Global Warming as the Environmental Issue - Research Paper Example

? Global Warming-Ethics Global Warming-Ethics Introduction Global warming is arguably the most debated environmental issue in the world today. Fern (2003) notes that global warming has been a key concern for everyone including environmentalists, government leaders, corporations, and individuals worldwide. The concern is attributable to its negative impact on the environment. Fern (2003) defines global warming as the increase in the average temperatures of the earth and oceans. According to Goldstein (2009), the world has experienced a significant increase in average temperatures over the past few decades especially in the 21st century. The high increase in temperatures has resulted in global warming, which has negatively affected the environment. Goldstein (2009) reports that the earth’s surface has experienced about 0.8% rise in temperature since 20th century. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 projected that the earth’s surface temperatures could increase from 1.1 to 2.9 oC in the 21st century (Goldstein, 2009). The increase is also expected to continue unless something is done to stop activities perceived to cause global warming. A report by the BBC also indicated that the world would be six and a half degrees warmer than it is today by the time a child born today reaches 80 years. Global warming has mainly been blamed on human activities taking place all over the world. However, many researchers have demonstrated that global warming is the result of greenhouse emissions into the environment. In this regard, scientists have shown that global warming occurs due to carbon emissions released into the environment, which blocks the ozone layer thereby preventing the sun’s light and heat from reaching the earth’s surface, notes Goldstein (2009). The increase in greenhouse emission responsible for global warming comes mainly from human activities such as industries, agriculture, transport system, and charcoal burning among others. These activities release greenhouse gases consisting of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, which pollutes the environment (Kowalski 2004). However, Kowalski indicates that fossil fuel usage is the main cause of global warming since it results in the release is a vast amount of greenhouse gases. Research indicates that many countries in the world currently depend on fossil fuels as the main energy source. In fact, Victor (2011) reveals that more than 90% of energy all over the world currently comes from fossil fuel. According to Victor, the negative impacts of global warming are already being felt on the earth today. The impacts include persistent bush fires, glacial movements, perennial drought, flooding, typhoons and rising sea levels just to name but a few. However, since global warming is the direct result of human activities, it is viewed in an ethical angle. It is unethical for human beings to engage in activities that promote global warming. This is based on the fact that the consequences of global warming stretches beyond the good purposes for which the activities are meant. This paper will explain why I consider activities promoting global warming as being unethical. Global warming is indeed causing havoc in the world over. Its impacts are adversely affecting all nature-human beings, oceans, forests, farms, mountains, and coasts among others. According to Fern (2003), the global warming caused by greenhouse emissions is a direct result of human activities such as burning of charcoals, industrialization, farming, the use of fossil fuel and other activities that release carbon into the atmosphere. Ethically, the most fundamental question we are often confronted with concerning particular environmental ethics pertains to the obligations we have regarded the natural environment (Keller, 2010). In this regard, if the conviction regarding the obligation is that we as human beings will suffer as a result of the failure to act appropriately, then this is regarded “anthropocentric,” which means being human-centered. Ethically, humans need to be anthropocentric to ensure that we act appropriately to ensure that the environment is not destroyed in a manner likely to cause suffering to the people and nature, points Rolston (1991). Regarding the ethics behind the global warming as an environmental issue, I am convinced that it is unethical of us to engage in activities that we all understand well to be adversely affecting the planet. Global warming, as we all know, has had several devastating effects on the earth, which threatens the survival of a certain nature and living things. In this regard, it is unethical of human beings to continue emitting greenhouse gases when we know very well that its impacts will be that bad on nature. According to Maslin (2007), global warming has been a big concern because it is causing a massive change in the climate faster than can be adapted by many living things, which is unethical. In addition, global warming has made the forecasting of weather patterns darned hard for weathermen today, thereby posing an enormous challenge to all life. For instance, in the early years before the global warming took a toll, the weathermen could easily predict with certainty the future weather patterns, which made life easy (Maslin 2007). However, this is no longer the case since the weathermen can no longer predict with certainty the dry, rainy seasons, glacial movements, and rising sea levels, thereby making life hard for many people, and living things. In addition, the increase in temperatures resulting from global warming also causes extreme weather patterns according to scientists. Super-storm is one of the extreme weather patterns that could become common as a result of global warming (Shah 2012). In fact, the world is currently worried that more hurricanes can happen due to changes in weather patterns caused by global warming. This was in reference to the August/September 2004 in which a severe hurricane hit part of Caribbean islands and South Eastern U.S. leaving a huge trail of destruction (Shah 2012). In fact, Shah observed that several lives were lost in the Caribbean islands, in addition to the extreme damage of the entire city by the hurricane. Many lives were also lost in the U.S. following the successive hurricane that hit the coast. It is worrying because as human beings, ethically, we need to avoid human activities that increase the level of greenhouse emissions resulting in global warming. In this regard, human beings ought to avoid activities that increase the level of carbon emissions causing global warming. Failure to mitigate the level of greenhouse emissions will be unethical because it amounts to failure to protect and conserve the environment, which is a prime obligation conferred upon us as human beings. It is also unethical of us to increase the level of carbon emissions that result in the destruction of the natural habitat that various species depends on. This is based on the findings, which have shown that many species are under the threat of extinction thought to be as a result of global warming. Several researchers have shown that the rate of animal and plant species extinction and the temperature changes across the globe since the beginning of the industrial revolution way back in 19th century have been beyond normal expectations. In this regard, an analysis conducted on the demographic trends, increased pollution, climate change and increasing diseases discovered that about 40% of all deaths globally could be