Global Warming and Climate Change - Essay Example

Part 1

For decades, global warming and climate change have been at the center of most social and political debates. Currently, one fact is for sure; global warming is real. Scientific studies have indicated that human activities are the major causes of global warming. In this regard, natural variability in temperature is minor compared to what human activities contribute to global warming. The increase in temperature is causing the climate to change in ways that are not only predictable but are also observable. In turn, climate change causes effects like the Arctic and Antarctic ice loss, coral bleaching, extreme weather patterns like the tsunamis and the tornadoes (Texley, 2011).

In as much as a vast majority of scientists who have dedicated their time and lives to the study of climate change agree to the fact that human activities critically contribute to global warming, a small but vocal minority of people would not accept this fact. This is because fossil fuel companies who have pumped money into disinformation campaigns for decades sponsor some of these schools of thinkers (who do not accept global warming as a fact). Moreover, some of the opponents of the facts surrounding global warming are ideologically inclined to dismissing science, or progressive politics.

As at today, human actions result in the emission of approximately 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in this grand scale is presumably the root cause of climate change. According to scientific studies, unless the world acts now, the living environment will be whipped out through the detrimental impacts of global warming. Nevertheless, the world through governments, corporations, groups and even individuals have the ability to act towards mitigating the impact of global warming, and the United States is one country that has taken the facts of global warming with the level of seriousness it deserves (Weart, 2007).

The United States is a signatory of many conventions and bodies purposed to address global warming and mitigate its impact. In 2014, the release of the second installment of the Intergovernmental panel on climate change’s fifth assessment report provoked the call for urgent and immediate action in response to the climate change. President Obama in his Climate Action Plan laid out a broad agenda to advance his administration’s climate change policies in various international forums involving trade, environment, energy, and security. For the multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), President Obama was unequivocal with his goal being a new, comprehensive agreement to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s largest emitting countries while providing financial and technical assistance to the poor and underdeveloped countries.

The initial position of the United States is that climate change is a universal problem affecting all nations with equal measure, and the world must address the impacts of global warming through a structured approach. This position was reaffirmed during the 2015 United Nations climate change conference (COP21) held in Paris from November 30 to December 12. In the COP21, the United States committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by between 26-28% below the 2005 level in 2025 and to make efforts to reduce the emissions by 28%. This commitment included a curb on carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, nitrogen trifluoride, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride, all which contribute to global warming (Yeo, 2015).

Given the scenario climate change presents to the world, (and the scenario presented in the simulation) the United States would still take a leading role in the regulation of climate change, being that the country is the world’s biggest economy and the second largest emitter, only after China. The United States would not waver on its position and role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and limiting its contribution to global warming such as a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (Yeo, 2015).

Part 2

In 2015, the United States submitted the country’s intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to reduce the net greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below the 2005 level by 2025. Moreover, the United States’ Copenhagen pledge was to reduce the net greenhouse gas emissions by 17% below the 2005b level by 2020. To achieve these commitments, the United States will need to implement additional policies to reach its proposed targets. The planned policies like the ones mentioned in the climate action plan, if implemented, are sufficient to meet the country’s climate change mitigation by 2020. The United States’ INDC categorically explain the ongoing measures to enhance the regulatory framework; hence, the achievement of the 2020 and the 2025 pledges seem feasible. Moreover, the positive aspects of the document are the 2025 timeframe for the INDC, which is a clear description of accounting rules and assumptions, and coverage of the entire economy and all gasses. The systematic plans adopted by the United States motivated her to adopt the position of committing to reducing the greenhouse gages emission by 2025 during the COP21 conference (Lane, 2016).

The adoption of a position to reduce the greenhouse gasses emission by up to 28% by 2025 during the COP21 conference in Paris was motivated by a general feeling in the United States’ public opinion that the country should take a leading role with regard to managing global warming. In 2015, most Americans 52% believed climate change is real and wanted the government to take the leading fight against it. Moreover, only 28% of Americans believed that the United States had so far done more than most countries to address climate change; with a third of the Americans saying the country’s records concerning the fight against global warming is average.

Fifty-seven percent of the Americans supported the pledge made by the U.S. to cut its release of global warming emissions, which is an indication that the public opinion (the majority of the people supporting the commitment) motivated the United States to adopt the position it did in the COP21. Furthermore, the United States adopted the position in the COP21 owing to the financial and technical resources it had. The United States is the world’s leading economy; thus, it is in a better position to fight the causes of global warming through its enormous financial resources. Compared to other poor and developing countries of Africa and Asia, the United States had to naturally take a leading role in mitigating the detrimental effects of global warming and even to offer financial and technical support to the developing countries with regard to strategies for dealing with global warming (Lane, 2016).

Moreover, being the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter after China, the United States had to take a leading position in the control of climate change as one way of showing willingness and commitment in clearing the mess it created by emitting a large amount of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. The COP21 agreement set the goals of limiting the world’s rise in the average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial level and pursuing the efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degree Celsius. The 196 nations that attended the conference voted to adopt the agreement and the United States positively acknowledged the position taken by other countries, with President Obama terming the position adopted at the COP21 ad a “strong one, showing what is possible when the world stands as one.” Additionally, the United States secretary of state John Kerry termed the outcome of the COP21 as a victory for the entire planet and the future generation. Kerry asserted that the results of the conference would enable the world to prepare for the effects of climate change that are either already present with us or those on their way coming (Nexus, 2015).

Part 3

As a means of minimizing the effects of global climate change, a 2007 Bali declaration of 250 scientists advocated for action to limit the global warming to not more than 2° C above the pre-industrial temperature. This declaration was later adopted by the COP21 conference in Paris where the 196 nations agreed to reduce global warming to not more than 1.5° C above the pre-industrial temperature. Following the simulation study on the role of the United States in mitigating the effects and the impacts of global warming, it is evident that the position taken by the United States to reduce greenhouse gasses emission by 28% by 2025 has witnessed more success stories than failure.

One of the positive sides that can be termed as the success of the position taken by the United States in the COP21 is that the agreement restored confidence in the United Nations’ process, which mostly fell apart in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen summit had left many people disillusion about the prospect of an agreement between countries with highly different priorities and interests. Several commentators described the COP21 as a diplomatic success. Narrowing down to the United States, the declarations, and commitments made by the country can also be called a success story owing to a large proportion of the US citizens in support of the position. Moreover, the positive approach with which different leaders of the United States and the civil society embraced the commitment to reducing the instigators of global warming equally adds to the success of the country’s position on climate change (McGrath, 2015).

In presenting my roles position of committing to reducing greenhouse gas emission by 26-28% by 2025, some of the difficulties experienced are the answering the questions on how this commitment would be achieved. Moreover, a challenge experienced in presenting my role’s position is whether my role is financially and technically prepared to implement the commitments presented. It would be detrimental for a country like the United States to make a commitment on an international platform and fail to meet its obligations. Being that the United States is currently the leading economy, it is under constant pressure to lead by example and faces the challenge of being expected by other countries to make the most commitments.

Nevertheless, other countries (other roles in the group) positively embraced the position by taken by the United States, as it was one of the boldest moves that target elimination of global warming. I believe my group reached the collective decision it did as a means of limiting the effects of global warming, which are scientifically proven as factual. Therefore, the simulation was instrumental in impacting knowledge on various facts behind global warming; the mitigation measures towards climate change and the importance of cooperation to limit and mitigate the effects of climate change (McGrath, 2015).