Climate Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Climate Change - Essay Example By the records, prior to the advent of the industrial revolution, the levels of carbon dioxide were way lower than they are today (NASA, 2013). By the end of 2010, the levels of carbon dioxide stood at 389 parts per million as compared to 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution (Doyle, 2013). Records dating to as early as 1500 designate that there has been a steady increase in temperatures as Metz notes (Metz, 2010). Research carried out by UK and U.S based environmental research and scientific institutions show that since the late 1900’s, global average temperature has increased by 0.8 degrees (Hayward, 2014). This rate of increase might appear trifling but according to scientists, it is one of the strongest indicators of the rapid climatic changes happening on earth (Balonnof, 2013). In addition, scientists advise that if climatic change is not urgently addressed, by 2050, the rates of temperature increase should be expected to be between 2.6 and 4.5 degrees ( VOA, 2014). Another imperative statistic from scientists is the verity that there is an over 40% increase in the rates of carbon dioxide and alarmingly, half of this has occurred after the 1970’s (Braasch, 2013). 98% of scientists collectively agree that 98% of the climatic change (with much emphasis on global warming) is caused by human activities (Gleb, 2013). To what extent is the climatic change man-made? Some people have argued that climatic change should not be ascribed to human activities.

Why were Jewish refuges on the SS St. Louis denied entry to Cuba and Essay

Why were Jewish refuges on the SS St. Louis denied entry to Cuba and what decided their fate - Essay Example The Nazi ideology and policies targeted first of all Jews, who were considered as the most â€Å"inferior races† of all, on a hierarchy which included the â€Å"Herrenvolk† (Master race) of the â€Å"Volksgemeinschaft† (German national community) at the top and Jews at the bottom. In November 1938, the violent anti-Semitic campaign, called Kristallnacht, or â€Å"night of the broken glass† or also known as â€Å"Pogromnacht† started, in which Jewish homes and business were destroyed and up to 200 Jews were killed in Germany. After this incident, Germany’s 600,000 decided that it was time to leave and many European Jews fled for their lives. Hundreds of ships set their voyage crossed the Atlantic carrying thousands of immigrants to new lives, primarily in the United States. The S.S. St. Louis, owned by the Hamburg-American Line (Hapag) was one such ship (Stahl, 1999, para.1-12) On May 13, 1939, the German transatlantic liner St. Louis started its voyage from Hamburg, Germany, to Havana, Cuba. On the voyage, there were 937 passengers, almost all passenger were German Jews citizens, fleeing from the Third Reich and, some were from eastern Europe, and a few were officially â€Å"stateless†. Although the majority of the Jewish passengers had already applied for U.S. visas, and they had planned to have a temporary stay in Cuba until they could get their visa approval from the United State State Department, yet there were signals that political conditions in Cuba might keep the passengers from landing there.