Climate Change and Its Impact - Essay Example

Climate Change and Its Impact Introduction Climate change is a phenomenon which is the result of degradation of the environmental and ecological balance. Climate comprises a wide range of conditions and patterns in temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, season, etc. (Department of Ecology, n.d.). Climate change refers to the occurrence of different weather and climatic patterns scientifically observable on a longer period of time based on established data (Department of Ecology, n.d.). Man has contributed to rapid change in climate due to human activities and industrialization. The damage has already been done, and the best that people can do is to mitigate the impact of climate change. This project will show the fingerprint and harbinger of climate change manifesting through erratic weather patterns or ecological conditions and the possible solutions that can be offered to mitigate its impact. Particular discussion is given to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Climate Change Overview The effects of climate change are increasingly felt in many parts around the world. Human life and activities are affected by weather and climate, and changes in climate affect man and animals, food production, water sources and health (Department of Ecology, n.d.). Short-term changes in climate can be classified as normal weather conditions, but utilizing observation on a long-term basis, a trend in changing climate has been identified (Department of Ecology, n.d.). The drastic and unusual effect of climate change that have affected not a few countries are the following: coldest winter in UK in 2008-2009 (since 1996-1997), strong North Atlantic storm in British Isles in 2009 (disrupted power and damaged buildings), Midwest heavy rains and worst floods in June 2008 (since 1993), hurricane Omar in July 2008 with winds of 205 km/hour and ravaged a wide area for 17 days, tropical storm Fay that hit Florida four times with its 100 km/hour winds, the worst drought that hit Spain and Portugal in 2008, the worst South California wildfire that damaged an area of 8,100 hectares in April 2009, the worst Mexico drought in August 2009 that affected 3.5 million farmers, the northern Africa flooding that affected Algeria and Morocco in September to November 2008, and several others (UNEP, 2009). Due to the obvious effects of climate change that include erratic and strong weather conditions, fluctuating temperatures, or changing seasons, states and nations, international organizations, concerned groups and individuals call on everyone, especially carbon emitting manufacturing and production firms, to get involved in mitigating the impact of climate change. Many governments have already passed laws that would address climate change concerns, and also mandated specific level of carbon emission for manufacturers and production companies. On the other hand, some governments and global or organizations provide carbon incentive to countries or corporations that comply with low-carbon emission in their activities. The United Nations has also initiated the treaty United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to enjoin compliance of member-states to the principles of UN on climate change. Fingerprint and Harbinger of Climate Change Climate change is easily identifiable with the erratic climate and weather patterns being experienced around the globe. It can be attributed to several factors that include increase in temperature due to the trapped heat from the sun, called the greenhouse effect (More on, n.d.) (see Figure 1). The trapped heat kept which is unable to escape into space kept the earth’s temperature moderate to sustain life. But in the current trend, man is adding more gases into the atmosphere that amplify the temperature level (More on, n.d.). Gases released into the atmosphere that trap heat from various sources are referred to as greenhouse gases or GHG (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). Figure 1 Greenhouse Effect (Source: UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2002, as cited in UNEP, 2009) Carbon dioxide is a GHG that results from natural organism processes and human activities (US EPA, 2011). Fluorinated gases are mainly caused by activities of man (US EPA, 2011). The primary GHGs are the carbon dioxide (from fossil fuel burning, solid waste and wood products, chemical reaction), methane (from production and transport of natural gas, oil and coal), nitrous oxide (from industrial and agricultural activities, fossil fuel combustion, solid waste), fluorinated gases (such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, from industrial production and activities) (US EPA, 2011), and tropospheric ozone (Joint science academies, n.d.) (from interaction of ultraviolet light with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from cars, fossil fuel power plants, gasoline vapors, etc.) (Tropospheric ozone, n.d.). Fluorinated gases, although emitted in low quantities, are highly dangerous and considered as High Global Warming Potential gases or High GWP gases (US EPA, 2011). Figure 2 Troposphere on Earth’s Surface (Source: Tropospheric ozone, n.d.) The troposphere, shown in Figure 2) is located from 0 to 7 miles from the surface of the earth (Tropospheric ozone, n.d.). Tropospheric ozone damages living tissues and breaks down some materials (Tropospheric ozone, n.d.). Ozone comes from the stratosphere and hydrocarbons emitted by plants and soil, which are generally harmless to humans (Tropospheric ozone, n.d.). Stratospheric ozone protects living organisms