Siciliano 1

Andrew Siciliano

Ms. Yeaton

Pre-AP English

16 January 2018

1. March 11, 2016 Amanda MacMillan. “Global Warming 101.” NRDC, 12 Oct. 2017,

www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101.

In this scientific article, it gives the basics about everything global warming. It talks of

the causes of global warming, such as the burning of fossil fuels. The article next mentions the

horrible causes of global warming. For example, some of the effects listed in the article include:

melting glaciers, rising sea levels, heat waves, and disruption of habitats.

Lastly, it goes over what’s being done in America to change global warming. Although

we have only just started, America is making progress in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. It

states that in 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pledged to reduce carbon

pollution from our power plants by nearly a third by 2030, relative to 2005 levels, through its

Clean Power Plan. We are also trying to cut down on the release of carbon dioxide through

transportation with innovative electric cars.

2. “Global Climate Change.” NASA, NASA, 2 June 2014, climate.nasa.gov/.

In this scientific article by NASA, it examines the evidence, the cause and effect, and the

solutions to the issue of global warming. In terms of evidence, this source gives a plethora of

scientific facts to prove global warming’s existence. It talks about the rise in global temperature

and how its risen 2 degrees fahrenheit since the 19th century. It also talks about the warming of
 Siciliano 2

oceans, shrinking of ice sheets, sea level rise, and extreme weather related events to show the

evidence of global warming.

Similarly to the previous article, the cause and effects are provided. It talks of the causes

being mainly related to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels. Although nearly all the

effects are negative, there are positive effects given. For example, it says that some crops and

other plants may respond favorably to increased atmospheric CO2, growing more vigorously and

using water more efficiently. At the same time, higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns

may change the areas where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant communities.

Lastly, the article goes over solutions to this growing issue. It states many different aspects of

solutions such as mitigation and adaptations, government resources, and energy innovations in

technology and transportation.

3. “Opinion | Climate Change Is Bad for Your Health.” The New York Times, The New York

Times, 3 Jan. 2018,

mobile.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/opinion/climate-change-health-

heat.html?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F.

This article focuses mainly on the concerns the author has for global warming’s effects

on our health. It talks of a commission to find evidence of the effects of global warming on

health. And what the commission has found is that climate change is already affecting human

health in serious ways, with harms “far worse than previously understood.” The report argues

that the health professions have a responsibility “to communicate the threats and opportunities”

of a phenomenon that is “central to human well-being”. It also states that global warming is not

the only environmental problem that’s hurting our health. In the articles report on climate
 Siciliano 3

change, the commission says that human-caused global warming “threatens to undermine the

past 50 years of gains in public health”. But the report also said that a comprehensive approach

to slow the planet’s warming could be “the great health opportunity of the 21st century”.

In the article it also talks of economic issues as a result of climate change. For instance,

the commission found that outdoor labor capacity in rural areas fell, on average, by 5.3 percent

over the past 16 years because of heat stress and other conditions making work more difficult.

That is a large loss of productivity, and directly attributable to global warming during a period

when nine of the 10 of the hottest years on record were recorded. Productivity fell 2 percent from

2015 to 2016 alone. This is surely to keep growing if a solution is not put into effect soon.

Although the article does not talk of possible solutions, it makes it clear that climate change is

not just an environmental issue, but a public health and medical issue now.

4. Motel, Seth. “Section 7: Global Warming, Environment and Energy.” Pew Research Center

the People and the Press, 26 June 2014,

www.people-press.org/2014/06/26/section-7-global-warming-environment-and-energy/.

This article, written by Seth Motel, is different to the previous articles listed. It focuses on

the public’s opinion on global warming and climate change rather than the scientific facts and

solutions to this issue. It is a scientific fact that global warming is occurring yet still, according to

the article, 35% of the people surveyed believe there is not enough evidence to prove it. It is also

scientifically factual that climate change is a direct result of human activity yet among those who

say the Earth is warming, most say it is caused by human activity (40% of the public), while

fewer say it is because of natural patterns in the Earth’s environment (18%).

 Siciliano 4

The article examines many more public responses in regards to climate change. In each

response there is a shocking amount of people who just do not know and are not looking into this

topic nor concerned about it, and of those who are looking into it, a shocking number of people

are not listening to scientific evidence. The central idea of the article is to inform how the public

perceives climate change and to argue that more people should be aware of this issue to have a

better chance of stopping it or slowing it down