Failure to act today could result in an unsustainable planet characterized by warmer temperatures that may snowball out of control. This is because such failure would lead to extinction of certain animal species, depletion of natural resources, increase in sea levels thus causing more natural disasters such as hurricanes or diseases, less water availability in third world countries thus leading to conflicts amongst them and the spread of tropical diseases such as malaria. (Mc Carthy, 2001). Consequently, it is incumbent upon man to establish ways in which he can reduce global warming.
This can be achieved by using the right kind of energy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which cause global warming. The paper shall dwell on how this can be achieved through green buildings. Studies have shown that the amount of green house gases found in the atmosphere tend to stay there for a very long time. This means that global warming is a harsh reality that may not disappear without human intervention. (Schneider, 2002) The phenomenon of global warming is going to cause warmer climate all over the world.
Consequently, vectors such as mosquitoes will increase tremendously. This implies that diseases such as malaria may start appearing in tropical countries. Likewise, humanity’s unyielding dependence on fossil fuels has correspondingly escalated the level of greenhouse gas emissions resulting to drastic climate changes and depletion of natural resources in the planet. In this regard, it is important that for every citizen to have knowledge and awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability.
Through education, people can make major differences in the current environmental problems; because of the mere fact that education can enhance individual skills, knowledge, and attitudes toward alternative fuels. With this basic undertaking, the public is given the opportunity to gain knowledge about environmentally sustainable practices that are applicable within their homes. The future generation of Americans has a right to be protected from such a predicament because current occupants did not have to deal with such a problem.
In order to understand the seriousness of the issue one only has to look at how some third world countries are having a difficult time handling this matter. Meteorological forecasts have shown that if the earth gets warmer, oceans and other water bodies will keep on rising. This means that hurricanes will occur much more than it had been previously imagined. In 2004 and 2005, the country was plagued with very deadly hurricanes that caused tremendous damage to southern states.
(Godrej, 2001). One of the worst outcomes of this problem of global warming are extended periods of droughts and prolonged heat waves. A number of countries in the world still depend on natural rain alone to grow their crops and as sources of water. These third world countries currently face the problem of water shortage and the situation could get worse if droughts keep occurring. Such situations could cause a strain among affected communities thus leading to conflicts or war.
These developing nations have provided Americans with numerous investment opportunities and any problem that arises in those regions could tremendously affect individuals within the US. (Nordhaus, 1998) Assuming there will be more disasters occurring in the world, then one cannot undermine the economic consequences that the US itself will be grappling with. The hurricanes in New Orleans caused losses amounting to billions of dollars. The country cannot afford more disasters such as these because its economy will begin staggering in ways that had not been anticipated.
The loss of lives and property among future generations could ruin the economy and it is therefore negligent for people to merely sit by and do nothing about it. In close relation to the mentioned scenario is the emergence of tropical diseases. Developing nations spend so much money treating such diseases. Additionally, the lives lost as a result cause huge dents in the economy. The same thing could happen to the United States and other western nations if nothing is done today. (Van Arsdol, 2004)