from UV rays but in the troposphere, the ozone becomes reactive molecules that can damage the forest, crops, living tissues, and others (Tropospheric ozone, n.d.). Studies point out that man has contributed greatly to the increase in earth’s temperature and the change in the climate. The obvious fingerprint of the changing climate is the heat wave and unusual warm weather. Heat wave is defined as a persistent unusual hot weather or weather condition (Heat wave, 2011). A heat wave is exemplified by days of temperature exceeding 90°F; “warm, stagnant air masses; and consecutive nights with higher–than-usual minimum temperatures” (Heat waves, n.d., para. 1). More heat waves will affect countries in the future, and could result from 166 to 2,217 deaths per year in 2081 to 2100 (Heat waves tied, 2011). Glacier or ice shelf is a huge thick piece snow that has been compressed through several years and becomes an ice (What is a glacier, n.d.). An iceberg is a large chunk of compressed snow that has broken off from a glacier. Ancient glaciers and icebergs (believed to be in existence since the Ice Age) can be found mostly on both the north and south Polar Regions of Antarctica and Greenland (What is a glacier, n.d.). Glaciers cover 10 percent of the earth’s land area at present, but estimated to cover 32 percent of the land and 30 percent of the oceans during the Ice Age, and extended to most of Canada, Iceland, Svalbard, Greenland, and other arctic islands; all areas in New England; greater areas of upper Midwest and Alaska; a large part of Great Britain and Ireland; and the northwestern region of the former USSR (What is a glacier, n.d.). Theories have been posited that the melting ice caps that result from rising global temperature will cause a rise in the sea level. Sea level rise will submerge some areas of great cities, that includes 180 cities in the US comprising 9 percent of the land, by 2100 for a one-meter rise (according to the study of Strauss, Weiss and Overpeck, the rise could be as high as six meters on a longer period) (New maps, 2011), Island nation of Maldives with a one meter rise, London, Alexandria of Egypt, Bangkok (Sea level rise, 2006), and several other cities and states. Two islands of the Pacific island nation Kiribati had already perished under the sea (Sea level rise, 2006). Rising sea level will sully inland fresh water, wipe out farmlands, displace populations, etc. (Sea level rise, 2006). The West Antarctic ice sheet is said to contribute six meters or 20 feet to the rise in sea level (Sea level rise, 2006). According to University of Leeds (2010), there are around 1.5 million floating ice about the size of Titanic ship being lost annually. But current losses in floating ice, the latest studies revealed, contribute only to a rise of 49 microns a year (University of Leeds, 2010). Professor Andrew Shepherd from University of Leeds cautioned that such changes should be taken into account in climate assessments since ocean temperature is expected to increase in the coming 21st century (University of Leeds, 2010). The increase in global temperature will intensify the hydrological cycle due to increased water evaporation (Early warning signs, 2003). Corollary to such higher temperature, more water vapor will remain in the atmosphere that will eventually cause more precipitation, heavy downpours and flooding (Early warning signs, 2003). Todd Sanford of the Union of Concerned Scientists said that the warming planet evaporates more water from the ocean, and as a result, the atmosphere holds more vapor than it usually takes (Zabarenko, 2011). Precipitation in the US has increased by 5 percent since the 1970s (Karl et al., 1996, as cited in Early warning signs, 2003). For the yearly snowfall from 1950 to 1990, there was an increase of 20 percent in northern Canada and 11 percent in Alaska (Early warning signs, 2003). Snowfall increase was also recorded in China from 1960 to 1970 (Early warning signs, 2003). Alaska winter snowfall in 2007 and 2008 is the second highest in 30 years (UNEP, 2009). The heavy snowfall during winter and the extreme storms experienced in succession are attributed by scientists to the increasing moisture in the atmosphere caused by climate change (Zabarenko, 2011). The heavy moisture also causes extreme flooding, another harbinger of climate change, during the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere when the snowpack melts, and the heavy rains begin to pour (Zabarenko, 2011). Heavy rains and flooding are experienced in Bolivia in January 2008, Brazil in November 2008, Ecuador in February 2008 (worst flooding experienced by the country), and Northeastern Brazil in April 2009 (a deluge that affected 186,000 people) (UNEP, 2009). Dubai is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Ministry of Energy, 2006). UAE has an arid climate with a highly dry weather during the April to September summer season (Ministry of Energy, 2006). The temperature during this period reaches 48ºC and 90 percent humidity in the coastal cities (Ministry of Energy, 2006). The southern desert temperature, however, can rise to as high as 50ºC (Ministry of Energy, 2006). The discovery of oil in 1966 catapulted Dubai into industrialization (Ministry of Energy, 2006) that led to more emission of GHG in the process of burning energy (UAE, n.d.). Carbon emissions released from conversion of fossil fuels comprise 95 percent of the total emissions (Ministry of Energy, 2006, as cited in UAE, n.d.). UAE primarily relies upon fossil fuels and natural gas for its energy source (Ministry of Energy, 2006). Greenhouse gases cause an increase