Mitigation Strategies and Solutions, Essay Example

Global Warming as an Environmental Problem

Introduction

Regions that are vulnerable to atmospheric pollution come as a result of dealings of topographic and climatic conditions, as well as the presence of pollution sources. For instance, air pollution is well known with increase in pressure. Movements subsiding within an anticyclone overpower air trying to rise off the surface. Pollution problems are driven away when a system with low pressure replaces a withdrawing anticyclone. There are a number of effects of the pollution concerning the environment. In this case therefore, we will discuss global warming as one of the main effects of environmental pollution (Jeffrey, 1995).

Global climate change is the major environmental threat of the era. All species feels its effects, but more so those that are poor, those whose livelihood depends on nature and those who lives in regions with environmental stress. It is said that, the entire ecological basis of life is affected by global warming and its disappearance will accelerate. Global warming is the steady increase of the earth’s lower atmosphere’s temperature due to increase in greenhouse gases since industrial revolution. It results from a combination of human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases, and change in solar radiance.

The atmospheric temperature near surface of the earth is always warmed through a natural process known as Greenhouse effect. Visible light with shortwave comes from the sun to the earth, as it passes reassuring, through a blanket of greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases are largely composed of; water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Industrial growth, agricultural activities and transportation since industrial revolution has led to higher production of the chlorofluorocarbons with other gases, adding to the thermal blanket.

It has been proved that, this increase in the quantity of greenhouse gasses leads to the absorption of more heat, therefore increasing global temperature, hence making an important process to life be potentially disorderly harmful. It is said by geologists that, over the past four hundred and twenty thousand years, the planet earth has gone through cycles of cooling and warming. It is indicated that, we are currently in a warming cycle. The global warming is thought by them to be one of the major reasons for the melting of ice in Alaska and the Sierra and Rocky Mountains. The sun’s radiation is captured by the earth and it is this energy that we draw our climate and weather from. One third of this energy is reflected back into the space and the remaining two-thirds are captivated by various parts of climate system such as land, ocean, atmosphere, ice and various forms of life.

The earth then re-radiates in the form of long waves of radiation. Some of the energy is re-absorbed and passed on through the greenhouse effect process, and the rest lost to space. Global warming can be caused by both living and non living factors; however, it can also affect both living and non living things in an ecosystem. Human activities have with no doubt overloaded and changed the atmosphere, even though there are natural primary greenhouse gases sources. The extent to which recent global warming has been influenced by human activities as opposed to natural origin is very important for the human understanding of how the earth’s climate has changed in the past, and how it might change in future.

Human activities continue to alter the earth’s climate greatly. These problems add to natural manipulations that have been present over the earth’s history. It is indicated strongly by scientific evidence that, natural manipulations cannot enlighten the rapid increase in the near surface temperature of the globe as observed during the second half of twentieth century. Human influence on the climate system include; increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, air pollution, increasing concentration of particles that are airborne and alteration of land. The unprecedented increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases together with other influences of human on climate over the past century and those expected in the future, amount to the basis of concern.

The balance between the removal of carbon dioxide in plants plant and animals’ carbon IV Oxide production is also equalized by the development of carbonates in the oceans. This removes overloaded carbon dioxide from both the air and water (Jeffrey, 22-54). Fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal as well as the recent ones like peat and wood generate carbon dioxide when burned. Fossil fuels are formed eventually by organic processes. Human activities have greatly increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. This increase has contributed to global warming. The increase in concentration of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the air have as well led to acid rain.

This is where water falls through the polluted atmosphere, and combines chemically with carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur oxides to form a complex bond. As a result, the rain water becomes of low pH of as low as four. When the rain water mixes with the ones in various water bodies, the living organisms such as fish and other creatures living in them dies. The rain not only affects the pH of water, but also that of the soil. As a result, it alters the natural vegetation and uses of the land (Jeffrey, 1995). The global warming process can also lead to the melting of ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica, raising the sea level as much as one-hundred and twenty meters.

