Climate Change in a Global Context - Coursework Example

Climate Change in a Global Context Introduction Climate change is the change in the usual weather patterns ofa place in a permanent manner other than what is usually experienced in the normal patterns of change in weather and this happens regardless of the causes (Ramanathan, 1988). The phenomenon of climate change has become a serious challenge and problem that requires all the nations within the earth to take actions in order to mitigate against its growing negative effects on human life and activities. Climate change results due to activities carried out by humans mostly the use of energy, which emit greenhouse gases that are responsible for causing the destruction of the ozone layer thus global warming that causes the gradual changes in the climate. Research statistics and evidence by climate experts clearly show that there has been a marked change in the composition and amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which currently stands at 390ppm and even higher levels as recorded at 400ppm at Mauna Loa, Hawaii as at May 2013. Additionally, scientific research has indicated that the decade covering the period between the years 2000 and 2010 was recorded as the hottest with 2005 and 2010 being the warmest in temperatures (Giese, 2011). The United Nations body in charge of addressing of matters to do with climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has equally stated that climate change is likely to have serious effect on the climate of the world in a global context affecting both the life of animals including humans and plants. Closely related to the matter of climate change is global warming which is the average increase in temperature of both the earth and the ocean and is continuously on the increase due to the effects of the climate change. Since the early 1900s, the average temperature of the earths and oceans has risen by averages well over temperatures of 0.8°C, and this is likely to increase in the coming years due to the sustained activities of human beings that cause effects associated with climate change. Further, the effects associated with climate change and global warming are likely to cause an increase of temperatures between the ranges of 1.8°C and 4°C which may rise to between 1.1°C and 6.4°C unless efforts are made in order to bring the matter of climate change under control (Harris and Roach, 2007). The same scientific research also indicate that due to effects associated with climate change, the level of the sea is likely to rise by a figure of between 28cm to 43 cm while some large water bodies such as the Arctic Sea would disappear at the second half of the twenty-first century due to aggravated climate change. The nations within the international system of nations is also likely to experience increased incidences of unwanted effects of the weather such as the heat waves experienced in some European countries, droughts in the Horn of Africa, acidification of oceans and increased intensity and occurrences of tropical storms amongst other effects of climate change in the world. To humans, there will be problems associated with food security due to the decreased yields of crops and loss of habitat for agriculture due to floods and inundation caused by climate change. There is also the likelihood that certain species of plants and animals will become extinct due to the loss of their habitats as the global temperature undergo changes due to effects associated with climate change and global warming. Climate Change in a Global Context Climate change and global warming on the planet earth is usually caused when greenhouse gas emissions released from the burning of fossil fuels such as carbon dioxide is trapped in the atmosphere, which forms an impenetrable layer, which withholds the heat emanating from the sun. Evidence from respected researches worldwide now shows that there is marked change in the amount and composition of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere. The continued build up of this heat from the sun makes the earth to warm up continuously over a period of time that leads to the systematic change of the weather patterns which eventually change how the climate is. Though the debate on how fast, the magnitude and the consequences of climate change continue to rage, what is clear to all is that there is the occurrence of climate change and this has the effect of on how animal and plant life will be run in the future. This is so because there is now evidence of the exact causes of the climate change and its effects, which requires that the earth and its occupants adopt a strategy to help in mitigation against the risks posed by global warming and climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007).  Through the natural cycle of carbon release and absorption, the world ecosystem including the plants, soil and the water masses, there is release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This coupled with the release of carbon dioxide from the activities of human beings leads to a continued build up of the unwanted greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Thus, leading to the permanent shift in the weather patterns of a place which leads to changes in the climate of the concerned place and the earth at large (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009). This build up of carbon dioxide lends credence to the fact that the current level of increases in global warming on the planet earth is due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as methane which are majorly produced through burning of fossil fuels due to the activities of human beings (National Research Council, 2011a). In the recent past, there has been increased debate on climate change in the global context especially on its causes, effects and the possible mitigation measures that can be applied in order to address the problem (Jacob and Darrel, 2009). The world continues to experience a massive shift in the climate and the temperatures that leads to the climate change and the detrimental effects associated with it. This brings as to the question as to whether climate change does exist and what causes it and whether