Climate Change and Human Agency - Essay Example

CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN AGENCY Climate change is a pressing problem that threatens the very survival of humanity itself. Unfortunately, the culpability for this phenomenon could be laid directly at our very feet as human agency remains the single, most critical variable that cause and drive the radical changes to the global climate. This paper explores this issue, arguing that recognizing human responsibility is crucial in addressing the problem. This is particularly important especially when some experts already reveal that this natural catastrophe is no longer preventable. Bowen and Friel, for example, went as far as saying that the only action left for us to do is adapt to the changes with a proposition for a global climate response that is focused on adjustment. How did we come this far down the road? The answer is simple: climate change is primarily human induced and the refusal to recognize this fact and, consequently, act on it has allowed for further deterioration at a rate that could no longer be contained at this point. Climate Change There are sectors who argue that there is no climate change or, more specifically, there is no crisis about the shift in the global temperature. There is no better demonstration to this than the high degree of vilification suffered by Al Gore, the most prominent climate change advocate. His work has been largely branded - particularly in the early years of his activism - as inaccurate with claims that his predictions could easily be attributed to natural patterns. Some of his most vocal critics have identified his position with those scientists with works that are considered "unscientific" in a bid to hold climate change as a hoax (Nanda, 97). Rose pointed out that for years, climate scientists have been threatened, vilified and undermined by individuals and groups who refused to accept the peer-reviewed consensus on climate change (69). But does this refusal to accept climate change as a fact valid? Fundamentally, climate is governed by three factors, namely: atmosphere, water and continental configurations (Hannah, 17). The interactions between these have brought about the changes and evolutions that allowed for the emergence of the ozone layer and oxygen buildup, among other variables which made it possible for Earth to sustain terrestrial life. The major changes are also responsible for the formation of supercontinents, glacial episodes and volcanism (Hannah, 17). Hence, one can say that climate change is a natural phenomenon that allowed for positive improvement of the Earth. The current change to the climate, however, is different mainly because of the role of human activities. This development radically impacts climate in an unprecedented rate, triggering climate patterns that could lead to natural crises that could lead to the extinction of species. A Scientific Truth Milatun Milankovic is credited to have introduced the modern theory of climate change when in 1912 he published a series of articles that mathematically demonstrated the incidence of climate change, including the variables that could cause the shift in Earths temperature (Berger, Mesinger and Sijacki, 131). A number of scientists would contribute to his theory through the years, underpinning the explanations for the actual transformations in the Earths climate that have occurred as the global population exploded, as industrial activity reached feverish pitch, among other human activities that lead to the degradation of the environment. Based from the body of literature on this subject, climate change is no longer a mere theoretical idea that could easily be dismissed. It is based on scientific facts and realities, particularly, that the integrated assessments of the phenomenon are typically carried out using computer models that integrate knowledge and data from various disciplines and sources (Joshi and Singh, 35). For years, it has been confirmed by a succession of studies to the point that the probability of being wrong diminishes significantly. The dominant body of scientific literature on climate change now recognizes that the phenomenon is largely the result of human or anthropogenic activities beginning in the Industrial Revolution (Baer, 1). The work of Ash et al. demonstrated this as it identified how contemporary fossil fuel contributed to the rise of mean global temperature to a minimum of 2 degrees Celsius (472). This is supported and highlighted by Diffenbaugh and Fields recent investigations, which identified that the carbon emissions in the 21st century is equivalent to the largest global climate change that occurred in the past 65 million years (486). The body of scientific literature is comprehensive and the consensus is that there is a remarkable change in the weather patterns and global temperature and that these occurred with the advent of industrialization that entail unprecedented carbon emissions, land use and degradation, among other extreme stresses (486). There is now a growing corpus of empirical evidences that reveal the link of climate change to health and environmental crises, including problems such as food security and poverty. One could turn to the assessments identified in Moritz and Agudos work that compared the human adaptability in periods of stressed ecosystems and environments. It was revealed that in the past climate changes, most species - as evidenced in fossil records - have persisted whereas the impact of climate change that is currently transpiring is expected to have large-scale range reduction and extinction for many organisms and species (504). Indeed, a study that assessed the climate change impact found that up to 34 percent of species are at risk of extinction and this was only given in mid-range scenario (Thomas et al., 145-148). Human Agency Scientific evidences point to the rapid industrialization as the major culprit for climate change and this is demonstrated