Global Diplomacy on Issues of Environmental Change - Essay Example

Global Diplomacy on Issues of Environmental Change Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Causes of environmental change 4 Effects of environmental change 6 According to scientists some mountains in the world are also bearing the impacts of climate change. The snow and ice which covers Mount Kilimanjaro in the Republic of Tanzania in Africa is slowly disappearing. This is the highest mountain in Africa. This phenomenon was strange and had become a tourist attraction. However due to environmental change the ice is melting and if the effects of climate change continues, then there is a possibility of the ice melting completely due to the increased temperatures. This will not only affect the mountain features but will lead to loss of revenue to the government of Tanzania. This is because the number of tourists visiting the country will reduce due to the fact that the natural attraction is no longer in place. The impacts of climate change are now evident in some animal species according to scientists. This is an observation that the African lion is under threat of loosing its mane. The reason attributed to this is climate change. This will greatly affect the appearance of the male lion together with reproduction if the phenomenon continues. These are real threats both to humans and animals that are being presented by climate change (Martens & McMichael, 2002). 8 Achievements of diplomacy on environmental change 8 Redevelopment of environmental change training and leadership 9 Involving stake holders 9 Empowering small and developing nations 10 Ensuring effective negotiation and implementation of environmental change deals 10 Multi disciplinary training 11 Proposed solutions by diplomats to reduce environmental change 12 Closing the gap between ambition and reality 12 Limiting global warming 12 Green deal consultations 12 Scientific methods 13 Challenges 13 Internal constrains 13 Weaknesses in passing laws 13 Conclusion 14 References 16 Drexhage, J. et al. (2007.). IISD Publications Centre. Retrieved on December 3, 2011 from 17 17 Hague W. (2010) An effective response to climate change "underpins our security and prosperity" Retrieved ON December 1, 2010 from 17 Hardy J. T. (2003). Climate change: causes, effects, and solutions. London: John Wiley and Sons. 17 Huggett R.J. (1997). Environmental change: the evolving ecosphere. NY: Routledge. 17 Global Diplomacy on Issues of Environmental Change Introduction Environmental changes have been witnessed greatly in the recent past. The changes have caused a lot of effects to the environment and human in general. These effects have been on the increase in the past decades prompting the countries to converge with the main aim of finding a long lasting solution to the increasing problems. Several diplomacy issues regarding the environment have been raised. The most important being the solutions to the problems by acknowledging that environmental problems occur throughout the world regardless of political boundaries. This has lead to conventions regarding the use of natural resource and pollution. According to Goudie and Cuff (2001), factors that cause environmental changes are mainly biological and thus countries have to use diplomatic solutions since it also affects climate. The paper will discuss the causes of environmental change, effects of environmental change, and achievements of environmental change diplomacy to control the situation. The elements of climate change diplomacy and the challenges that face climate change diplomacy will also be critically analyzed (Hague, 2010). Causes of environmental change In order to effectively address the diplomacy issues regarding environmental change the causes need to be analyzed. The major cause of climate environmental is pollution. This normally occurs through various means. Release of excess toxic gases into the atmosphere is one of the serious causes of climate change. The release of these gases could be from factories, industries, motor vehicles and even smoking. During the era of industrialization, coal was widely used to produce energy through burning. As a result carbon dioxide was released in excess to the atmosphere. According to Brainard et al (2009), developing countries are also known to release a lot of toxic gases into the atmosphere due to the emergence of large number of factories and industries. Some activities in the third world countries like charcoal burning also increase the amount of toxic gases being released into the atmosphere. The modern society has also seen a rise in the number of motor vehicles all over the world. Most of these vehicles use fuel which releases toxic gases to the atmosphere when being consumed by the vehicles. Although smoking can be under estimated since not much smoke is produced, the practice also contributes to accumulation of toxic gases in the atmosphere (Goudie & Cuff, 2001). Apart from the direct human activities, animals too have contributed to climate change. According to a diplomatic meeting on environment that was held in Copenhagen to discuss climate change, it was noted through research by scientists that some animals release methane gas into the atmosphere. The cow family and species are mostly responsible for this issue. Globally the number of cows in the world is much higher compared to the number of humans. They thus produce a high amount of methane gas daily which is harmful to the environment and has contributed to climate change. Nature also has a role in climate change. Some major natural