In early 2013, the attention of the world was turned to the smog in China. The southern parts of the country were covered by dense smog that made it impossible for road transportation. While transportation might have been the most affected by the smog, there were also concerns about the health impacts of the smog on people. Analysts indicated that since the smog was associated with the heavy industrialization taking place in Southern China, it was possible that the smog could poison the people. As such, the movement of people was very limited until the situation normalized. While smog continues to be a major environmental problem in China, the situation is not unique to China. Many countries are struggling with devastating environmental conditions. For example, the 2010 drought and famine in the horn of Africa have been attributed to global warming and so is the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes in North America. The main cause of these problems has been identified to be the dependence of the world on fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. According to Rambo (2013), about eighty percent of the global energy supplies originate from carbon-based fuels, which are fossil fuels. This notwithstanding, their emissions are connected to environmental pollution. They are also linked to an escalation in global temperatures and interference with climatic patterns. On the other hand, it is has been reported that being exposed to indoor pollution causes respiratory
The 21st century has begun with one of the most challenge security threats to the United States of America have had to face. The perils of climate change have the ability to impact the national interest concerning power, prosperity and peace. The continued challenges around the world, and domestically, it is critical the US implements a comprehensive grand strategy. Cooperative security gives the US the best possibility to achieve the goals that will lessen the effects and place the US ahead of the international agenda. Combating climate change will require successful policies such as international climate pacts, collective-action and cap and trade initiatives. In the past, we have seen the US shy away from such accords worried about the
The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human activity is increasing global average surface air temperatures, disrupting weather patterns, and acidifying the ocean (1). Left unchecked, the continued growth of GHG emissions could cause global average temperatures to increase by another 4°C or more by 2100 and by 1.5 to 2 times as much in many midcontinent and far northern locations (1). Although our understanding of the impacts of climate change is increasingly and disturbingly clear, there is still debate about the proper course for U.S. policy—a debate that is very much on display during the current presidential transition. But putting near-term politics aside, the mounting economic and scientific
Over 14 billion dollars have been spent on levees in New Orleans , yet hurricanes continue to cause damage. As storms continue to grow stronger, that figure will continue to rise. Though the destruction of climate change can be seen globally with storms, wildfires, and oil depletion, Popular support for environmental movements and policies is minimal. The numbers needed to make a difference are not there. From 2008 to 2010, the number of Americans who believed in climate change dropped to 57%. While shocking, there is an array of psychological reasons for the lack of support. Ordinary citizens are shying away from environmental efforts due to knowledge, perspective, and money.
For someone to say that they do not believe in the idea of global climate change is like saying that they do not believe in science. About 200 nations, including the United States, have all come to the conclusion that climate change is indeed a real and that we, human-beings, have become responsible for finding a solution to this precarious situation that we have put ourselves in. However, there is still a small population of people that believe that there is nothing we can do to forestall the destructive effects of global climate change. To retract the naysayers current idea, in his climate change address, Barack Obama talks about his plans to reduce America’s carbon emissions by at least 17 percent by 2020 and at least 26 to 28 percent
Global warming, which is making oceans warmer, is causing an increase in the strength of hurricanes that could affect the United States. Today, there are less category 1, 2, and 3 hurricanes approaching the United States annually. But to counterbalance this effect, the intensity and frequency of category 4 and 5 hurricanes are greatly increasing (Shulman, #6). Therefore, there are a great deal of category four and five hurricanes that are bound to affect the United States.
Not two weeks ago, I was floating on a noodle, beer in hand, life and conversation good; when the topic of climate change came up and I was presented with an opportunity to ponder why people see the same things so differently.
The recent panic about global warming is causing problems throughout the United States. The global warming debate is a variety of arguments regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of worldwide global warming. The disputed issues include, whether this warming trend is extraordinary or within normal climatic variations, whether humankind has caused it, and whether the increase is an object of poor measurements. The controversy is much more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature, where there is a strong agreement that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend could mainly be caused by human related emissions of greenhouse gases. The question is, is global warming human
Agriculture helps the United States economy by contributing more than three hundred billion dollars each year. This number is kept stable by having consistent amount of agriculture farmed or raised each year and it is creating a sustainable food supply. Climate change is capable of destroying this stability and contribution from agriculture. Climate change is a serious problem that is currently happening and is destroying the agriculture’s productivity which has an impact on everyone.
The Discordant Applications of the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities Doctrine as a Hindrance to Climate Change Policy
Our climate plays an important role in human societies and affects agriculture, ecosystems, our natural environment and our health.
Global warming is a topic that everyone is familiar with, but not everyone really understands how they can help to prevent it. Global warming is defined as the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of Earth’s climate system. Scientists have been studying global warming for over a century now, and most believe that greenhouse gasses are the cause and humans are the number one greenhouse gas contributor to our atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses however are produced by big industries, regulating these gasses might mean less and more costly production for these big companies. Most people believe that our economy will suffer from cutting down on fossil fuel usage to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Because of this the United States
This report will analyze climate change and the initiative that the United States is taking in the Arctic. If ignored, climate change poses serious problems for the world’s population in the near future. The increasing amount of media regarding the severity of climate change has pushed researchers for answers. The report will explore the causes of climate change, how climate change is affecting the ecology, economy and people in the Alaskan Arctic, and possible solutions to the climate changing.
Our world is beginning to decay due to a constant use of inefficient resources. Global warming is a not a newly developed idea; it has taken over the world for quite a while now. Many do not know what global warming actually entails, but it is the event in which carbon dioxide and other air pollutants gather in our atmosphere and as a result the trap heat, consequently making our planet hotter. One of the main factors contribution to this is the burning of fossil fuels which is “producing about two billion tons of CO2 [carbon dioxide] every year.” On top of this, the next closest factor that causes 1.7 billion ton of CO2 emissions would be our transportation systems. As a result, our world is slowly becoming hotter, which is leading to the next controversial concern: extreme weather conditions. All over the world, scientists have seen an increase of dangerous hurricanes, droughts, powerful rainfall and more intense storm weather. With all of these new threats, it has become apparent that there is also an increased chance of fires, coastal flooding, heat waves, medical issues, and possible extinctions.
In copious parts of the world, there are an abundance of factors that add to the destruction of our Earth. These issues include air, water, and environmental problems that we contribute to everyday. These concerns create major impacts that pertains to much of the globe and the world in which we inhabit today, compared to the world we lived in 50 years ago. Frequent questions that contribute to global warming include the following: how and why does the community supply detrimental factors to the Earth to cause global warming, and how can the community contribute to the repair of our vanishing Earth? Both of these questions are constantly the idea behind many global organizations that aid in the improvement of our world. This topic needs to be addressed immediately in order to preserve what we have left of our Earth.
One of the more troubling themes of over the past few years is global warming. Global warming is the result of human activity overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other toxic emissions. These emissions trap heat, drive up Earth’s temperature, and create significant and harmful impacts on our health, our environment, and our climate. In an effort to hinder global warming, advocates have made several efforts to decrease the amount of harmful emissions being released into the atmosphere and have put pressure on the government to be involved in the fight against global warming. The U.S. Federal Government responded by making certain atmosphere-harming actions illegal and providing incentives for individuals and companies to