Journal Entry 9

Summary and Response to “Driving Global Warming” by Bill McKibben
Summary:
In Bill McKibben’s essay “Driving Global Warming”, he discusses the issue of vehicles with inefficient engines being a major contributor to global warming. The major vehicles that he is talking about are SUVs. Mckibben points out that these vehicles waste gas and are the major contributor of greenhouse gases from the automotive industry. By using examples, he points out that these vehicles are pointless and not needed in our current lifestyle and are only hurting the environment. He gives stats of how these vehicles are not safer than any other and how they are not needed in harsh weather conditions to get around. Some evidence that he gives on the damage to the environment include, rising sea levels, the death of coral reefs and the beginning of the extinction of polar bears. All of these reasons point out that change is necessary to avert a major disaster.
Response:
All of the reasons that McKibben give are viable and I would have to agree with him. The burning of fossil fuels is known to give off CO2 as an emission and is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and cause the earth to gradually increase in temperature. Although this increase in temperature it gradual, the impacts are very significant. Just look at the examples that McKibben gives in the essay: rising sea level and the death of ecosystems. It changes the earth’s climate.
McKibben talks about how SUVs are not a necessity in our world. He points out that they are inefficient, harmful to the environment, and not safer or better than fuel efficient cars. He gives the reads fact about the energy that is wasted such as that it is equal to leaving a refrigerator door open or a light on for an extended amount of time. Facts that the SUVs are not safer than car are provided and convince the reader even further.
Pretty much the solution that McKibben gives is going green. In other words adopting alternate technologies that have no or little negative impact on the environment and applying them to our lives. More and more fuel efficient cars are create and alternate energy solutions keep popping up. If we want to help alleviate this problem, we need to implement these things into our lives.