activities are also responsible for climate change. This includes volcanic activities which lead to the release of very toxic gases into the atmosphere. The volcanic eruption usually lasts for sometimes complicating the situation even further. The heat being produced by the volcanic eruptions is also responsible for the melting of ice. This is more common in the polar region and the melting of ice has lead to climate change. The volcanic ashes that are released to the atmosphere also increase the dust content which affects temperatures and light (Brauch et al., 2009). Some human activities also cause climate change indirectly apart from the pollution of the environment. Due to increased human activities which include construction and settlement, more space is required. This has lead to destruction of forests in most parts of the world. Forests and other vegetation contribute a lot towards balancing the nature. All plants absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. They then release oxygen which animals and humans breathe in. As a result of cutting down trees and vegetation, the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere will not be absorbed. Hardy (2003) argues that this creates an imbalance whereby there will be more carbon dioxide concentrated in the atmosphere. This leads to climate change. Some farming activities also contribute to climate change. These activities like poorly managed irrigation cause drying up of natural water bodies. This affects the amount of moisture in the atmosphere and thus leads to climate change due to increased temperatures. Drying up of water bodies may also be attributed to use of fertilizers which ends up in water bodies and causes growth of vegetation decreasing the water levels leading to drying up of the water bodies. These combinations of factors are the leading causes of climate change in the world. Effects of environmental change The rising effects of environmental change are what lead to the global diplomacy issues. These effects are quite adverse and have lead to severe consequences. Due to environmental change the rainfall pattern has totally changed. This has seen some areas in the world receiving high amount of rainfall at unexpected time while some areas do not receive rainfall at all. These effects of rainfall have been felt throughout the world. In the horn of Africa climate change has resulted to severe droughts. This has greatly affected agriculture and the growth of food crops. The farmers cannot plant any crops and as a result this has head to hunger and starvation of many people. Death and malnutrition of children has also been witness as a result of climate change. The irregular rainfall pattern has also resulted to floods in most parts of Asia leading to complete destruction of infrastructure and deaths of many people. This leads to poverty since the livelihoods of the people are completely destroyed (Brainard et al., 2009). Desertification is also another impact of climate change. Through various research, it is evident that the Sahara desert in Africa is expanding southwards at a rate of twenty seven kilometers every year. This is due to increased temperatures that hinder growth of vegetation. This has lead to migration of people since the deserts become non conducive for humans and animals. Many other regions in the world are also facing possible desertification. This issue is a threat to human animal and plant existence. The drying up of water bodies in some regions of the world is a result of climate change. This greatly affects aquatic lives. If the climate change continues then some aquatic species found in some water bodies will be extinct. Due to the melting of ice as a result of climate change some species of animals disappeared completely. A good example being the dinousours which became extinct millions of years ago as a result of climate change. Climate change is also threatening the existence of some varieties of crops. These crops cannot grow with the evident effects of climate change. Some cannot mature and as a result do not produce enough seeds for propagation (Hardy, 2003). According to scientists some mountains in the world are also bearing the impacts of climate change. The snow and ice which covers Mount Kilimanjaro in the Republic of Tanzania in Africa is slowly disappearing. This is the highest mountain in Africa. This phenomenon was strange and had become a tourist attraction. However due to environmental change the ice is melting and if the effects of climate change continues, then there is a possibility of the ice melting completely due to the increased temperatures. This will not only affect the mountain features but will lead to loss of revenue to the government of Tanzania. This is because the number of tourists visiting the country will reduce due to the fact that the natural attraction is no longer in place. The impacts of climate change are now evident in some animal species according to scientists. This is an observation that the African lion is under threat of loosing its mane. The reason attributed to this is climate change. This will greatly affect the appearance of the male lion together with reproduction if the phenomenon continues. These are real threats both to humans and animals that are being presented by climate change (Martens & McMichael, 2002). Achievements of diplomacy on environmental change Due to the factors causing climate change and its impacts, diplomatic solutions to combat climate change was sought. This included the meeting that was held by various diplomatic missions to deal with the problem (Martens & McMichael, 2002). One such meeting was the Kyoto protocol which was organized by the United Nations and had attendance from countries all over the world. The main focus in this diplomatic mission was how to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and how to deal with environmental change. Some of the main diplomatic issues on environmental change involve the following; Redevelopment of environmental change training and leadership The effects of environmental change are already being felt globally. This requires an urgent solution. One of the proposal by the diplomats included training of personnel. A training curriculum was developed and adopted by the United Nations Environmental Program. This is a certificate course that is recognized world wide and covers extensively the areas of environmental change. The training aims at equipping the professionals with skills on how to handle and create awareness of the environmental change. The professionals were to also train other local people on measures to take in order to reduce the carbon emission in to the atmosphere. This proposal was adapted and several experts have been trained on the area of climate change. This knowledge is being used to combat the issues and challenges of climate change. Although these processes have been initiated and are on going much need to be done (Drexhage, et al. 2007). Involving stake holders The issues of environmental change are quite complex and demanding as observed in meetings by various groups. This therefore requires various stake holders to be involved in addressing the issues of climate change. They should work alongside the climate change professionals and diplomats to create awareness of the issues causing environmental change. These stake holders should be from various disciplines since the problem of environmental change is multi disciplinary. The stake holders involved should include the civil society, the business community and the academic professionals. The civil societies will be mainly be involved in campaigns to create more awareness regarding the issue of environmental change. The business community will be useful in providing technical and material support. According to Drexhage et al. (2007), their participation is important since the environmental change affects all aspects of life including businesses. The academicians on the other part will be involved in drafting proposals and training of the local people concerning the issue of environmental change. Empowering small and developing nations The small and developing nations are also a diplomacy issue when tackling the problems of environmental change. This is because most of the practices that bring about climate change are carried out in such nations. The practices like environmental degradation are more common in developing nations compared to developed nations. The representation of such nations in the international meetings is also of concern. This is because they have fewer diplomats and specialists to handle environmental issues. Huggett (1997) argues that empowerment will involve the process of training the experts from the small nations on how to deal with climate change. The local people should also be trained. This is achieved through awareness creation campaigns carried out by the experts or civil societies. Once the developing nations have been empowered then it will be much easier to tackle climate change. However for this process to succeed and be fully implemented, then it will require the willingness of the stakeholders, governments and the local people themselves. Developed countries should also play a key role in the process. Ensuring effective negotiation and implementation of environmental change deals Several environmental change deals have been put in place after several conferences have been held. These deals could offer solutions to the environmental change issues and problems. However the problem of implementation has been a major setback as noted by the diplomats tackling climate change. The main problems leading to lack of implementation being, lack of adequate resources and lack of goodwill. The developing nations are the hardest hit. Most of them have the goodwill but they lack the resources for implementation. This poses a great challenge to them and they end up not implementing any goals and objective. This problem however ends up affecting the entire world since the environmental change problems are more of biological rather than political boundaries separating nations. This therefore means that even if the developed countries implement the strategies, the effects will not be felt. Thus a clear negotiation and support framework should be put in place (Huggett, 1997). Multi disciplinary training Environmental change affects all the aspects of the economy and life in general. This is because its effects will lead to other problems from other disciplines. Due to the drying up of water resources there is bound to be a shortage in demand versus a high supply. This will present a problem to the communities sharing the water resources and in turn may lead to armed conflicts among the various communities. Armed conflicts lead to insecurity which in turn leads to underdevelopment. This is because development and business partners would not want to risk getting losses by engaging in any business activities in such areas. The people on the ground may not know the root cause of their problems but it’s actually climate change. The training of professionals should therefore equip them with the knowledge of different disciplines