Argumentative Essay #1

Generally, any food which is considered to be unhealthy and low nutritional value is defined as junk food according to Smith in Family Journal (2005). Nowadays, there are more than fifty percent of Australian schoolchildren buying their lunch from school canteens which is in contrast to thirty years ago when most children bought their lunch from home. Their lunch from school canteens are mainly consisted of junk food such as chocolate, canned drink and chips. (Weekend News 2005) I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as it creates a lot of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems.

Firstly, junk food which contains many unhealthy ingredients harms the children’s health. According to Tran in Weekend News (2005), junk food is a main cause of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a very serious issue as it can contribute to the children future health diseases like heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers. These problems are made worse that most young people who consume a lot of junk food are generally lack of physical activities. Reynolds in Weekend News (2005) reveals that the junk food sold in school canteens is conflicting to the messages given to the students in classroom. Besides that, a statistic show that most of the popular snack foods are low nutritional value and thus lead to imbalance nutrients. (Health Foundation 2005)

Moreover, children behavior is affected by the presence of junk food. Many behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and poor concentration are caused by junk food which contains chemical additives to prolong its shelf life and enhance flavor as well as color. (Family Journal 2005) Cray in The Food Show (2005) says that nutrients needed which are not available in junk food prevent students from healthy development and growth. This will also reduce students’ ability to learn and lead to poor academic performance. Furthermore, according to Caputo in The Food Show (2005), a research shows that cutting down unhealthy foods like junk food in children’s diets helps to improve their behavior as junk food is usually loaded with chemical additives.

Lastly, litter problems are unavoidable with the sale of many types of junk food in school canteens. The packaging of junk food creates a lot of litters which is a safety and health hazard. Cleaning costs will be risen as increasing litter leads to greater burden on cleaning workers. In addition, litter creates a bad image for our communities. (Family Journal 2005) According to Green in The Food Show (2005), removal of junk food and soft drinks from school canteens reduces the litter problems significantly. As a result, the grounds man can spend his scarce time on maintenance projects that benefit the school as less time are needed to clean the litter.

In conclusion, the sale of junk food leads to a variety of problems such as health problems behavior problems and litter problems. Since the sale of junk food in school canteen disadvantages the school children greatly, I strongly believe that it should be banned. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, the sale of junk food in school canteens should be prohibited expeditiously to avoid the problems getting worse.

Text Production Essay Final Draft

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

There is a greenhouse gases layer in the atmosphere which traps outgoing infrared radiation in the Earth. It is good because it keeps the Earth warm. However, the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased dramatically because of human activities. This makes the layer becomes thicker and more radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007) This phenomenon is called global warming. Generally, global warming refers to an increase in the average global temperature due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are many potential consequences of global warming in terms of climate change and they should be tackled with prompt actions as soon as possible.

One of the conceivable impacts of global warming is the rising of sea level. Since the middle of 19th century, sea level has been raised, mainly due to the human-induced climate change. During the 20^th century, sea level rose about 15 to 20 centimeters each year. In fact, Greenland is now in melting process. According to a scientific advisor, Tony Blair, if the melting process of Greenland continues, the map of the world has to be redrawn. The low altitude countries such as Florida, San Francisco, Beijing and Bangladesh will sink into underwater. As a result, hundred million or more people will suffer. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007)

Besides, the extinction of the animals is also one of the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change. Arctic is a country which affected by climate change significantly. As the temperature of Arctic rises rapidly, the summer ice disappears gradually. Polar bears which depend on sea ice for hunting will be unable to survive in the future and extinct. Furthermore, the erratic weather will affect the growth of plants, thus reducing the habitats and food resources for certain animals. Undoubtedly, it decreases the number of migratory birds flying to the Arctic every summer to breed and nest because some breeding habitats have been vanished. (Woodford 2006)

Therefore, global warming must be solved in order to save the Earth from being damaged continuously. As the research shows that greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide have caused temperature to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past century (Riebeek 2007), a very effective way to solve the problem is to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. To do that, we can use energy efficiency appliances. For example, we can replace the incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps. We can cycle, walk, or take ride on buses instead of using personal cars. According to An Inconvenient Truth (2007), if we all use more energy efficient appliances, we can reduce the carbon dioxide emission to the level achieved in year 1970.

Moreover, it is exaggerated to compare our planet with economy. If we do not have planet, we can do nothing. If we do the right thing, then we can create a lot of wealth and jobs which can lead to economic growth. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007) Therefore, the world’s governments should participate in Kyoto Protocol which aimed at fighting global warming. According to the Stern Report, the cost of solving this problem will be greater tomorrow so it is important to tackle climate change immediately. Stern also claims that it only cost one percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is 20 times less if we deal with the effects later. (Woodford 2006)

In conclusion, global warming in terms of climate change brings many problems to the Earth such as the rise of the sea level and the extinction of animals. It is a very serious issue and we, as human beings, should take responsible actions to tackle this problem expeditiously. Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide is a good way. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, it would be better if we can do something to prevent the global warming from getting worse.