as a result of environmental factors (Stoyles, Pentland and Demant 2003). In fact, there are many animal species that are at the verge of extinction because of climate change caused by global warming. However, since human beings have the responsibility to ensure that animals and plants are protected through environmental conservation, increasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, through irresponsible human activities is unethical. This is because it is likely to result in extinction of valuable plants and animals due to the failure to undertake obligation of preserving and conserving the environment. Global warming also causes a rise in the sea level, which causes the polar caps to melt (Victor 2011). According to reports, there are several small islands that are already affected by the effects of the rising sea levels. For instance, a report by the WorldWatch Institute reveals that the ice cover of the earth is melting in several places, in the world, and at higher rates than ever before (Victor 2011). The report also warned that the rising sea levels would adversely affect several coastlines and the lives around the coastlines or rivers all over the world, notes Victor (2011). The global warming that causes all these is a direct result of human activities that can easily be controlled if everyone acts ethically. Therefore, the human failure to act ethically by preserving the environment is what has caused the global warming, which has in turn, caused the sea levels to rise, thereby adversely affecting the coastlines and lives around the coast. Stoyles, Pentland, and Demant (2003) show that there has been a high increase in carbon levels in the atmosphere over the past couple of decades. However, scientists argue that the more the carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere, the more the carbon in the ocean and water sources. The carbon dioxide usually dissolves in water forming carbonic acid, thereby resulting in a change, in the ocean chemistry (Ploutz, 2011). Such changes in ocean chemistry interfere with the aquatic live. A report indicates that water is currently 30% more acidic than it was during the pre-industrial period, which has resulted in the depletion of carbonate ions essential for many marine organisms (Stoyles, Pentland and Demant 2003). This is worrying because it might lead to extinction of some marine animals in the near future is something is not done to reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions to the environment. Therefore, it is unethical for man to engage in activities that release large quantities of carbon into the atmosphere that is responsible for global warming. It is also unethical for man to engage in activities likely to increase disease and pests. However, according to research, global warming has been blamed for the rising number of diseases and pests over the past few years, according to Goldstein (2009). Several studies have pointed out that the increase in pests and diseases being experienced in different parts of the world presently are attributable to climate change caused by global warming. According to a report, the climate change is continually interfering with the natural ecosystem in a manner that promotes the spread of infectious diseases (Goldstein 2009). For instance, there has been a high increase in tropical diseases in Africa, which continues to claim several lives. However, researchers have cited that the increase in the tropical diseases such as malaria, in Africa, is attributable to climate change caused by global warming. No one, regardless of religion, ethnicity or political stand supports activities that increase the prevalence of diseases and pests. Therefore, it is unethical for human beings to engage in activities that release vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, which causes global warming responsible for the spread of pests and diseases globally. However, it is worth noting that, despite the fact that increasing the amount of greenhouse emissions responsible for global warming can be considered unethical due to its devastating effects, certain activities generating carbon can be considered ethical depending on how well they are managed. For example, we all understand that agricultural activities are partly responsible for the increase in greenhouse emissions causing global warming. However, agriculture is an economic activity that many countries, particularly the developing countries depend on as their source of livelihood. However, the human activities such as burning forests to clear land for agriculture will be unethical because it pollutes the environment resulting in global warming, which adversely affects nature. Additionally, the use of fossil fuel that has been cited as the major emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is not unethical since it acts as a source of power (Ploutz, 2011). We all understand that world cannot operate without power. However, realizing large volumes of carbon into the atmosphere without taking proper mitigation measures is unethical. For example, some countries like China and the U.S. have been releasing enormous volumes of carbon into the atmosphere through increased industrialization. The release of carbon is not unethical per se rather the failure by these countries to reduce the levels of emissions to an acceptable threshold is regarded unethical. This is based on the fact that the huge amounts of carbon released by these countries into the atmosphere causes global warming that has seen an increase in prolonged drought, perennial flooding, rising sea levels, extinction of certain animal and plant species, as well as typhoons just to name but a few. Conclusion Global warming is one of the most debatable environmental issues of the 21st century. The impacts of global warming have been adverse in many countries all over the world. The effects include rising sea levels, perennial flooding, fires, prolonged drought, increased glacial movements and extinction of certain plants and animal species. The effects of global warming have also raised ethical issues as regards the causes and impacts. However, due to the devastating effects of global warming on the planet, it is unethical of man to engage in activities that increase the amount of carbon into the atmosphere. This is attributed to the fact that global warming increases suffering of animals, plants and humankind. References Fern, S. (2003). Global warming. London: Creative Teaching Press. Goldstein, N. (2009). Global warming. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing. Keller, D. R. (2010). Environmental ethics: the big questions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Kowalski, K.M. (2004). Global warming. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish. Maslin, M. (2007). Global warming: Causes, effects, and the future. London: MBI Publishing Company. Ploutz, P.F. (2011). Global warming: handbook of ecological issues. London: Xlibris Corporation. Rolston, R. (1991). Environmental ethics: values in and duties to the natural world. Ecocentrism. Retrieved from http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/RolstonEnvEth.html. Shah, A. (2012). “Climate change and global warming introduction.” Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction. Stoyles, P., Pentland, P., & Demant, D. (2003). Global warming. Mankato, MN: Black Rabbit Books.  Victor, D.G. (2011). Global warming gridlock: creating more effective strategies for protecting the planet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More