so as to fully understand how to tackle the problem. Once the experts are conversant with the situation on the ground then they will determine the best method to approach it (Martens & McMichael, 2002). Proposed solutions by diplomats to reduce environmental change Closing the gap between ambition and reality During many conferences held concerning the environmental change, most developed countries promised to cut carbon emission to certain acceptable limits. These promises have direct impacts on the economy of their countries. As such most countries do not honor their promises. The resolution to maintain the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to below two percent should be adopted by all countries in the world. This is a practical solution which will work only the countries are willing to take the stepn (Hayward, 2009). Limiting global warming This proposal can be achieved if global warming does not exceed two degrees Celsius. If this is achieved then climate change effects will be reduced greatly, however if it will not be implemented, then it is predicted that by 2020 that the greenhouse gases emission will be eleven billion tones. This is quite a high figure and thus this proposal should be adapted. In the event that it is not, then there will be severe consequences in the future. Green deal consultations These contain resolutions that had been discussed by various governments regarding green house gases. The resolutions had been signed by various governments and still await approval. This is according to diplomats. The plans on how to use energy is also contained in the agreement. If all the governments adopt the deal and fully implement it then it will be a workable solution to the issue of climate change. Scientific methods The scientists should be more creative and come up with various method of combating climate change. This should be in line with the new technological advancement. Some of the innovations scientists should come up with should include invention of vehicles that do no use fuel but instead use solar power. This will reduce the emission of gases into the atmosphere. Challenges Internal constrains This is a major challenge when implementing the solutions to climate change. This is because the representatives who make recommendations to be adapted will not be in charge of implementation. This is a challenge since the countries governments mainly depend on politicians to make laws. Some politicians are even responsible for passing laws. When there is lack of political will then most of the laws regarding climate change will not be adopted or given any priority. This challenge leaves those who drafted the laws with no option but to depend entirely on goodwill (Brauch et al., 2009). Weaknesses in passing laws Before the laws regarding environmental change are passed and subsequently adopted, all the countries must vote in favor of the law. Hayward (2009) notes that this is a weakness in the event that if some countries do not vote for that particular law it will not be adopted. Although there is some exception to these laws, the countries that do not approve such laws will not implement it. This is because they may end up feeling that they are inferior to the other countries since their decision was overlooked. This factor therefore should be considered and a better method adopted of passing such critical laws. Lack of adequate resources Some of the countries are willing to adopt the resolutions passed but they lack adequate resources required for implementation. Some of the solutions will require that the countries abandon some of its economic practices and this presents a challenge. This is because the people will feel the immediate impact and it will erase the good cause it was intended. This issue was discussed during the Copenhagen conference and it was noted that poverty and lack of resources among the developing countries was of concern. Conclusion According to the paper, environmental change is a very critical issue that affects the livelihoods of both humans and animals in the world. Diplomatic solutions have been raised to combat the problem but the weaknesses still exist. However if the solutions presented by the diplomats are adapted, climate change effects will drastically reduce. The world need to come together and find a long lasting solution to the environmental problems being experienced. References Kirton J. J. & Guebbert J. M. (2009). Looking for environment for lessons for Environmental Change. Retrieved December 5, 2011 from Hayward S. F. (2009). U.N. Climate Talks Not About Temperature Brainard L. et al. (2009). Climate change and global poverty: a billion lives in the balance? NY: Brookings Institution Press. Martens W. & McMichael A. J. (2002). Environmental change, climate, and health: issues and research methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goudie A. & Cuff D. J. (2001). Encyclopedia of global change: environmental change and human society, Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brauch, H. G. et al. (2009). Facing global environmental change: environmental, human, energy, food, health and water security concepts. London: Springer. Drexhage, J. et al. (2007.). IISD Publications Centre. Retrieved on December 3, 2011 from Hague W. (2010) An effective response to climate change "underpins our security and prosperity" Retrieved ON December 1, 2010 from Hardy J. T. (2003). Climate change: causes, effects, and solutions. London: John Wiley and Sons. Huggett R.J. (1997). Environmental change: the evolving ecosphere. NY: Routledge. Read More