How Europe can save the world

Ø PART 1

Summary

The essay describes the different issues of global warming that are common today and gives brief information about what the European Union aims to do, to reduce and control global warming. It is common knowledge to the majority of the nations in the world that global warming has gradually become a major issue in the development of the world, but even then they are unwilling to take action in these fields. Why? Because such a step requires great infrastructure costs; other barriers are as mentioned, costlier methods of energy instead of the common cheap fossil fuels and more than everything else is the unwillingness to lead while others are engaged in more profitable tasks. This tendency is described as "after you" syndrome. The European Union aims to cure this syndrome by taking the first step and promoting the rest of the world to act. It has set different targets for its members regarding renewable and nuclear sources, and then looks for support from the rest of the
world. If supported, the E.U. also assures to further add another 10% target for itself.


Ø PART 2

main idea

The article gives the basic idea of the decreasing energy sources and the impact of fossil fuels on the world climate over the years. It shows the cooperation and willingness of the Europeancountries to come together for such causes. It also explains the targets that the E.U.has set for itself and the methods that it might adopt to achieve them. It warns us to realise and act before it’s too late.

Ø PART 3

a) What do you think?

I personally think that global warming is a major problem and deserves consideration and I think a step by any nation or group of nations is a role model for others to follow. Recessions, wars, natural calamities, terrorist attacks are given more importance while global warming,pollution, deforestation are neglected. I think this article proves the importance of such issues.

b) Give your opinion about the article.

I liked the article and also its message. It gave details of what the E.U. aims to do and how, which
countries are involved and to what extent. It also explained why others don’t act. But the article didn’t describe the actual problem of global warming, its causes, the steps taken by other nations, and it was only about the E.U. and its agenda. The article should have contained steps taken by environmental organisations, measures for households etc.

c) What more do you know or want to learn about this topic?

I have already studied about global warming and its causes in environmental studies, and through this article I have come to know of the E.U. which has taken a major step to control it. What I would like to know more is the steps that have been taken or planned in the past, the environmental organisation setup for this problem, the measures suggested for the common man and consumer.

My Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by individuals, organizations, event or products. An individual, nation or organization is footprint is measured by taking an emissions test. After undertaking the test and achieving a score; a strategy can be used to reduce the carbon footprint.

I measured my carbon footprint at http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ and it was 3.09 planets.

I see my carbon footprint as average, because some of my classmates had very high carbon footprints and some had very low carbon footprints. The UAE has the highest carbon footprint per capita therefore I believe I scored very well according to the rest of the population.

We can reduce our carbon footprint in many different ways. When it comes to lighting for example we can use solar energy light bulbs; that way we would not have to rely on any electricity which will reduce our carbon footprint greatly. Another way to reduce lighting is to use light bulbs which work with automatic sensors; those light bulbs reduce the light gradually according to what time of the day it is. We can also reduce our carbon footprint by regularly monitoring the gas emissions which are produced by our cars; another way to reduce our carbon footprint is to use cars which are more pollution-friendly. Most car manufactures today aim to produce cars which don’t emit many gasses, therefore we should aim to purchase those vehicles instead of getting ones which are not as pollution-friendly.

Review of An Inconvenient Truth

A favorable review:
Ø Brandon Fibs, http://brandonfibbs.com/2006/05/24/an-inconvenient-truth/, says.

1) The scientific aspects in the documentary were right.
2) The documentary has enough evidence, graphs, charts, time-lapsed photographs and scientific studies to convince us that the ice caps are melting, the weather is no longer how it had been once, the ocean levels are rising, and temperatures are increasing alarmingly
3) The documentary displays images of the Antarctic and Greenland which clearly depict that these structures are melting and breaking up and this may lead to the drowning of many coastal cities of the world.
4) Floods, hurricanes and droughts are common occurrences.


An unfavorable review:

Ø Scolt,http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review.php?movieID=inconvenienttruth, says.


1) The lecture relied only on scientific facts and focused on the issue of Global Warming only.
2) The documentary is just an effort of Al Gore to increase his popularity.
3) The author admits that the documentary is based on scientific facts, but feels that politics have been mixed with science and later points out sarcastically that global warming is a political issue and therefore facts matter little.
4) The author concludes by saying that the documentary is biased and only promotes Al Gore and therefore it is unlikely that it will impact a viewer who is already serious about Global Warming.



My Opinion

It is important for people to watch the documentary as it does make one aware of the possible outcomes of global warming. At the same time, one should compare the facts with what the documentary displays and conclude for oneself. On the whole, the documentary is not perfect but it is worth a watch to increase the awareness of global warming.