Global Environmental Politics: The Oil Industry and Climate Change - Term Paper Example

Global Environmental Politics Assignment: The Oil Industry and Climate Change (Outline) Name Institution Course Tutor Date Global Environmental Politics: The Oil Industry and Climate Change Executive Summary Climate change is among the global problems affecting every region of the world. The polar ice shields, which some of them have provided grounds for tourism and sports are melting. Sea levels are rising and extreme weather and shifting rainfall, as well as micro-climate, are some of the impacts of the changing climate in certain regions. Heavy rainfall, among the other extreme weather events is becoming common and frequent in most regions across the globe. Floods and poor water quality have been the consequences of such heavy rains. The wildlife has adversely been affected and altered in most parts of the world. Among the contributing-factors to climate change include the oil industry among many others. The industry is reported to have resulted in the altered climate in various multiple ways. Many scientific studies as well as political arguments have implicated the industry with instances of risks towards climate change and its effects. Over the past decades, events have depicted links that exist between the oil industry and climate change. For instance, the past forty years have depicted intense debate around the ExxonMobil oil dealer in United States (US) over its contribution to the changing climate in the country. There are many arguments that the company had financed climate change denial sector to lie about their contribution to the climate change in return. Political tension has been part of the debate features, including a series of state and federal investigation around the company. However, the climate justice cannot be attained yet considering that the oil and its products are still the significant sources of fuel for most developing countries. Policies can be adopted to regulate oil production and consumption activities, but its complete the world’s complete shift to renewable sources is currently quite impossible. Introduction Climate change is one of the global problems affecting every region of the world. The situation has impacted various challenges to almost every sector that is associated with human life and development. The polar ice shields, which some of them have provided grounds for tourism and sports are melting. This melting of ice has resulted in rising sea heights in various regions. In some places around the world, extreme weather and shifting rainfall, as well as micro-climate, are some of the impacts of the changing climate. Heavy rainfall, among the other extreme weather events is becoming common and frequent in most regions across the globe. Floods and poor water quality have been the consequences of such heavy rains. The wildlife has adversely been affected and altered in most parts of the world. Therefore, the climate change has impacted the glob with various negative effects that has resulted in reduced life quality or increased cost of maintaining quality life. However, there are certain cause-factors that have been associated with the increased effects of climate change in different regions. Among the factors include the oil industry among many others. The industry is reported to have resulted in the altered climate in various multiple ways. Many scientific studies as well as political arguments have implicated the industry with instances of risks towards climate change and its effects. Over the past decades, events have depicted links that exist between the oil industry and climate change. This paper seeks to explore the issues around the global climate changes, the oil industry contributions and political atmosphere around it. While establishing the oil industry activities and political contributions towards climate change, the paper intends to explore some of the scandals and cover-ups in the industry and their effects on the environment. Also, this paper intends to explore some of the policies that have been in place to regulate and management the impacts of economic activities on the environment. Review of the Oil Industry The breakthrough of oil industry backdates to 19th century, which marked the period of great change and industrialization almost in every region of the world. This period features the introduction of new tools and equipment that were very essential to different economic activities. The steel and iron industry introduced the new tools to further construction of different human activities. Also, the industry introduced connected regions of the world, as railroads were constructed to connect different major economic activities’ points. The iron railway linked and facilitated the development of other economic activities. The further instance of breakthrough in the global economy features the discovery of oil. Oil provided a new source of fuel. One of the oil discoveries, the Spindletop geyser in 1901, recorded a huge growth in the oil industry. Thereafter, more than 1500 oil companies were chartered within a year (Crain n.d.; Liewellyn et al. 2013). This introduction of the oil companies resulted in oil being the dominant fuel on the 20th century. This period and oil industry also marked the integral part of the American economy at the time (Wall n.d.). Just it was in the United States (US), the oil industry development also impacted economic change in different country, such as Australia and Canada, among other leading oil producers. By late 19th century, the oil industry major players stated competing and the international competition in the industry had grown both in size and market power (Liewellyn et al. 2013). Some years after the discovery of oil in different regions of the world, the Nobel Brothers, Rothschilds and the Russian producers in the Baku region, and the Royal Dutch included the major competitors in the oil industry (Crain n.d.; Liewellyn et al. 2013). The competition grew stronger in most countries such US, Canada, Australia, Russia, and Netherlands, among others as a result of new discoveries and many firms acquiring charters for dealing in oil producing and processing. The 20th century depicts the development of some of the major oil producing companies in the world. The ‘seven sisters’, Standard Oil of New York (Mobil), Anglo Persian Oil Company (BP), Royal Dutch Shell, Standard Oil of California (Chevron), Gulf Oil, Texaco, and Standard Oil of New Jersey (Esso) are the leading world oil companies in the industry. The contemporary changes of oil industry depicts major multinational oil producer in different part of the world, contributing to the 2.9 million barrels of oil per day that is the current trend. According to Hamilton (2015), the current trends of oil