Burning Nights

        In New York City, nights are hot more and more. According to the article, in 1999, there were 11 days that reached a high of 95 degrees or more. The average rain capacity is decreasing. Because of hot weather, citizens abused air conditioners. Finally, the city had power outages. They spent 2 days without electricity. According to the article, “Hot nights in the City”, because of increase in using or burning fossil fuel, coal and oil, New York City’s environments were changed. Hot weather in the city, called “Urban heat-island,” is spread to the world. Also, hot weather will be hard to inhale for elderly people and children. It can be the greatest problem for our health. People can’t live without air conditioners in buildings and houses. The amount of malaria and the number of insects is increasing; it will deliver disease to us. Hot weather will melt glaciers and polar ice caps. Thus the sea level will rise everywhere. It will result in flooding of our living area. The nights are warming.
        Hot nights in the city threaten our lives with many environmental problems. We have to think why this situation occurs and how can we manage.
        Hot nights are not only problems in New York City; they are global problems. In Seoul, there are tropical nights every summer. The degrees have increased for a few decades. On hot nights, people can’t sleep without air conditioners, so they have to use air conditioners more strongly. And then, sometimes, the electric power can’t control their overloading, which can cause an electricity halt. On the night without power, children and elderly find it hard to breathe because their lung capacity is smaller than that of other people. Global warming can melt Antarctica’s glaciers, causing rising sea levels. The earth is warming.
        Why the hot nights occurring in the city? Why is the earth warming? First, there is a lack of trees or too much cutting down trees in the forest; Trees can control temperature. Of course the tree can reduce flooding and land slides. Second, we are abusing chemical resources. We are abusing coal, fossil fuels and gasoline and using Freon gas. Coal’s and fossil fuels’ gases are covering the atmosphere. Thus heated air can’t move out of the earth. The heated air stays in the earth; the earth is warming. The Freon gases can destroy much of the O3 in an ozone layer, that causes the problem of ultraviolet rays. An ozone layer is protecting the earth from ultraviolet rays. If we use Freon gas more and more, the ozone layer will be empty. The ozone layer is reduced now. These causes are heating the earth.
        How can we manage these problems? First, plant and make green areas. A city once tried to plant trees. The next summer, the average temperature went down 3-4 degrees Celsius. Absolutely the city is a major city in South Korea. Second, we should use natural resources, instead of chemical resources. We can use alternative energy. Absolutely we have to develop more alternative energy, like natural gas, solar energy, wind power, hydraulic power and tidal power. And last, we should never use Freon gas. Freon gas is a good resource for refrigerant. Sometimes, Freon gas it used for hair spray. But now, I heard the hair spray productions have not used Freon gas for a few years. We have to protect the earth for ourselves.
        In conclusion, the earth’s temperature is rising because of changed environments. Causes are abusing chemical resources, cutting trees and reducing green areas. We have to protect the earth for our future. We can find alternative resources, plant trees, and make a lot of green areas. The earth is getting sick because of people.

Reference:
        Whyte, A. (Aug. 17, 1999), Hot nights in the city: New York City’s environmental future. World Socialist Web Site from http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/aug1999/nyc-a17.shtml