The Problem Of Climate Change: Global Warming - Essay Example

Climate Change: The Ultimate Solution Indeed, many people aired across their views on the current debate concerning climate change. In fact, both world leaders and environmental scientists try their best to find permanent remedial measures to curb adverse effects of climate change. Throughout history, records of climate show significant statistical variations which call for swift action (Victor 112). For instance, the near-surface atmospheric temperature keeps on rising with time. Other cases show how high temperatures divert into the oceans by causing ocean warming. Besides, an increase in excessive energy, in form of high temperature, melts ice in Arctic and Antarctic region. As a result, continents experience warming effects due to high temperatures. This research paper seeks to analyze human activities that contribute to global warming, provide an insight on the implementation of greening policy and its implementation, discuss the need to put in place tougher policies and emission standards, and other alternatives to curb the diverse effects of global warming. According to scientists, human anthropogenic activities result to about 95% of global warming. Such activities lead to increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Satterthwaite 541). Moreover, some of these activities include deforestation, industrial operations, and exhaust fumes from transportation facilities. Thus, to regulate human activities that contribute to climate change, government authorities should formulate appropriate environmental policies. Consequently, such measures will help to adverse climate change by a considerable margin. Some of the remedies suggested by this research include greening policy and policies aimed at controlling emissions from automobiles and industries (Victor 78-81). In this case, greening policy refers to the process of sustaining an economy and society by utilizing limited carbon emissions and harnessing energy from renewable resources. Greening Policy Undoubtedly, the world population keeps on rising hence leading to an increased demand for food and other resources. In most parts of the world, Agriculture plays as the backbone of the economy. For example, the state of California heavily relies on Agriculture hence producing the highest total crop value in the United States of America (Lobell, Cahill and Field 190). So, due to an increase in population, people tend to clear and cultivate more land. Currently, no elaborate government guidelines exist to define the extent to which people should clear forests. Such a state, in itself, contributes to a degradation of the environment as a result of less ground cover. Furthermore, environmental degradation may pose some serious threats to the world. For example, less ground cover may lead to soil erosion. In this scenario, soil erosion negatively affects both the environment and the Agricultural industry. Erosion of topsoil leads to lose of nutrient-rich layer hence reducing the quality of soil for farming. Poor soil quality translates to reduced Agricultural yield hence increasing chances for famine (Jacobson 148). In the worst scenarios, even buffer wetlands and national forests may get compromised, especially countries whose economy depended more on agriculture like Brazil. Green farming needs to exist as a serious policy issue embraced by all governments because it represents the only way to ensure some specific plant coverage within the current timeline. For instance, government authorities need to encourage people to dedicate a portion of their farming lands to trees. People can plant drought resistant trees in their farms to curb the negative effects of climate change. Indeed, tree plantations result to the establishment of microclimates around their region. In short, trees will help to reduce the amount of Carbon (IV) Oxide in the atmosphere hence reducing the average temperatures of the given location. Governments can employ several environmental extension agents and assign them the role of implementing the greening policy. For example, in Australia, the Department of environment established the Emissions Reduction Fund with a mandate to minimize the Australias emissions growth. A comprehensive green farming policy would ensure that farmers grow crops more efficiently. Cover cropping applies as one of the efficient farming practices which would help to reduce soil erosion and flooding. Greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly carbon dioxide, may increase in the atmosphere due to less vegetation to store them. Governments need to maintain and protect buffer wetlands. Such a measure would lessen the extent to which flooding and soil erosion occur. According to Field, an expert in environmental conservation, governments should properly conserve national grassland forests. The expert goes on to suggest that governments need to plant trees “on designated idle public lands” (60). Consequently, Carbon emissions would have more stores, reducing the amount released into the atmosphere. As a matter of fact, Carbon emissions damage the ozone layer which shields the earth’s atmosphere from excessive solar radiation. Also, animal wastes emit some amount of GHGs. Again, the greening policy may incorporate the utilization of bio-digesters to convert the wastes into environmentally-friendly fuels. In this case, bio-digesters represent farming machines or structures in which the decomposition of organic