production features increase in volume among the major producers in the world, such as Iraq and US among others. The industry is one of the largest in the world today, driving most of economies globally. With the development in the other industries that require energy to further their operations and production, the demand for oil and its product have been reported to have grown over the past few years. The major players of the industry maintain their dominance in the industry by making it difficult for new entries. Therefore, the companies that were there in the 20th century are still the multinationals in the industry. The demand for oil and its products are projected to continue increasing, implying that the industry is expected to grow. Oil Industry and Climate Change The ongoing irreversible disastrous climate change is one of the major global threats to human today. The greenhouse gas emissions, which are reported to be relentlessly increasing, are consuming the atmosphere. The ice-caps and glaciers are evidently melting at higher rates, sea levels are rising, the rainfall patterns or season are changing in all parts of the globe, and climate imbalance is one of the features of the contemporary world. The problem of climate change is considered both real and human-induced problem that is currently depleting the world (Hopkins 2016; Harris et al. 2015). Therefore, the industry is part of the influences towards the rising global climate change and its consequences. Impacts Just any other fossil fuel, the production, transport and use of oil is also considered to be consequential to the wellbeing of the people and their environment. Oil production result in air pollution and greenhouse gas emission, which are the key contributors of climate change (Williams 2016). The polluted atmosphere that is full of the greenhouse gases result in acid rains that, instead of furthering the growth of vegetation that serves as catchment for rains, kills plant. The pollution and toxic gasses from the oil production plants have resulted in drying effects of the global forests and other vegetation. As the terrains remain bare, the drought, aridity and desertification, is the trend observed across the globe. Goldenberg (2014) reports that the water supply points in some of the drought-prone areas in the US are depleted by the oil industry. According to the author, fracking the water pints have raised much concern about scarcity of water for survival in those regions. Alberta is reportedly cutting down trees to pave ways for its oil production activities, a practice that has contributed much to the increasing drought concerns. Another contribution of the oil industry to the current global threat, climate change, is the melting of ice-caps and glacier. The oil production activities towards easing their drilling process have resulted in increased global temperatures. According to Williams (2016), the rising temperatures have caused ice melts, hence the rise in sea levels. Consequently, the risen sea levels have resulted in floods, which is one of the disastrous impacts of global warming. Even though the sea levels have been rising and falling seasonally before, the recent and projected patterns and levels are raising much concern since it is rising at a rapid rate. The pollution of the atmosphere has also resulted in the unpredictable patterns of rainfall in all parts of the globe. Microclimate, featuring much rainfall in certain areas and droughts in others has also been part of the impacts of the global climate change. Most of the changes that people observe in the environment have been directly linked to oil production and consumption. Most industries that consume oil and its products contribute majorly to the pollutions that kill plants and gasses that change the condition of the atmosphere in different parts of the world. Recently, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has added another instance of catastrophe to the long list of oil spills. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is reported to have been the largest in history, which released over 210 million gallons oil into the sea and left over 572 miles of shoreline covered with oil slicks. Thousands of lives of marine creatures and birds were claimed in the spill. Additionally, the spill, just as the many others, resulted in adverse long-term effects on the environment, including pollution and aridity of the lands along the affected shoreline. Scandals The politics around the oil industry features various instances of scandals by the industry and further contributions to the climate change. One of the biggest firms in the oil industry, the Exxon, is reportedly has been caught out in what most studies describe as the biggest climate scandal. Exxon is said to have twisted the facts about the impacts of its activities to the environment as well as contribution to the ongoing climate change. The oil company is believed to have promoted and furthered denialism about the effects of its activities and misled the shareholder, besides going carbon heavy (McKibben 2016). The company had claimed to have not been aware about the climatic implication and risks that are associated with its activities. However, the firm participated and led the climatic change denial for twenty-five years, furthered by its own funded climate research. During the periods, the company opposed the concept and practice of Kyoto Protocol and undermined the public opinion about the contribution of oil production and consumption activities to the climate change and its consequences (Williams 2016). According to the company’s own research of denial, the corporation claimed that burning fossil fuels do not contribute to the climate change. Also, the company helped to found and fund the Global Climate Coalition that was opposing the idea that greenhouse emission causes climate change. According to McKibben (2016), Exxon funded the Union of Concerned Scientist using an estimate of $16 million in 2007 and 43 advocacy organizations between 1998 and 2005 to lie about the impact of global warming and the oil production’s contribution towards it. The company is said to have employed disinformation tactics to make the public and its shareholder believe that oil production and industry was not contributing to climate change, and global warming is not as catastrophic as may be perceived. It is when the attorneys general of New York, California, Massachusetts, and the United States Virgin Islands conducted thorough investigations that the company’s scandals were unfolded. However, the company disputed the investigations, claiming that they were politically motivated. It was discovered that the company was using climate denial machines to project misleading information about climate change and the idea of global