period 9
contextualization
During the late 1980s, America’s dependence on foreign oil became pronounced and we began to realize that the reserve of fossil fuels would only last less than 100 years. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) began to regulate the amount of pollution that is released into the atmosphere. This was a turning point because previously the amount of fossil fuels released had no boundary, which meant that there was an infinite amount that could be discharged without any consequences. Also, in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was passed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere to ultimately combat global warming. Scientists began to experiment with renewable fuels, such as solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal. These renewable resources began to become more and more popular in the U.S., and in the last five years, the amount of electric cars has increased by almost 20% and 4.6 million homes in the U.S. are powered by solar. People became more educated on global warming and how it affects our population. At this rate, the melting of ice caps caused by thermal expansion are projected to rise sea levels tremendously in the next decade.This raising of sea levels could devastate mass populations around the world. Climate change will also increase Earth's average temperature, which could kill off species with a specialized niche (can only survive under certain temperatures) as well as change patterns and amounts of precipitation, decrease ice, snow cover, and permafrost. An overall drop in our water supply and prolonged drought has devastated many populations as there are wars currently over water supplies as 783 million of the world’s population does not have access to clean water. Climate change also heightens the intensity of disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes etc, and overall is a threat to human and animal populations. Every year, each of these effects of climate change continues to get worse and worse and even if greenhouse gas emissions were cut tremendously now, there has been so much damage done that it would take decades to get Earth back to its natural state.
Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana in 2005 and was the costliest natural disaster in the United States. 1,240 people died in the hurricane and from subsiquent floods. Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were moved from their homes, and it is estimated that the Katrina disaster caused more than $100 billion in damage. The BP Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil gush lasted for 87 days and it was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, with up to 4.9 million barrels of oil released. The effect on the environment is still being studied, but in Louisiana, 4.6 million pounds of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013 alone. Dolphins and fish in the area died in record numbers. One study showed that certain fish exposed to the oil had deformities of the heart and other organs.
Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana in 2005 and was the costliest natural disaster in the United States. 1,240 people died in the hurricane and from subsiquent floods. Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were moved from their homes, and it is estimated that the Katrina disaster caused more than $100 billion in damage. The BP Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil gush lasted for 87 days and it was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, with up to 4.9 million barrels of oil released. The effect on the environment is still being studied, but in Louisiana, 4.6 million pounds of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013 alone. Dolphins and fish in the area died in record numbers. One study showed that certain fish exposed to the oil had deformities of the heart and other organs.