in the so-called greenhouse effect or the manner by which infrared radiation is absorbed by the greenhouse gases and reemitted back to Earth, warming it in the process. In normal levels, the warming allows for the sustenance of life. These days, however, there is an increasing amount of radiation absorbed and beamed to the Earth, warming it significantly (see the Figure 1). Fig. 1: The Greenhouse Effect (NOAA) There are natural greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and these are crucial in warming the Earth. But human activities increase the concentration of these gases, particularly carbon dioxide, methane, halocarbons, sulfurflouride and nitrous oxide, constituting the human induced greenhouse gases (Skinner et al. 3-4). The global energy consumption is considered the main contributor for these emissions. It has grown at a steady rate of about 2 percent in the past two centuries releasing an extraordinary amount of gases into the atmosphere or more specifically, an extra 2 billion tons more of greenhouse gases (Obasi and Dowdeswell 1998, 36). The rate will remain at current pace without any measures to prevent it. The presence of a huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere means that more heat is stored in the atmosphere and beamed into the surface of the earth. As the world turns, this swirls from place to place, changing the patterns of the weather in these areas. Impacts of Climate Change The sudden changes in climactic conditions have triggered incidence of extreme weather conditions in many parts of the world such as torrential rains, droughts and protracted periods of winter. These have brought about calamities that result in human deaths in huge numbers. In 2010, for example, an unprecedented record of rainfall was experienced in Pakistan. A huge part of the country was flooded as a result, which lead to tremendous damages to infrastructure, property and human life while creating health problems for Pakistani in the process (Grover 2012, 16). Low lying areas or island countries that have lower elevations are similarly affected. Floods in India, Pakistan, China and the most recent spate of flooding and landslides in the United States are cases in point. Another important example is how experts are now able to predict the demise of the island nation of Maldives and the extinction of its people through drowning. It is a low-lying country and the consensus is that – given the current climactic trends – the island nation and its people will be wiped out of the planet in a little more than three generations (Carrington). The cost is high for this fledgling nation whose population is almost 400,000. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – an organization established in 1988 to assess the impact and risks of climate change - has changed the color of its report on Maldives’ case to purple, indicating the precariousness of the country’s condition as well as an extremely high risk levels that could worsen as days pass. Extreme drought brought by the climate change is also taking its toll in parts of the world. According to the IPCC, it is directly linked to deaths particularly in North America and Asia (Lawrence). Obasi and Dowdeswell explained this in detail, stating that fatality occurs due to the increase in the intensity and duration of heat waves while extreme weather conditions also expose people to injury, psychological disorder and contamination of resources such as water supplies (35). Famine as a result of prolonged drought also threatens human life. Grover reported that statistics coming out of many African countries show a decline in subsistence crops, accounting for a large proportion of the total population at risk of hunger and death (14). She also pointed out that the weather conditions are also threatening food security elsewhere such as Mali and Nepal with as much as 72 percent of the populace experiencing food shortages in the years to come (15). Climate Policy Adoption To further demonstrate that climate change is caused by human agency or anthropogenic factors, one could also turn to the policy protocols and the institutions set up to address it as a problem. Today, for example, climate change policy is institutionalized when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established. This agency seeks to "prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system" (Hanna, 339). While there are still problems regarding the terms, policies and measures that it will implement, the institution and its mandate underpin a global recognition of the existence of climate change problem and the role of human activities in its emergence. Succeeding conventions such the Kyoto Protocol had been ratified to implement UNFCCC. Within, the UNFCC framework, human interference is key to the recognition of human culpability. The convention cited the emission of greenhouse gases as main culprit and most dangerous human interference and that the established main goal is to stabilize its concentration in the atmosphere by pushing for policies that would reduce it to sustainable degrees (Hannah, 340). The issue of climate change is also being integrated into classroom instruction in many countries. For example, it is a component of the UK national curriculum since 1995, although it ceased to be compulsory in the year 2011 (Smith, 53). In Germany, Al Gores documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", is sanctioned by the government to be shown to German schools. There are also ongoing debates elsewhere such as in the case of policymakers in Australia to include climate change as a subject in schools. An excellent model was adopted with the passage of the Climate Change Act in the Philippines wherein it was maintained that the state will follow a policy that systematically integrate the concept of climate change in various phases of policy formulation by all agencies and instrumentalities of the government (Moran, 51). Aligned with this