warming. Political, Economic and Cultural implications The effect of climate change predicts insecurities in different aspects global fields. Economically, the future of the world is projected to experience massive food and water shortages, devastating natural disasters, and diseases. According to the scenario developed by the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), the greenhouse gas emissions as well as its pollution to the natural resources available for use by people is likely to provide chances for deadly diseases such as cancer and the associated complications (Podesta & Ogden 2007). However, despite the many effects of climate change and known contributions by the oil industry, the politics around these areas argue that oil products are vital to the global economy and its vitality is significant that the harm it causes, which most firms fail to acknowledge. The debate about the climate change effects and causes has prolonged from the reign of Exxon’s denial scandals to the contemporary world where people weigh the benefits of oil products against its contributions to climate change. The first position of the debate demonstrates that idea that climate change is caused by human activities in the contemporary society is not proven. According the report by IPCC, most oil producers and trading houses claim that the idea of natural gas contribution to climate change was a feature in the past, and not in the contemporary global environment (Skjaeseth & Skodvin 2003; Giddens 2008). The politics around the climate change acknowledges that the contemporary climate change is human-induced; however its cause and effects have been exaggerated or misunderstood. There have been arguments that climate change is not a threat to the global life as commonly perceived. Also, the debate argues that issues such as chemical weapons, poverty, and Aids, among others, are the current disastrous threats to human life than climate change. Others argue that the science around oil production and consumption as well as impacts of climate change has progressed and improved to an extent that climate change is no longer the catastrophic threat it was once. However, the other side of political debate about oil industry, climate change, and the general consequences acknowledge the actual contribution of oil industry to climate change effects; however, justifies its activities that oil products are on high demand globally, especially by the developing countries, and cannot be abandoned because of its effects on the environment. Borras Jr. et al. (2010) and Podesta & Ogden (2007) point out that even though the oil industry acknowledge their contribution to the global climate change, they justify for their activities claiming that the world is in high demand for fuel, which can only be provided by the industry in the adequate levels. Therefore, they can only adapt national policies that regulate the methods used to produce and consume oil and its products. Okereke (2010), Schlosberg (2012) and Bond (2011), however, present the other version of politics surrounding the connection of oil industry and climate change, as well as it consequences. The authors argue that the world has acknowledged that their activities constitute to the issue of climate change. Also, the authors acknowledge the association of oil industry and climate change; however, they; while referring to the statements of some of the world’s leading oil companies; advice that unless the world adopts renewable or other sources of energy other than oil, the demand for energy continues to increase and so is the need for the oil products. Consequently, the need for energy, especially in the developing countries, calls for the oil products, hence the continuity of climate change and its effects (Hamilton 1998; Schlosberg 2012). Most leading oil producers have embraced the idea of adopting policies that regulate activities around oil production and consumption to manage the impacts of climate change. Also, some of these companies have argued in support for shifting to other sources of energy, such as renewable for the purpose of commencing the reducing trend in global climate change. Even though different countries have national policies to help in battling climate change domestically, others cannot just execute the idea of shifting to green energy sources yet, particularly the developing nations. Therefore, the politics of the climate justice (CJ) recognizes and agree to the fact that these developing countries still depend on oil and its products to fuel their developments (Bond 2011; Menestrel et al. 2002). Therefore, oil industry maybe contributing majorly to the climate change that is currently devastating the planet, but the climate justice towards a world free of desertification and aridity, melting ice and glaciers, changing rainfall patterns, and environmental pollution cannot be achieved just yet. The planet is still reliant on oil products than the need to stop its activities. Conclusion The history of the global oil industry backdates to the early 19th centuries when the world experienced changes and rapid industrialization. The introduction and development of the steel and iron also resulted in the introduction, establishment and exploration of the new source of fuel, oil industry. With the aid from tools and equipment, people ventured in the oil industry, locating and exploiting oil sources. During the same period, many oil companies were chartered within a year in various parts of the globe. Many studies over the past decades, exploring the history and evolution of oil industry, in relation with the changes in the global climatic conditions, have argued that the industry has adversely impacted the global environment in many ways. However, others have argued politically against such claims. For instance, the past forty years have depicted intense debate around the ExxonMobil oil dealer in United States (US) over its contribution to the changing climate in the country. There are many arguments that the company had financed climate change denial sector to lie about their contribution to the climate change in return. Political tension has been part of the debate features, including a series of state and federal investigation around the company. Even though the contribution of oil industry to climate change is evident, some politics around the idea have denied such claims while others admitting. However, the climate justice cannot be attained yet considering that the oil and its products are still the significant sources of fuel for most developing countries. Policies can be adopted to regulate oil production and consumption activities, but its complete the world’s complete shift to renewable sources is currently quite impossible. 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