Changes in temperature and sea level affects climate change, and therefore altering belts of grain production and rainfall patterns. It is said that, the greatest oceans in the world have absorbed twenty times as much heat as the atmosphere over the past half a century, leading to higher temperatures in water. This is not only in surface waters, but also in waters 1,500 feet below the surface. This measured increase in water temperature over weighs only natural cause. A research carried out recently shows that, human activities have lifted the boundary of the troposphere which is the earth’s lower atmosphere. This is the region that contains earth’s weather.

Besides human beings contributing towards global warming, they are also affected by it. It has always been viewed as one of the greatest threats to long-term human survival. It is therefore upon humans to look for ways forward to deal with it, since our future depends on how it is responded to today. A World Health Organization research carried out recently concluded that, besides killing people, global warming also contributes to some five million illnesses every year. This affects human life especially in developing nations. Some of the impacts include; accelerating the spread of infectious diseases like malaria and dengue fever, giving rise to conditions that leads to potentially deadly malnutrition and diarrhea, and increasing the frequency and severe ness of floods, heat waves and other disasters related to weather.

It has also been found that, air pollution caused by carbon dioxide adding a degree Celsius increase in temperature leads to about one thousand more deaths and many more cases of respiratory diseases and asthma in the United States. Adding India and China to the extravagant waste of industrial nations, their economic growth could be enough to tilt the world over the boundary into almost unstoppable process. Rising sea levels are likely to be experienced by most of the large cities. This could in the end flood large areas, while some countries could be turned into deserts. Hundreds of million of people are predicted to experience shortage of fresh water by 2050.

Destructive storms and floods are predicted to hit other parts of the world, resulting into high costs of reconstruction, which may cost billions in a year. Over the last thirty years, 400,000 square miles of Arctic ice is said to have melted. On animal and plant species, it is predicted that, a quarter of them could be wiped out in the next thirty years. New patterns of diseases, extreme weather patterns and strict control on energy and carbon use is said to be experienced in future. Most dangerous conflicts of the world will be experienced, with poorest and wealthiest nations laying blame on each other. A vigorous and aggressive reaction especially by Americans is expected, which will in turn increase tension across the globe.

Carbon trading is predicted to be exposed as international scandal as global warming will create greatest frauds of finance across the world. They are said to include super criminals trading non-existent implicit assets on carbon saving exchanges. Some countries and companies will be wiped, while others will make billions. It is said that, some energy companies have already started to change their policies and will try to redevise themselves as saviors of human kind. Along the way, challenges like crisis and conflict as the poorest people on the earth struggle or fail to survive in a world poisoned for many decades by carbon burning in the wealthiest nations could be expected (Jeffrey, 1995)..

These great efforts would in the end succeed in dealing with many of the worst threats, and therefore, they will reshape the way we live and how the world is run. Hundred of thousands of lives are lost yearly due to climate change (Zucker, 1999). It is predicted that, this will rise roughly to half a million in twenty years. Those who suffer the most due to climate change have done the least to cause it. It threatens sustainable development and it is already responsible for making some fifty million more people to go hungry, while driving over ten million more people into extreme poverty. In Africa for instance, climate change is predicted to be the basis for hunger and malnutrition.

This comes as a result of reduced agricultural yields of cereals, fruits, vegetables, livestock as well as cash crops which generate income. Taking Ghana as a case study, about thirty five per cent of the land surface is exposed to acute erosion and loss of productivity through deforestation and land degradation. In a survey of internal migrants from North West Ghana, they mentioned environmental reasons for their migration from their original homes. They say it was due to scarcity of fertile land, unreliable rainfall, food insecurity and low crop yields. Despite the presence of all these factors and their impacts on both living and non-living organisms, the threats to environmental sustainability require urgent solutions (Wikipedia, 2009).

The center of global environmental crisis is due to too many people consuming too much, while their development have extremely reduced natural environment. The following are some of the most effective courses of action recommendations necessary to reduce human death as a result of collapsing ecosystem; human pollution should be stabilized and reduced to at most a third of the current levels. This is because it exceeds what the earth can bear. A limit should be set globally on the number of children that a family should have, using motivations like tax benefits for smaller families at first. Human therefore will reduce population by themselves.

