Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations Term Paper

Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations - Term Paper Example Ice sheets were missing in Greenland and in the western regions of Antarctica. The huge ice sheet covering the eastern part of Antarctica was also responsible for the increasing level of the sea. Several controversies and studies have been ongoing on an understanding of how the ice sheets melt and increase the level of the sea (Parry). The present study focuses on the issue and discussion of the rising level of the sea as much as 70 feet for the future generations, which is a matter of serious concern for the world as a whole. Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations: Research studies have reflected on the issue of increasing level of the sea in the future that may be around 40-7 feet higher than in the present times. Even if the world becomes successful in limiting the global warming on earth, yet such a possibility remains significant, as research studies have revealed. A research team had been led by Kenneth G. Miller, a professor of earth and planetary s ciences in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, for the study of the levels of sea and the possible consequences of such a situation. The team made studies on rocks and parts of soil in the regions of Virginia, Eniwetok Atoll located in the Pacific and New Zealand, and concluded their studies (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations†). ... This situation has the capability of affecting the lives of almost 70 percent of the world population. It has also been estimated that such melting of the ice sheets would require hundreds to thousands of years of time. The existing course for the 21st century global increase of sea level is 2 to 3 feet owing to oceans warming up, partial melting of mountain glaciers, and partial melting of Greenland and Antarctica (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations†). Miller in his studies also focused on the fact that the great ice sheets in the earth are highly sensitive to changes in temperatures. Hence even a mild change in temperature has the ability to increase the levels of the sea to greater extents. According to him, with the present levels of carbon dioxide, the natural condition of the earth reflects sea levels that are up to 20 meters higher than normal state (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generat ions†). Antarctic and Greenland are the only ice sheets that are present in the current times. The ice sheet of the Antarctica has been found to be the largest ice sheet on earth representing a single piece of ice mass. The ice sheet of Greenland occupies about 82% of the plane of Greenland. Melting of this ice sheet might cause increase in sea levels by as much as 7.2 metres. The rate of melting of the Greenland ice sheet has been found to be about 239 cubic kilometres in a year on average (â€Å"Ice Sheet†). Sea Level and the Climate on Earth: The global rise in the level of the sea has been found to have a significant linkage with the climate on the earth. In the last 100 years, the climate of the earth has been increased by 1

Artistotle's Virtue Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Artistotle's Virtue Ethics - Essay Example This is an ever-going debate between ethical theorists and moral philosophers, which seems to have no end. Nevertheless, when deontologists and Teleologists are debating on what matters the most, either the actions in themselves or the consequences of those actions, Aristotle’s virtue ethics provides a solution, which asks to focus on the being or the person rather than his or her actions and consequences (Devettere, pp. 26-28). Aristotle believed that ethics is not a theoretical discipline since one does not ask this question for the sake of just knowing it but the question of â€Å"what is good for human beings† is for achieving that â€Å"good† (Hursthouse, pp. 103-104). However, important here to note is the fact that when Aristotle is taking about the good, he is talking about a list of ethical actions and duties, instead he is focusing on one highest good which is above all other â€Å"goods† (Hursthouse, pp. 103-104). One of the most important reaso ns why Virtue ethics stands out of the crowd of other normative theories is because it makes a clear distinction between ethics for humans and animals. Aristotle identified the difference between form and material substance. According to him, the human body is made of flesh and this is material substance but this is not what makes humans beings as human beings. The form, which is the soul of the humans, is responsible for the same (Devettere, pp. 26-28, 2002). Therefore, according to Aristotle, each living thing has a soul and it works in different capacities. For example, the perceptive soul is responsible for forming images and perception, the nutritive soul has the responsibility of growth, the locomotive soul takes care of the motion and others. These are common in both humans and animals, however, humans’ posses something other, which is not present with other animals and that, is the rational soul (Hursthouse, pp. 103-104). This is what draws the line between humans and animals and this special and extra gift to human beings must have the answer of â€Å"what is good for human beings?† Therefore, the good for human beings, the highest happiness, or the biggest virtue is reason and rationality. It is ethical to live your life according to your reason and logic or else you are worse than an animal (Darwall, pp. 265). As Aristotle argued, â€Å"the function of man is activity of soul in accordance with reason, or at least, not without reason† (Darwall, pp. 265-269). Aristotle believed that the thinker or a rational person is the best person or the closest to the divine being or more like divine being. He believed that the rational soul of human being is a part of the divine soul that we posses and by the use of the same, one can discover the mysteries of the universe. People who try to live their lives with vulgar pleasures are more like animals and less like humans because they fail to understand their own potential. However, important here to note is that reason for logic that Aristotle has identified is not subjective and will not differ from person to person but it is objective (Devettere, pp. 26-28). Therefore, for Aristotle and virtue ethicist, ethical is something, which is an action of an ethical person, rather than based on the actions or consequences of that action. It is important to note that when other ethical theories and moral philosophers talk about, rewards, punishments, courts, screenings, law, rules and regulations and others to