Energy, Agriculture, And Livestock

Industries and Electrical generation are estimated to produce “a little over 50%” of greenhouse emissions, making it the biggest problem (Petterson

Even if all countries in the world contribute to the air pollution, the developed countries take the leading role on releasing carbon monoxide in the air. This toxic air increases risk of the ozone layer depletion, which potentially would expose UVB radiation at the earth. This UVB radiation has negative consequences on humans, animals, plants and other planetary creatures. In addition to UVB radiation the polluted air by itself can cause serious health problems for humankind. Moreover, this process would cause the earth to become warmer which consequence of global warming. Industries and transportation takes the first place for the source of emissions of air

In the words of Barack Obama, “climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now.” (J. S. World Economic Forum, 2015) This global phenomenon is causing many problems around the world and is affecting both developed countries like Canada and other countries in the process of developing. This report investigates how climate change can pose significant impacts on all countries despite economic stability. Places like Canada are affected by the severe storms and drastic changes in weather and these changes can hurt the environment and the economy. They can also pose threats to crop production and public health. Climate change can also hurt the developmental progression of low-income countries

Over 70% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels. Increase in technology (a.k.a electricity) leads to burning of waste. As well as the increase in population, leads to increase in food consumption, which greenhouse gas emissions generate from livestock, agricultural soils, and rice production.

Moreover, carbon and petroleum, compounds which produce large amounts of carbon emissions when burned, have accounted for more than half of the energy produced in 2013, while cleaner energy sources, such as solar and wind power, were reported as less than 10% of the produced energy (Adams). Developing countries, like China and India, play a huge role in the production. China alone contributed 27% of 2011’s total carbon emissions (Union). The process of modernization and the air pollution that this causes has led to uncontrollable environmental damage, in addition to a huge influx of health defects and pollution-related deaths.

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) preliminary estimate of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 reveals that emissions stayed flat compared with the year before, whereas the global economy grew (3). The IEA noted that “There have been only four periods in the past 40 years in which CO2 emission levels were flat or fell compared with the previous year, with three of those—the early 1980s, 1992, and 2009—being associated with global economic weakness. By contrast, the recent halt in emissions growth comes in a period of economic growth.”

Climate change is one of the most important challenges of humankind in this century. The ability to adapt, mitigate and reduce carbon emissions will be decisive to preserve the world for future generations. The last IPCC report has provided more evidence regarding the rise in temperature and sea level. Apparently, additional 2°C above the pre-industrial average temperature levels is unavoidable, and it will continue at that level due the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere (Solomon 2009). Climate change will affect people all around the world in different ways, though the capacity to cope with it is different among regions and countries. The Latin America region is notably susceptible to climate change, due its geographical position, population location and its economy relying in natural resources (Vergara et. al. 2013a). The withdrawal of the coral biome, glaciers melting, jungles & forest savannization and strongest climate events are only some of the threats that will affect their inhabitants.

Some of the major sources of energy in the United States are natural gas, coal, petroleum, renewable energy and nuclear electric power. These energy sources produce greenhouse gasses. The primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions come from six areas including electricity, transportation, industry, commercial/residential, and agriculture. Whereas, land use /forestry actually offset about 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Land areas (plants, vegetation, harvested wood, and soil) can absorb as well as store CO2 from the atmosphere. Electricity is produced from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas, therefore, generating approximately 30 percent greenhouse gas emissions in 2014. Transportation emitted 26 percent greenhouse gas in 2014 making it the

These emissions are mainly emitted through the burning of fossil fuels. Automobiles burn gasoline and petroleum, which releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere. Burning down of forests directly emits those harmful gasses into our atmosphere and of course many factories aid in producing harmful gasses as well. Many of our power-plants within our lifetime here on earth have burned coal, which is one of the largest contributors to global warming out of all pollutants on earth, as stated by National Geographic. These gasses that are released into the atmosphere are known as “Greenhouse Gasses”, which are the main contributor to global warming. The term Greenhouse Gas, as stated by the National Weather Service was invented to give a visual description of how our atmosphere traps gasses and other particles into our atmosphere to prevent them from being released into space. As stated by National Geographic, “The Greenhouse Affect, is the process of heat and energy being trapped into our atmosphere to keep the earth at a livable

Producing electricity: Burning fossil fuels, like coal and natural gases, for electricity is responsible for most of the emissions at 31 percent.

The interaction between climate and socioeconomic are measured over extended period of time. This is because any isolated human activities or limited in number could not be linked to as large as climate, which typically covers local and regional area.(Alcamo et al., 2007; Dearing, 2006; Rebelo, 2011; Spångberg, Tidåker, & Jönsson, 2014) Macro and micro areas are usually influenced by weather. Searching for the papers that linked socioeconomic occurrences with climate does not have to be one way affecting the other. This paper also focuses on the vice versa effects on what are the socioeconomic occurrences affected by climate change. (Adger & Nelly, 1999; Alcamo et al., 2007; Anderson & Guyas, 2012; Butera, 2010; Karfakis et al., 2012; Kim,

The global climate has increased by approximately 0.6°C over the last 100 years (Walther et al. 2002). This increased rate of changes is largely due to humans: the industrial revolution, the advancement of technology and burning of fossil fuels (Timmermann et al. 1999). This human involvement has gradually changed the natural order of the environment and many of its processes. Some of these environmental conditions are not easily predictable, as these climatic changes are also increasing more extreme weather events such as: droughts in the savannah country, floods in low lying areas and an increase in intensity of cyclonic events (Knutson et al. 2010).

Agricultural practices throughout the ages have evolved dramatically. Having started off as simple pastoral management and shifting cultivation, these methods have been altered substantially in the name of “progress”, primarily in the US and other industrialized nations. Through this progression the energy inputs and outputs has been drastically altered. The industrialized food system as we know it is much more complex today than the simple agricultural practices used thousands of years ago. Today, the industrialized agricultural system is dependent on extraordinary amounts of fossil fuel inputs in order to maintain its complexity. Energy is needed for growing, processing, packaging, distributing, preparing and disposing of food. With the

The area of interest is located in the San Joaquin Valley, California, primarily in the western part of Fresno County, California. The primary land uses in the region are irrigated cropland, livestock, grazing, and urban and home development (USDA 2015). Other land uses include recreation and wildlife habitats. The land survey of the region consists of series of straight lines delineating fields of crops, typically running north to south. A series of squares dominates the aerial view of the region. The region experiences hot and dry summers with an average July high of 92°F and has historically experienced cool and rainy winters with an average January low of 38°F which normally lasts between November and April. However,

Have you ever realized that grain fed to livestock could be used to feed starving children? Plump, hormone-injected cattle feed on grain and drink precious purified water while frail, emaciated children with bacteria-swollen stomachs scrounge for food in the streets of Ethiopia, their sunken eyes and cracked lips manifesting their chronic dehydration. Livestock production is causing more ethical problems that most realize. In addition to contributing to the starvation of children, the livestock industry is a major culprit in terms of the unscrupulous treatment of animal as well as the destruction of the environment and its natural resources. The cattle themselves are often kept in overcrowded, unsanitary living conditions. Moreover,