Social Capital, Collective Action, and Adaptation to Climate Change, Essay Example

Introduction

Two issues that are relevant to climate change from aGovernment, business, and/or society perspective?

Two issues relevant to climate change from a government, business and society perspective relate to significant changes in sea level due to collapse of the West Antarctic ice Sheet (Adger, 2003). The next is greenhouse effect, which has serious consequences pertaining to global warming. Sea level changes would affect the fishing industry directly and indirectly whereas greenhouse gas emissions have far reaching impact on global warming resulting in flooding and destruction of agriculture. This ultimately could lead to a famine(Reid& Toffel, 2009)

(Development) Description of issues.

Changes in sea levels relate to alterations of the mean sea level (MSL), which is a datum representative of an average ocean surface height meaning a halfway point between the mean high tide and the mean low tide. This standard is used to calculate land elevation. Sea Level is very important to marine navigation by providing chart datum and aviation. Precisely, this sea level pressure standard is applied as measurement datum of altitude at flight levels. Variations in mean sea level occurring overtime indicate that climate changes are occurring and further evaluations may become necessary(Müller, 2008).

Greenhouse gases present on the Earth’s atmosphere include carbon dioxide; water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and ozone. Emission of these gases severely impacts the earth’s temperature. Significantly, if these gases are absent the earth’s surface would be an estimated 33 °C colder, (59 °F) less than the average 14 °C (57 °F). More importantly, these gases are classified as substances being absorbed in the atmosphere subsequently emitting radiation in the thermal infrared range. The process is known as greenhouse effect (Azar, Lindgren, Larson, & Möllersten, 2006).

(Development) Discussion of why and how these issues are relevant

These issues are relevant to the world, businesses, governments and society at large because their effects can reduce life expectancy of the human race. In the meantime economically they could be devastating to the climate for agriculture that depends on climate for successful outcomes in their ventures. For example, sea level changes the affect aviation industry because it helps pilots to avoid terrain. While this varies from one country to the next in facilitating transition altitude sea levels changes can affect both air and sea travel. Scientists have discovered that within the past 100 sea level has been rising at an estimated rate of 1.1mm per year. Water sources from land have been blamed for this steady increase (Müller, 2008).

Greenhouse gas emissions are associated with industrialization. Scientists have reported that greenhouse gas emissions coincide with the industrial revolution beginning during 1750s. It was a time when fossil fuels were burnt and massive clearing of forest for economic purposes ensued. Consequently, excessive carbon dioxide were filtered in the atmosphere even narrowing the ozone layer. Its relevance to twenty-first century is that many climatic changes have occurred in sea levels as well as rain cycles in an already overheated atmosphere. There are a number of unexplained flooding and forest fires (Azar et.al, 2006).

Development (What is an interesting question that researchers, policymakers, or journalists may ask about emission of greenhouse gases?

According to Ans Kolk and Jonatan Pinkse (2007) an interesting question for researchers, policy makers and journalists is what  international dimensions of multinationals’ corporate political activities can be applied towards resolving greenhouse gas emissions?(Kolk & Pinkse, 2007)

Development (Discussion of why/what makes this is an interesting question).

Reasons for this question ‘what international dimensions of multinationals’ corporate political activities can be applied towards resolving the greenhouse gas emission issue being interesting are first, greenhouse gas emissions do not impact just one nation, but the entire world. Secondly, this climate change is kinked to industrialization and social change. Industrialization began since the 1750s and is continuing at a rapid pace. To the same extent greenhouse gas emissions are enveloping the planet.

No single organization nationally neither internationally could address the greenhouse gas emission issue impacting climatic changes globally. As such, the difficulty in proposing answers to this question is that every country has its peculiar economic interest. Some countries their economy depend on the industries and forestation. Even if decisions are made at an international level imposing sanction on how factories operate limiting greenhouse gas emissions, it would entail gaining cooperation through consensus. Many nations may not understand the consequences of their industrial actions until obvious dangers appear.

Therefore, the interesting question of what international dimensions of multinationals’ corporate political activities can be applied towards resolving greenhouse gas emission. Certainly, it would not be prudent for developed nations to pass sanctions on developing/underdeveloped and they continue activities that produce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, there have been debt for swap agreements with developing nations in an effort to address deforestation, but what are developed nations doing to reduce their greenhouse gas emission impact in the universe?

Conclusion

Proposed thesis statement

Based on the forgoing discussion pertaining to the two issues that are relevant to climate change from a Government, business, and/or society perspective being sea level changes and greenhouse gas emissions a thesis statement is proposed relating it relevance to a twenty-first century global environment and the interesting question of what international dimensions of multinationals’ corporate political activities can be applied towards resolving greenhouse gas emission; it is my assumption that greenhouse gas emissions along with the effects other emerging climatic changes must be embraced from a global perspective involving politicians, businesses and active members of the society.

References

Adger, N. (2003). Social Capital, Collective Action, and Adaptation to Climate Change. Economic Geography 79(4): 387-404.

Azar, C. Lindgren, K. Larson, E., & Möllersten, K. (2006). Carbon capture and storage from fossil fuels and biomass – Costs and potential role in stabilising the atmosphere. Climatic Change 74: 47–79

Kolk, A., &Pinkse, J. (2007).Multinationals’ Political Activities on Climate Change. IABS.SAGE.

Müller, R.  (2008). Long-Term Sea-Level Fluctuations Driven by Ocean Basin Dynamics. Science 319 (5868): 1357–1362

Reid, E., & Toffel, M. (2009).Responding to Public and private politics: Corporate disclosure of climate change strategies. Strategic Management Journal,30: 1157–1178