material takes place. The decomposition process occurs with the help of anaerobic bacteria resulting to the production of biogas. Hence, biogas represents one of the environmentally-friendly fuels. Alternatively, environment conservation specialists can have bio-digester plants stationed at specific places for animal farmers to take their daily or weekly collection of animal wastes. Additionally, farmers can help reduce global warming through farming of energy crops for bio-fuels. Without any doubt, energy crops comprise of plants grown at low maintenance and costs for production of bio-fuels like bio-ethanol. So, in most cases, energy crops may incorporate woody or herbaceous plants. Farmers can pair fuels from energy crops with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) measures to help draw a relatively large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Growing of energy crops should appear mandatory to all farmers, regardless of the scale of their farming practice. Governments could also reduce the amount of land put under agriculture in a bid to increase national forest cover. However, governments find it hard to implement such measures on privately owned lands. Also, some pastoral communities tend to oppose governments initiatives by clearing vegetation for settlement and pastures. Luckily, USA seems one of the countries that implements greening policy. The former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, launched the Greening Diplomacy Initiative (GDI) to upgrade environmental sustainability and performance of global facilities and operations (US Department of State 2). The initiative comes up with actions to minimize the environmental costs experienced by the State Department. In short, the state officials place environment as a top priority in the foreign policy agenda. An implementation of these greening strategies would help rid the atmosphere of large amounts of the environmentally-unhealthy greenhouse gases. When Switzerland, China, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, and the European Union firmly deal with climate change, they will reach a greenhouse gas reduction target of averaging 50% below 1990 by 2030 (Climate Change Authority 1). For this reason, the world governments should be firm on what must be done to heal the ailing atmosphere, thereby saving the endangered ozone layer. Tougher Emission Policies and Efficiency Standards A big number of industrial plants have been constructed in the past couple of decades. For many decades, the gases emitted by these plants were released directly to the atmosphere. Different amounts of GHGs are contained in these emissions (Bostrom et al. 210-11). The higher the number of industries, the more the amount GHGs released to the atmosphere. Clean power plants also need to be set up by governments to reduce over reliance on coal-driven power-generation plants. Again, the US has effectively implemented President Obama’s initiative to minimize Carbon (IV) Oxide emissions of current power plants. As per the Clean Power Plan, a policy proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states have the mandate to reduce gas emissions from their power plants. Additionally, more solar panels have been erected on rooftops across the United States, adding nearly 2GW of capacity in 2014. Furthermore, there should be a global resolve to switch from coal to natural gas for electricity generation. In the US today, natural gas is the largest source of electricity, replacing coal. While many people perceive nuclear energy as clean and environmentally-friendly, governments should enact and execute strict measures to regulate nuclear power plants. However, it seems regrettable that China, the world’s second largest economy after the US, continues to build more nuclear reactors to serve its energy deficit. Other countries such as Russia and Iran continue to equip their nuclear plants, neglecting the environmental threats that result from nuclear reactions. Some of the threats include radioactive wastes that cause cancerous diseases to animals and people. The nuclear energy harnessed from the chemical fission of Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 contains close to 100 carcinogenic radionuclide isotopes. Nuclear plant engineers need to separate such isotopes from human beings to avoid exposure or contact to avoid risk of developing cancer and thyroid gland problems. International dialogue and lobbying could perhaps help persuade nations like North Korea and Iran, among others to close down their nuclear plants. In the case of China where nuclear reactors are used for energy generation purposes, alternative energy sources such as wind, hydropower and solar could be considered (Bostrom et al. 224). Considering the Chinese and the US economy sizes, any efforts to retire the nuclear reactors rather than build new ones would reduce the extent to which such a venture harms the atmosphere. Sinn proves that coal-burning contributes to up to “26% of the global warming” hence calling for immediate measures to ban such an act (138). Fortunately, the Chinese government has done a commendable duty to cut down on coal burning. Close to two billion cars and assorted automobiles are being used worldwide today (Shaheen and Cohen 81). An aggregated daily GHG emission from automobiles is the second highest after the global industrial emission. If no concrete measures are taken, global GHG emission by automobiles could overtake the industrial one in the