Global Warming.. problems and solutions

Global warming is now seen as the nature’s most dangerous enemy. Starting from rises in temperatures to increases in sea level. Many cities and islands will be covered in water if nothing is done by the next century. (Pidwirny)
Carbon dioxide emissions tend to trap the heat waves that are supposed to leave the atmosphere causing rises in temperature by 1 F every year and this process is referred to as the greenhouse effect. (Lerner and Lerner)
One of the main contributors is transportation; and more than 30% of the carbon dioxide emissions in US are caused by transportation. 88% of the transportation trips in US are done by using cars, that’s why transportation is big reason. (Walsh)
Another contributor is burning of fossil fuels. Coal is known as one of the main sources of carbon dioxide and 50% of the electricity power plants in the US are relying on coal. (Gum bel)
In addition, households are also contributing to the CO2 emissions. Changing the way people consume power massively is not impossible yet it’s challenging. (Buechner).
Solving the transportation obstacle requires both individual and common efforts. Taking the bus instead of using large numbers of cars can reduce the emissions greatly. 1.4 billion gal a year can be saved using public transit which means 14 million tons of CO2 emission according to the American Public Transportation Association. Another alternative is bus rapid transit; it has extra parallel lanes running at once. It also runs on hybrid and compressed natural gas engines. (Walsh)
The solution to the Industrial impact on the other hand is lacking a lot of scientific information. A new method of capturing the carbon is being developed. This new technology is being tested in various countries. In Norway an energy firm is capturing the emissions and injecting them into saline aquifer under the North Sea (Gumbel). As for households, individuals can use the low power rating light bulbs, these economic light bulbs consume one-quarter the electricity and live several more years compared to the normal light bulbs. (Buechner).
In my opinion, the only way to resolve this problem is by starting at the individual level to affect governments. Our carbon footprint must be reduced by changing our life style starting by taking the bus to changing our light bulbs. We keep our end of the deal hoping that governments will keep theirs.


Bibliography:
Pidwirny, M. (2006). "The Greenhouse Effect". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed. <http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7h.html>
Gum bel, Peter. "51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment." The Global Warming Survival Guide. CNN. .
Buechner, Murray . "51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment." The Global Warming Survival Guide. CNN. .
Walsh, Brayen . "51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment." The Global Warming Survival Guide. CNN. .
Lerner, K. Lee, and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, eds. "Greenhouse effect." Gale Encyclopedia of science. 25th May 2009 .