policy, the country has integrated climate change programs into the academic curriculum, along with disaster preparedness. This development contributes to the validity of the problem and the role of changing human perspective as part of the solution. A relevant aspect in this area is how governmental policy and support are underpinned by the growing public concern and recognition of the dangers of climate change. Opinion surveys now show that the public are overwhelmingly viewing the issue as a serious problem. Take, for example, the case of Germany. In 2009, 65 percent of the German public recognized climate change and the risk and threats it entails (Thomson, 55). This was a significant uptick in the public perception, a 13 percent increase from the 1993 period. The frequent flooding of the Elbe River is blamed by most Germans to climate change, which helped the Red-Green coalition to perform better in the elections (Thomson, 55). It is important to note - out of the measures being taken these days with regards to climate change responses - that while adaptation is a human trait, it is not always marked by success. Nelson has reported this in his work that highlighted how many societies today will be unable to counter the effects of climate change either because of the shifts in demographic composition of the population or the diminished resources and capabilities available especially in cases of poor countries (283). This is aligned with the findings cited earlier in this paper that the impact of climate change would be large-scale, threatening the very survival of many species. Conclusion There are still people who argue that humans do not have a role to play in climate change and that weather changes are naturally occurring phenomena. There are even those who dismiss climate change as a hoax. The scientific and empirical evidences, however, speaks of another story. First, there is a marked increase in concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The amount and rate of growth have been measured and quantified. This leads to what is now recognized as the greenhouse effect, which is the warming of the Earth. Industries and other human activities are dumping additional gases into the atmosphere that trap more heat, warming the Earth significantly in the process. This is already an accepted fact not only in scientific investigations but also as confirmed by policy protocols in place both at the national and international levels. International accords and agencies have been created in order to assess the impact of global warming. The current flurry of studies, measures and negotiations to prevent climate change also serves as a tacit recognition that: 1) there is a significant change to the global weather conditions; and, 2) human agency is critical in the emergence, aggravation and prevention of the phenomenon. Certainly, there are also the unprecedented extreme weather conditions and calamities that ensue as consequences. Floods and drought are occurring in many parts of the world. Records show, especially in comparison with pre-industrial period data - that these incidences are, indeed, unprecedented. What these crises demonstrate is that climate change is here and the reality is that human activity is contributing immensely to its emergence. Works Cited Ash, Caroline, et al. “Once and Future Climate Change.” Science 2. 341.6145 (2013): 472-473. Print. Baer, Hans. Global Capitalism and Climate Change: The Need for an Alternative World System. Plymouth, UK: Rowman Altamira, 2012. Print. Berger, Andre, et al. Climate Change: Inferences from Paleoclimate and Regional Aspects. Berlin: Springer, 2012. Print. Bowen, Kathryn and Friel, Sharon. “Climate Change Adaptation: Where does Global Health Fit in the Agenda?” Globalization and Health. 8.1 (2012): 10. Print. Carrington, Damian. “The Maldives, a Fledgling Democracy at the Vanguard of Climate Change.” The Guardian. 26 September 2013. Web. 4 April 2014. Diffenbaugh, Noah and Field, Christopher. “Changes in Ecologically Critical Terrestrial Climate Conditions.” Science 2. 341.6145 (2013): 486-492. Print. Grover, Velma. Impact of Climate Change on Water and Health. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Print. Hannah, Lee. Climate Change Biology. London: Academic Press, 2010. Print. Joshi, P.K. and Singh, T.P. Geoinformatics for Climate Change Studies. New Delhi: TERI Press, 2012. Print. Lawrence, Dune. “Climate Report Warns of Death, Flooding, and Economic Loss.” Bloomberg Business Week, 31 March 2014. Web. 4 April 2014. Moran, Daniel. Climate Change and National Security: A Country-Level Analysis. Georgetown University Press, 2011. Print. Moritz, Craig and Agudo, Rosa. “The Future of Species Under Climate Change: Resilience or Decline?” 2013. Science 2. 341.6145 (2013): 504-508. Print. Nanda, Ved. Climate Change and Environmental Ethics. Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2012. Print. Nelson, Donald. “Climate Change: Understanding Anthropogenic Contributions and Responses.” Population and Environment. 31.5 (2010): 283-285. Print. U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Global Warming.” NOAA Paleoclimatology. 2008. Web. 5 April 2014. Obasi, G.O.P. and Dowdeswell, E. Climate Change 1995: IPCC Second Assessment: A Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC. Washington: DIANE Publishing, 1998. Print. Rose, Anna. Madlands: A Journey to Change the Mind of a Climate Sceptic. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing, 2012. Print. Skinner, Brian, et al. The Dynamic Earth. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print Smith, Peter. Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: A Race Against Time. London: Routledge. Print. Thomas, Chris, et al. “Extinction Risk from Climate Change.” Nature. 427 (2004): 145-148. Print. Thomson, Vivian. Sophisticated Interdependence in Climate Policy: Federalism in the United States, Brazil, and Germany. London: Anthem Press, 2014. Read More