Page 7 - E-BOOK ENGLISH LANGUAGE

4. Deskripsi Materi (Project Based Learning)

PRE-ACTIVITY

Let’s see the picture above!

4.1 effect of global warming (source nationalgeographic.com)
Global Warming

Is it an end to our world?

Global warming or largely known as climate change is a natural phenomenon of the rising of
air temperatures near the earth’s surface over the past century. Although it is not a new issue but people
these days are more concerned that it is a serious problem. This phenomenon could bring several harmful
impacts for our life such as rising of sea-level, unpredictable precipitation patterns, as well as health
impacts.

Firstly, there is undeniable evidence that human activities have changed the atmosphere of our earth.
Since the time we have been industrializing, we started polluting the water and air, and have been
releasing greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. The IPCC’s reports in 2007 stated that
the 20th century saw an increase in global average surface temperature of 0.74° C and it forecasted and
additional increase of 1.8° C to 4.0° C.

Secondly, the steady melting of sea ice and glaciers is another very visible effect of climate change. The
IPCC reports that the melting of land-based ice, from glaciers around the world and the large ice sheets
on Greenland and Antarctica has already contributed to sea-level rise. Another factor that is also driven
by global warming is the thermal expansion of the oceans. This thermal expansion and the melting of
land-based ice have already caused a rise of about 20 centimeters in the global sea level.

Thirdly, the climate changing has already led to changes in precipitation patterns across the globe and
these are predicted to continue. The shifting patterns of precipitation can increase of heavy rainfall in
some regions that can lead to flooding, while others will be undergoing severe drought that will likely
lead to widespread crop failure. A recent study by Met Office has found there is a 6% chance every
decade that simultaneous failure in corn production could occur across the world’s biggest corn-growing
countries, such as the U.S. and China.

Additionally, human health will also be affected by climate change in several ways. The spread of
infectious diseases will likely change due to the ranges of diseases carriers, such as insects and rodents,
are often determined by climate. Warmer winters in southern Europe and the Korean Peninsula, for
example, have allowed the spread of malaria virus carried by Anopheles. In addition, a warmer winter
in New York in 1999 appears to have been partly responsible for the seasonal epidemic of West Nile

E-Book Analytical Exposition Text| 6