Greenhouse gases’ emissions should also be reduced as soon as possible by 70 per cent or more. Sudden runaway change in climate happens now as the earth is costed dearly by energy. To maintain the conducive atmosphere, pointing out of oil and coal, introduction of considerable tax on carbon, investment in renewable energy and thorough persuasion of conservation and efficiency is required. Nuclear or bio-fuel energy system should not be of large scale until proved to be benevolent to the environment in the long-term. The ecosystem should be strictly protected over much of the land and sea so as to provide air, water, soil and other services that life depends on.

The logging of ancient forests should be ended so as to strictly protect the remaining natural habitats as a whole. Establishment of large and protected marine areas should be established so as to end industrial fishing. Human wants that are not that important should be restricted to avoid excessive use of resources. This can be done by promoting principles of consumption that stresses simplicity and a sense of sufficiency. Recycling wastes will also reduce necessary consumption. Each and every state should have a steady and sustainable economy. They should therefore involve themselves in businesses, industrialization and have goals of humanity.

Modifications should also be made to agricultural practices that can be maintained, and eating habits that does not lead to clearing of forests, food chains that are toxic and soil loss. More organic and local food consumptions, eating less meat, are therefore preferred. Technologies that are clean, modern and up to date should be used so as to provide huge economic opportunities. The earth’s wealth should be shared so that everybody can live well. The overdeveloped world should therefore live more simply, with sustainable development and fair economic system. Great international law and investments nurturing global ecosystems should be enacted so as to reduce militarization (Wikipedia, 2009).

The budget for military should therefore be diverted to environmental investments. This budget can be diverted to ecological restoration budget. It can be used in carrying out practices like construction of watersheds, establishment of ecological core areas and urban environment. However, there are plans that could be implemented in order to reach sustainability. The plans include; creating a market for fuels that are clean-burning. This will help stop the dangerous transformation of climate. Fuels that use less carbon should be produced. Oil dependence should also be reduced, as well as the number of vehicles. A worldwide day should be set aside to control technology in order to achieve independence.

A credit system in which fuel providers sell their credit to those still buying used fuel with much carbon should be introduced. This will assist as the greatest polluters will be forced to spend more on buying the credits and therefore, they will have to change their ways. Shooting of sulfur particles into the upper atmosphere to help in screening out incoming sunlight is also part of the plan. Besides it is the creation of artificial trees with gigantic towers that can absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it. Above all these is the plan to reduce or do away with the emission of greenhouse gases. It is also suggested that, the use of fuel should be cut off.

Besides the above plans having advantages, they also have some challenges.

For instance, if the artificial trees are created, it will affect the ozone layer, causing Mediterranean to be much drier. Cutting short of fuel on the other hand will not work with the credit trading programme. Sulfur particles on the other hand will lead to acid rain. However, there is still support required from the government, society and even globally in order to implement these plans so as to attack global warming (Wikipedia, 2009). A steady and compulsory reduction of green house gases should be supported by the government of each state globally. A reasonable starting point should be extracted from the demand by the Blue-Green Alliance to reduce greenhouse gases by two per cent yearly.

United States participation in global agreement to provide similar reduction worldwide should also be supported. A global job programme addressing insufficiency in good jobs for all should be pursued. Rights and responsibilities of workers and that of their representatives to participate in monitoring, planning and imposing measures to fight against global warming in their work places and communities should be put forward to be recognized. Within the society, employers should take the responsibility of creating awareness amongst workers and in the society at large, on the effects of global warming and the way each and every individual can participate in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

Conclusion

Action should therefore be taken against those who fail to meet the moral representation to reduce greenhouse gases. Public responsibility for the protection of the most vulnerable to the global warming effects should be demanded. In adherence to the above strategies towards mitigation of global warming, it is believed that we will be able to fight global warming and do away with it. Our environments therefore will be conducive for each and every living thing in it (Jeffrey, 1995).

References

Jeffrey, B. (1995).Global Labor Strategies. University of California: Mordecai Siegel Publishing Group.

Wikipedia. (2009).Scientific Opinion on Climate Change. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_diabetes

Wikipedia. (2009).The Global Humanitarian Forum. University of California Publishers.

Zucker, M (1999).Global Warming Controversy. An Introduction to Feline diabetes: Fortress Press.