical environmental causes. Do you part. But don't over-react either.
Good luck.

Answer 9

Global warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has been going on for hundred`s of thousand`s of year`s, it is caused by the Sun and not by pollution, rising c02 level`s are caused by solar flare`s and this is to blame for it, not car`s.
the channel four program called, The Great Global Warming Swindle, will explain it all and why government`s are so keen for us to believe it is our fault, type the title into your search engine to get better informed.
Chris.

Answer 10

if The States quit all emissions the developing country's would continue,China is horrible in the way they pollute the air.and the earth,they killed off the baiji river dolphin last month, the earth is doomed, in that regard sorry
it will take a generation to feel the major affects of the poles melting
I am so sorry for the animals it will effect,
people who care and wish to make a difference can in fact make a difference
protecting the animals is what i am concerned with myself.humans can take care of themselves, the animals need our help to survive.