in temperature which will be around 1.6ºC to 2.9ºC hotter in 2050 and 2.3ºC to 5.9ºC in 2100, reckoned from the 1990 temperature (Ministry of Energy, 2006, as cited in UAE, n.d.) (see Figure 3). Figure 3 UAE Maximum and Minimum Projected Change in Temperature and Rainfall (Source: Ministry of Energy, 2006) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) studies showed that UAE is particularly susceptible to climate changes happening worldwide (Ministry of Energy, 2006). IPCC pegged that from 2030 to 2050, the Arabian Peninsula would have a temperature increase of 1ºC to 2ºC while its precipitation would decline considerably (TAR, 2001; Al Shindagah, 2001, as cited in Ministry of Energy, 2006). The Special Report on Emission Scenarios of IPCC projected the global mean in sea level increase to be between 9 to 88 cm for the period from 1990 to 2100 (Klein et al, 2006, as cited in Ministry of Energy, 2006). The Stockholm Environment Institute study approximates that around 90 percent of the infrastructures in UAE coastal zones would be affected by climate change, particularly the rise in sea level (Kraemer, 2010). This would mean that majority of the buildings and structures in Dubai would be under water by 2100 (Kraemer, 2010). An increase of one meter in sea level could submerge Dubai (UAE, n.d.). Solutions for Climate Change In the present situation, the damage that has been done to the environment is impossible to reverse. The best that can be done by humans is to mitigate its impact and slowly reduce GHG and carbon emissions. The suggested recommendations to mitigate climate change impact include the following: a) efficient use of energy (i.e. use of power and energy for heat or to cool homes, businesses and industries), b) use of green transportation (utilization of low-carbon vehicles), c) increased use of renewable energy (there are various sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal) d) gradual phasing out of fossil fuel electricity (not erecting new power plants that use coal and using other methods to produce electricity), e) proper management of forests areas and agriculture (tropical deforestation and agricultural emissions comprise 30 percent of emissions that trap heat), f) use of nuclear energy with safety nets (nuclear energy can greatly lessen global warming with its low global warming emissions), g) development of “low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies” (e.g. new solar cell materials, exploration of bacteria and algae energy), and h) promote sustainable development (this requires collaboration between rich and poor nations so that the latter can transition to the use of low-carbon technologies and tools) (Solutions to global, 2011, para. 8). Efficient use of energy can lessen carbon dioxide emissions and includes reduction of energy use in buildings, increased fuel efficiency in cars, and use of new batches of energy efficient appliances (More on, n.d.). Addressing climate change concerns is being done using different strategies. One approach is the issuance of joint position statements by the Science Academies of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and the USA exhorting all nations to subscribe to the UNFCCC principles (Joint science academies, n.d.). UAE signified its solidarity with the international efforts to reduce GHG emissions by using energy efficient technologies such as the rooftop solar photovoltaic devices, desalination plants powered by solar energy, gas capture landfill, and several others (Ministry of Energy, 2006). The UAE had also embarked on the inventory of its GHG emissions in 1994 (Ministry of Energy, 2006). A number of car manufacturers recognize the need to lessen carbon emissions and have been reengineering car models that include hybrid and electric cars, hydrogen cars, and other prototypes that combine various low-carbon emitting sources. Summary and Conclusion Climate change is a critical environmental concern that manifests drastic changes on many fronts. Countries are experiencing snowstorms, extreme drought, longer summer, rise in sea level, extreme temperature fluctuations, and several others. These occurrences result from decades of human activities that caused deterioration of the environment. The climate change phenomenon poses a threat to life on earth. Thus, governments, concerned groups and individuals bond themselves and call for everyone to seek out solutions and follow the remedies already recognized to mitigate the impact of climate change or slow it down. The best that governments and people can do is to subscribe to these remedies because climate change is a global problem, and carbon emissions in one region can surely affect other regions. Nations are exhorted to take prompt action to address climate change; otherwise, a delay will only increase the risk of harmful environmental effects (Joint science academies, n.d.). References Department of Ecology. (n.d.). What is climate change? Climate Change. State of Washington. Retrieved 28 May 2011, from http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.htm Early warning signs of global warming: Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding. (2003, October 11). Global Warming. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 26 May 2011, from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/impacts/early-warning-signs-of-global-3.html Heat wave. (2011). The Free Dictionary. Farlex, Inc. 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Retrieved 29 May 2011, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/snowfalls-storms-climate-change-link_n_830104.html Read More