Climate change - Essay Example

The (English 1002) The (10 July Climate Change as an International Crisis While NASA is spending a lot of many and resources on Mars exploration, earth’s oceans are unknown. Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson thinks that the U.S. space program is underfunded, which reduces its potential. At the same time, Michael Conathan says that the Government spends money unwisely. This is a problem. It shows that scientists do not always think about international problems in general. Instead, they try to prove that their field of study is the most essential. Both, the U.S. space program and oceanic exploration, are important for the humanity. Nevertheless, global community is facing a new threat – climate change. People need to understand that it affects all spheres of their life. Being an international crisis, climate change concerns all countries. Mankind should learn how to deal with climate change and adapt to it.
Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time. It effects the environment every day. There are “national and global issues that are occurring due to the climate change” (“The current and future consequences of global change”). Climate change poses great risks: extreme weather, melting ice, rising seas, shifting rainfall, floods, droughts, cyclones, and health problems. And it is not the full list. It affects the whole world, but not all regions are in the same positions. Some countries face critical problems right now. Others will face them in the near future. Risks of climate change can be grouped into different categories, for example “risks to human health, global food security, economic development, and to the natural world” (“Consequences of climate change”).
Climate change transforms the natural world. Oceans and rivers become bigger, ice melts, flora and fauna changes: new species appear, while other species become extinct. Expanding oceans due to rising temperatures concern every nation in the world, but northern and island nations are under the greater impact. According to Jim Hwang, Taiwan is especially sensitive to the impact of climate change. Because of flooding, people there lose their homes and can’t produce enough food (1). One country cannot cope with it. Only cooperation can solve this problem, but it is hard to reach an agreement between all nations. Some countries do not want to spend money on studies about climate change, while others do not have money to spend.
Climate change is a great challenge for international law, too. Differences in bills and types of governments make it impossible to take actions immediately. Sometimes, in order to sign an agreement, countries need to rewrite their own laws. According to Hari M Osofsky, international lawmaking should create a special system in order to simplify this process (423-233). It requires many resources, a lot of money, and qualified scientists. Not all countries have a good education system, which makes it impossible to exchange knowledge and experience.
Economic development is, probably, the biggest problem. Countries are forced to import food from the other side of the world, because they cannot produce it. It is economically unprofitable. And the situation is getting worse. Water shortage in African and Asian countries “results in the reduction of the agriculture” (“The current and future consequences of global change”).
In conclusion, it should be said that climate change is a real indicator of international crisis. Disability to cooperate with different countries and nationalities developed into a global problem. Nowadays, climate change poses a big economic, social, and health threat for people all over the world. Immediate actions should be taken to prevent a catastrophe.



Works Cited
“The current and future consequences of global change.” NASA. Global Climate Change. Vital
Signs of the Planet. NASA, n.d. Web. 19 November 2014.
“Consequences of climate change.” European Commission. Climate Action. European
Commission, n.d. Web. 19 November 2014
Hwang, Jim. "Climate Change: Crisis and Opportunity." Taiwan Review, 58.1 (2008): 1.
Osofsky, Hari M. "Climate Change and Crises of International Law: Possibilities for Geographic
Reenvisioning." Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, 44.1-2 (2011): 423-433. Read More