week 3: threat of global warming?

Is there really such a thing as global warming?

The article I read this week was about progress made to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution. Apparently, greenhouse gases have decreased by three percent, according to the White House’s top environmental advisor. He says that this can be partially attributed to new programs under the Bush administration. However, it goes on to say that the private sector and favorable weather conditions have also helped, along with the government. The article claims that the U.S. has taken the major steps to “combat global warming.” I guess he wants everyone to take a minute and thank the Bush administration for its hard work and the greenhouse gas decrease. The policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate center thinks otherwise. According to him, government statistics show the opposite of what the environmental advisor believed. Therefore, the question is what can possibly be done and is there a threat?

It seems pretty clear that there is a lot of pollution. It is definitely important to try to reduce the pollution and greenhouse gases. According to Climate Change Central, “Strictly speaking, global warming and global cooling refer to the natural warming and cooling trends that the earth has experienced all through its history.” Ok then. It seems the temperature of the earth has fluctuated throughout history. Does that mean there is something called global warming that will melt the polar icecaps and flood the world? It’s impossible to know for sure. NOAA.gov says global warming is “an overall increase in world temperatures which may be caused by additional heat being trapped by greenhouse gases.” The debate seems to be on whether or not the horrible definition of global warming is a real threat or not. We should definitely consider reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. I think there definitely is a possibility that something could happen in the future. Since there has been a trend in fluctuations in the earth’s temperature, it makes me feel like the threat is not that bad. If temperatures continue to rise though, there could be a problem. I’m always open to new things and the possibility of this concept. I think we need to continue the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, before it’s too late. In response to the article, I don’t think anyone person/thing can be credited with the decrease in greenhouse gases as it occurred from a number of sources. No one could really definitively say that it is all because of the Bush administration that the gas emissions have decreased.

week 3: article one-pager

“White House Claims Green Success”
The big hubbub right now seems to be “going green” and doing everything that is environmentally friendly with the threat of global warming looming. In the article, the White House’s top environmental adviser claims the Bush administration has taken the major steps in the fight against global warming. There have apparently been decreases in some air pollution and a decrease in greenhouse-gas emissions. The decrease is being attributed to the government, the private sector, and the weather, which have all contributed. This claim that the Bush administration has done so much to combat global warming sparked a debate in the Senate. It seems some people believe the government has done very little as most of the changes can be attributed to favorable weather conditions. There are plans to discuss the issue at upcoming international summits, which have other nations involved. If global warming is real (I’m not saying it’s not) then the effort to save the planet will involve more than just the U.S. All of this “going green” stuff would help and trying to lower emissions helps, but in the end this will have to be a group effort among the world nations. I thought this article was interesting. I have not read a whole lot of this issue in a while. I do remember debates between people about if global warming is real or not. I guess it is a fact that there is a lot of pollution in the country and in the world. Efforts to reduce pollution and greenhouse-gases are important, as those are real. Part of the article says government statistics show the opposite of this new claim of the Bush administration’s triumphs. If these positive things occurred under this government, then why would the numbers be different? It is clear that no one really knows what’s going on around here as everyone has conflicting stories, opinions, and information. Instead of focusing on who should be credited with the three percent decrease in greenhouse gases, we should be focusing on ways to keep reducing them and other pollutants. Sure, this could mean the nation is making progress in improving the environment, but it is just one step. The entire world should be involved if it is not already and more steps need to be taken to save the planet. If the air pollution and greenhouse gases led to increasing temperatures to melt the polar ice caps, causing floods, we would be in some serious trouble.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/03/white-house-claims-green-success/?page=2

week 3: editorial one-pager

"Criminal-Friendly in Rockville"
Shawn Henderson of Landover was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a local woman. Henderson is a convicted robber. His trial has not yet been held, so his guilt is unclear, but he is definitely a dangerous criminal. In 2000, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Durke Thompson sentenced Henderson to twelve years in prison for three separate robbery attempts in which Henderson had stabbed people. The sentence was reduced to ten years in 2004 by Judge Thompson. Henderson ended up getting out of parole in 2006, after only serving six of the ten years. He is now at a detention center after the latest crime, awaiting the trial. People were killed during Henderson’s robbery attempts, yet he got out of prison after a mere six years. Judge Thompson shortened the sentence and helped let this dangerous man back out of the streets where he killed another innocent person. This is not the first time the judge has made a ruling like this one. In 2000, he was involved in a child molester case. “Judge Thompson appeared to suggest that his 11-year-old victim was partly to blame for inviting the man into her bedroom.” Even if the child had “invited the man into her bedroom,” child molestation is a serious crime that should not be taken lightly. It is not the child’s fault. This editorial really freaked me out. I found it really scary to think that a circuit court judge, who people think should be intelligent and responsible, could play a part in crimes like this. He actually shortened Henderson’s sentence when the crimes involved him “stabb[ing] or slash[ing] people’s throats.” He was involved in three different robbery attempts and he still gets out after six years. It has been about two years since he was out on parole and he has committed another crime, although the trial has not been held yet. If he is found guilty for this one, then he should be locked up for a long time. The sentence should not be shortened in this case as Henderson obviously did not learn anything in the last six years he spent behind bars.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/02/editorial-criminal-friendly-in-rockville/