2008 – Eighth Grade Fifth Place:

Richard Yoon, California.

Is global warming the greatest challenge facing humankind?

Global warming is a catastrophe that is waiting to happen. According to The Independent/UK, in a century, oceans will collect large amounts of carbon dioxide, which will kill off plankton and disrupt the food chain. This in return affects the human civilization. However, is global warming really the greatest challenge facing humankind? In my opinion, it is not global warming that is a threat, but really man’s insatiable avarice. Many of the negative events that have occurred throughout history have been because of the greediness of humans. For instance, there were many battles during the Roman Empire because they wanted to gain more territory. If humans weren’t as greedy, they would not have the need for luxury. If humans weren’t full of avarice, almost all of the problems in the world, such as world hunger, would be solved. We would be able to work together peacefully, but since we humans are greedy by nature, this is not possible. This is why I believe that the greatest challenge facing humankind is not global warming, but man’s insatiable avarice.

First off, global warming cannot be the greatest challenge facing humankind because there are many other problems in the world that are much direr than global warming. Nuclear warfare, for instance, is currently a greater threat than global warming because there are already many dramatic effects that have occurred from nuclear warfare such as the radiation in Hiroshima. In 50 years, more nations will be using nuclear weapons as a means of mass destruction. However, EPA states that the effects of global warming will be in place in about a century. The time gap between these two events is too large for global warming to be the greatest challenge facing humankind. On top of that, humankind will not become extinct because of the effects of global warming. Sure, the temperature of the earth will rise and crops will burn, but humans have the intelligence to adapt to it. However, if nuclear warfare occurred, it would be unlikely for humans to survive the nuclear radiation. Therefore, global warming is not the greatest threat facing humankind.

Man’s greediness has caused many of the problems that occurred throughout history, even global warming. From the beginning of mankind to the twenty first century, there have been many struggles for territory because of man’s obsessive needs. Humans have even caused global warming because of their need to advance technology by burning fossil fuels and creating cars. Humans are intelligent and capable of surviving on the lowest of luxuries, but because of their nature, humans use their intelligence for unnecessary reasons. Although man has a big brain, man does have the wisdom to use it correctly. This is why humans cause their own problems. All in all, mankind’s avarice is its own greatest challenge.

All throughout history, humans have seen many different problems. Currently, there is starvation and war occurring everywhere around the world. But because of humans’ greediness, they are unable to realize that the greatest challenge they are facing is their own avarice. Global warming and nuclear warfare are just certain problems that occur form the insatiable greed of man. The cause of all our problems is our greed, so for this reason, global warming is not the greatest challenge facing humankind.

 

 

 

 

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