there is a possibility that the world is likely to adopt measures to reduce it. The reasons for all these is that there are sufficient reasons to show that climate change does exist as shown by the changing face of the earth and the levels of the oceans, physical changes seen in forests and mountains that were originally snow-capped amongst other changed situations. Additionally, effects associated with climate change and global warming have caused the acidification of large water masses as the amount and composition of greenhouse gases increases in the atmosphere. This has also led to the melting of glaciers, mountain tops which then flows to these water bodies, and filling them and the rise in their levels endanger some communities that live at the coastal areas of these seas and oceans (Fabry et al., 2008). It is important to note that the changes occasioned to the earth and the oceans due to the climate change may occur gradually or abruptly and may be difficult to reverse as the damage will have already been done to the habitats. The climate change also affects human beings as the changes on the weather patterns characterized by the persistent incidences of droughts, floods, and reduced water supplies have profound effects on the availability and security of food which has got a direct effect on the health of humans. Evidence of Climate Change in the Global Context Evidence suggests that the average temperature of the world has undergone an increase of temperature by a figure of about 1.4°F in the last one hundred years alone with scientists projecting that come the year 2100, the temperature of the earth shall go up by a figure of about 2°F to12°F. This sustained increase in the temperature of the earth is projected to cause massive and disastrous challenges to the animal and plant life that will be occupying the planet at that time and some of the effects are already being felt (National Research Council, 2011a). The rise in the overall global temperature of the world has also been shown through the changes in the weather patterns of different regions such as changes in rainfall intensity, which has been recorded over time and has given clear evidence of changes in climate. The oceans and the seas as well as the glaciers on the mountains such as mountains Kenya and Kilimanjaro have undergone changes either in their levels or through melting or thawing respectively (Moelg et al., 2013). Impact of Climate Change on Humans and Earth’s Climate The above occurrences clearly give evidence of the effects of climate change and can be attributed to the activities of human beings, and the natural variations that occur in the weather patterns and the climate of a place. In understanding the full impacts of climate change, it is important that we observe the fact that the planet earth goes through a natural cycle of warming and cooling these may cause a significant rise in the temperatures of the world (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009). Scientists have also proven and concluded that the fluctuations in energy from the sun have minimal contribution to the changes in temperature of the earth but the major cause is the greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil and coal (National Research Council, 2011b). Therefore, the biggest cause for the rise in the global temperatures is the human activities through emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that causes the global warming and eventually changes in the climatic patterns of the world. This means that the increase in temperatures is due to the warming properties from the greenhouse gases that are released in the atmosphere which trap heat and lead to the destruction of the ozone layer thus endangering human lives. The increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is what traps and retains the excess heat in the atmosphere causing the depletion of the ozone layer causing global warming that eventually leads to climate change (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009). It has been found that an increase of about two degrees Fahrenheit in the temperature of a place attributed to elements of climate change can lead to serious consequences to animals including human lives as well as plant lives and what they depend on in the planet. For example, research has shown that an increase of about 2°F in temperature may lead to reduced yield or harvests of crops while an increase of about 10n percent in the intensity of precipitation through rainfall. This is due to factors that can be attributed to global warming can increase flooding in some nations like the Philippines and an increase in wildfires in parts of United States and Australia (National Research Council, 2011a). This rapid and marked change in the temperature of the world has the possibility of exposing human beings to risks such as droughts, floods and wildfires in certain regions, which will ultimately affect their social and economic well-being. Others include incidences of tsunamis or rising levels of oceans and seas that have in the past resulted in the destruction of infrastructure that makes the lives of human beings easy and bearable. The impacts of climate change can also be experienced in the social and natural systems in any given society within the planet earth. For instance, due to effects associated with climate change in the world, there has been the marked rise in the level of the seas and oceans that has led to the submergence of certain islands. In addition, the reduction and destruction of coasts as already experienced in the continued disappearance of some islands in Indonesia and the reduced coastline in some nations, which will fall under the sea level (Reuters News Service, 2005). These changes occasioned by climate change are therefore difficult to reverse and have severe impacts on the social and natural lives of the human beings and efforts must be made to mitigate against the effects of climate change before things turn for the worse. Mitigation of Climate Change The mitigation of the effects of climate change are largely centred on human beings adopting the use of clean and renewable energy techniques such as solar energy and wind power and the sustainable