Article Summary
Greenhouse gas emissions are among the most severe and dangerous issues for the modern generation. Although the world hopes to reduce the effects of this problem and has been implementing different approaches to decrease emissions, such as using electric cars, recycling, and adopting less harmful manufacturing processes, there is no improvement. In their article published in The Guardian, Carrington (2023) reports that fossil fuel burning has contributed significantly to severe increases in this dangerous trend. Carbon dioxide concentrations are 50% higher than they were three centuries ago.
According to the article, similar CO2 levels were approximately 4 million years ago, and this tendency is highly concerning (Carrington, 2023). Unfortunately, not only the main greenhouse gas has increased recently in the atmosphere. Carrington (2023) refers to the findings of the United Nations, in which the organization reveals the growth of nitrous oxide and methane. The tendency is expected to continue because humans do not put enough effort into addressing the problem. The approaches they use are either inconsistent or ineffective, and the article’s author mentions that most counties fail to follow the environmental policies and guidelines they have recently adopted (Carrington, 2023).
All people’s contributions are needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions down to net zero. Even though there have been significant advancements in the production and usage of electric transport and renewable energy, these efforts cannot outweigh the harm from other human activities or the refusal of some individuals and companies to become more sustainable. Extreme weather events are reported to take lives and reduce the well-being of millions of people across the globe, and the effects on the economy are devastating as well (Carrington, 2023). There is a vicious circle that societies fail to exit: their lifestyles cause global heating, affecting wetlands and further increasing methane concentrations. Humankind’s future is questionable now, and if the harmful production of industries, the use of fertilizers, and crop waste burning are not limited shortly, people will suffer even more, and the consequences will be inevitable.
Article Critique
The summarized article is a powerful and somewhat desperate message sent to people to raise awareness about the problem that can soon become unsolvable. I agree with Carrington (2023) that societies do not contribute enough to addressing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing global heating. Countries and organizations express their views on the matter and describe their intentions and adopted policies to decrease fossil fuel burning and become sustainable in other ways.
However, there is little evidence of whether they achieve improvements and reduce their carbon footprint. The article informed me about the actual circumstances in which humankind lives now. Although I was aware of the severity of the greenhouse gas emission issue, I learned that the levels of gas concentrations are almost higher than ever. I also support the author’s position regarding the need for urgent actions (Carrington, 2023).
No time is left for discussions, raising awareness, and strategic planning. The world’s efforts to solve the problem over the past decades must be increased and accelerated several times. However, this will not eliminate the threat, especially if the methods adopted will be temporary or will not develop further. As individuals and societies, we are responsible for creating this dangerous situation, and we must sacrifice our comfort to improve the living conditions of future generations and prevent disaster.
Reference
Carrington, D. (2023). Climate-heating gases reach record highs, UN reports. The Guardian. Web.
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