next three decades. Connolly suggests that governments need to come up with policies that encourage the “use of public transport instead of private cars” in major cities (55). Environmental agencies in Canada insist on formulating policies that require automobile manufacturers to fit the gas emission systems with reactors that convert the GHGs into other gases which may be less likely to cause global warming. Both Höök and Xu believe that automobiles emit both “heat-trapping carbon dioxide” and smog-forming nitrogen oxides” (114). Besides, other alternatives include electric cars, better hybrids and as well as having efficient internal fuel combustion engine systems. The electric cars would be better alternatives provided the electric energy used is not derived from burning fossils. Implementing a combination of these automobile policies will help reduce the emission of harmful gases by a great extent. Industrial and automobile gas emission make up to nearly 75% of global air pollution (Frank, Jeremy, & Ben 733-35). In essence, finding a permanent solution to these two will have solved the global warming caused by human anthropogenic activities by about 75%. These weighty issues aimed at reducing global warming would best be deliberated upon at both national and international levels to ensure uniformity and consistency in their implementation. Some of these initiatives may be implemented by individuals, especially those who understand the global warming threat. However, they would work more effectively if the governments treat them as serious policy issues which are aimed at permanently solving the climate change problem. The first world nations, the US for instance, should set the pace, and then the rest of the world would follow. The African continent needs to be inspired to embrace the greening revolution. Statistically, Sinn proves than African countries such as Uganda and Ghana experience the adverse effects of “deforestation” as a result of “cutting down trees” (154). Currently, there are several nongovernmental organizations in various African countries that sensitize the masses about the importance of preserving national rainforests and of replacing trees that have been felled by planting new ones. Significant progress has been achieved in the past three decades, but a lot more still needs to be done to effectively lower air pollution caused by industrial plants and automobiles. Global warming accounts for more than half of the climate change problem that the earth faces today. All talk without action will not solve this serious global problem. There have been a lot of debates for the past over four decades, but less action is seen as far as restoring the global climatic conditions is concerned. Statistical research indicates that much of the global warming is caused by human activities (Sinn 99-101). Today’s world is less green than that of over half a century ago and earlier, largely because of human anthropogenic actions. Felling of trees and clearing of ground cover has been massive over the past four decades, all out of the desire to either create more land for agriculture or trade the timber. It is therefore only obvious that a reversal of such human activities, or a significant reduction of the extent to which they such activities take place would help reduce global warming by just about three quarters. Jacobson suggests that people need to comprehend the need to go for “clean energy” and stop from “over-relying” on energy from coal (163). Such initiatives would best be initiated by governments and prescribed in policy documents. Furthermore, during the in his State of Union Address, President Obama acknowledged the fact that “natural gas, if extracted safely, could reduce Carbon emissions in to the atmosphere” (The White House 1). President Obama announced the installation of new power plants to generate natural gas. Such a move would help American rely on the generated natural gas as opposed to the over-reliance on foreign oil. Additionally, the president promised to work in cooperation with the energy industry to protect the environment against air and water pollution. However, many critics labels President Obama’s plans as expensive. For example, the proposed Business Plan would cost Americans close to $100 billion hence expensive. Scientists predict that soaring atmospheric temperature could endanger humanity if no credible steps are taken to reduce the heat-trapping GHGs. In summary, this research establishes that the amount of GHGs released to the atmosphere could be reduced by planting more trees and cover crops, opting for clean fuels, cutting back on coal-burning, retiring nuclear reactors, as well as reducing industrial and automobile emissions (Jacobson 172). Human activities are involved in all these. This research basically concludes that the ultimate solution to the climate change problem is within reach if people cared more about how their various activities would impact the environment. Works Cited Bostrom, Ann, et al. "Causal thinking and support for climate change policies: International survey findings." Global Environmental Change 22.1 (2012): 210-222. Print. Climate Change Authority. “Comparing countries’ emissions targets.” 1-3. (2012). Web. 12th November, 2015. Connolly, Priscilla. “Mexico City: our common future?” SAGE 11.1 (1999): 53-78. Print. Field, Christopher B., ed. Climate change 2014: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. 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