use of the land by human beings. The reduced use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil that emit greenhouse gases and instead the adoption of clean and renewable green energy such as solar or wind energy is the most sure way of mitigating against the effects of climate change and the consequences that follow it. Solar energy has the advantage that it is clean and does not pollute the environment and nations that utilize it can benefit from carbon savings credits from countries that majorly cause global warming like the United States and the Peoples Republic of China (The Wall Street Journal, 2010). It is also projected that solar energy can supply about 10 per cent of the total demand for electricity in the next fifty years especially to the countries that are inadequately served by electric power (Edenhofer et al., 2012). As a means of achieving green energy use, there may be need to expand the potential of these energy sources like the construction of solar power plants and the construction of wind mills to provide alternative sources of energy that do not cause warming of the environment and climate change. These green sources of energy like the solar and wind energy do not release into the atmosphere greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other forms of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and therefore have little impact on causing climate change (Fell, 2012). As already discussed above, the occurrence of climate change has got diverse and destructive effects on the human lives in a global manner and there is a need to carry out activities that will have the motive of putting a control and reduction of its effects both domestically and internationally. It is important to note that the manner in which we use land affects the climate of a place and therefore the efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change must address on how human beings can sustainably make proper use of land and its resources. The vegetation present on the earth especially through the forests usually plays an important role as they absorb the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of any place within the earth. The removal or the cutting of these large plant cover in the form of forests thereafter leads to a change in the natural carbon sequestration rate that thereafter affects the amount of carbon emitted in the atmosphere. Moreover, the continued build-up of carbon in the atmosphere forms a layer that traps the heat from the sun and causes global warming. As a mitigation strategy, it is important that the human beings increase the cover of plant cover on the planet in order to help in the regularization of the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and this will lead to a reduction in the effects associated with climate change. Conclusion The effects of climate change which is mostly caused by the activities of human beings has largely been attributed due to the changing patterns of weather across the earth leading to extreme climatic conditions such as heavy or high intensity rains and heat waves amongst others. From a wider perspective, all the patterns of weather as currently experienced are directly connected to the effects of climate change, as this phenomenon has shifted the general conception of weather and its intensity. It has also changed the usual natural limits of weather occurrences, making certain types of weather and their patterns such as flooding and heat waves more intense and frequent wherever they occur. While the understanding of how climate change affects the extreme weather conditions and patterns is still under discussion, most evidence suggests that acute weather will continue to occur and in a manner that will be difficult to predict by the occupants of the planet earth. Recently, climate change has been accepted as a phenomenon that affects both the natural life of human beings both socially and economically and the awareness of this will likely pose risks to the future welfare of nations. Addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change in the global context will require that governments and all the concerned institutions in the planet enact policies that are all inclusive and can be executed by all in order to control this problem that is global in nature. This is important as future mitigation strategies must endeavour to take into consideration that the continued emission of greenhouse gases can in the long-term exceed the capacity of humans to handle or control and the effects of climate change may become irreversible. The scientific studies and researches that are available in the world point that the effects of climate change are likely to lead to uncertainty in the economic welfare of human beings as most of the current resources are currently being depleted or destroyed by the effects of climate change. Therefore, the efforts aimed at the mitigation of the effects of climate change should be aimed at reconciling the need to conserve the environment for sustainable development, which would ultimately have positive impacts on the social and economic welfare of a nation and the earth at large. These mitigation strategies aimed at addressing climate change and its effects therefore require that all stakeholders in the earth have a joint participatory effort in order to bear fruits and the desired results. References Giese, A. (2011). 2010 Hits Top of Temperature Chart. Washington. Earth Policy Institute. Edenhofer, O., Pichs, M. R., Sokona, Y., United Nations Environment Programme., World Meteorological Organization., Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change., & Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung. (2012). Renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation: Special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. New York: Cambridge University Press. 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The Great Transmission Heist, The latest scheme to subsidize solar and wind power to the detriment of rate payers Retrieved from U.S. Global Change Research Program & Karl, T. (2009). Global climate change impacts in the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . Read More