Global Warming and the Kyoto Protocol
Environmental issues are becoming a growing concern for the world as well as for the world's leaders. Pollution, littering and the burning of fossil fuels are all problems that have drastically affected humans over the past few years. Impure drinking water, radiation, less ecological diversity and cancer are a few of such harms that the world has experienced. However, one of the most prominent concerns is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect, a natural occurrence, is turning deadly with the introduction of humans and carbon emissions and is slowly heating up the world. In future years this could cause catastrophic consequences. Rising global temperatures threatens the very existence of the
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The protocol specifies five gases other than carbon dioxide which need to be reduced. These greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride) are generally referred to as carbon dioxide equivalents. These six gases, including carbon dioxide, are widely blamed for the increased intensity of the greenhouse effect. What happens is that, as the sun's rays hit the earth they are either absorbed or reflected. The ones that are absorbed heat the earth which cause it to emit infrared radiation. The infrared radiation travels into the atmosphere where these greenhouse gases trap it, making it unable to escape our atmosphere. Thus, the air becomes hotter and temperatures all over the world can rise. It may not appear to be of great concern, but an increase in temperature as small as five degrees can be devastating for humans. Some of the main concerns regarding a temperature rise are, the rising of the sea levels which will lead to island and coastline areas to be swallowed up by water, plants and animals will no longer be able to live in their given environments and insects will thrive which will cause the spread of disease. If world leaders though it was hard to come to an agreement regarding carbon emissions, imagine trying to come up with a solution to what would inevitably happen if environmental issues such as this
In the last 100 years, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased, causing the Earth to warm by an average of 0.6 degrees celsius, largely a result of burning fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and land use changes increased for food production. The basic science is straightforward and climate researchers have shown that gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and others can trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Human activities such as industry, transport, energy generation and deforestation all produce these greenhouse gases. In the last 20 years, concern has grown that global warming is inevitable and now considered most probably caused by man-made increases in
The society of the modern day and age is characterized by a wide array of elements, such as unprecedented levels of technologic development, ongoing fights for human rights and societal development, but also high levels of environmental threat. The global warming phenomenon has, for decades, been assessed with importance and reticence alike. While some would argue the severity of the raising global temperatures, others would attest that global warming was a make belief phenomenon. Today however, as science has proven the existence of the phenomenon, more measures have to be taken to ensure environmental stability.
The Global Warming theory has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Citizens of the world are being encouraged to be more environmentally conscious by others including politicians, celebrities, and world organizations. The problem with the theory lies in the fact that it has become more and more controversial as it gains publicity and attention. The basic concept behind this theory is that the earth was made with a balance of “greenhouse gasses”. These gasses are naturally occurring within the atmosphere and they essentially make the planet habitable by keeping it warm.
Climate change is a real problem facing our world with all of the progression of today’s society. The amount of Greenhouse Gas emissions has gone up drastically in the past one hundred years alone. The use of transportation, industry, electricity and the deprivation of the world's natural resources has increased the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency has shown an increase in the Earth's temperature by 0.8 degrees C in the past century alone. It is proven that humans are the cause of global warming but it is not too late to change how we are.
Climate change is a threat that has been in existences for years, but appears to be a greater threat to the world currently. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there is more than 90 percent certainty that emissions of heat-trapping gases from human activities have caused “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century” (IPCC, 2007).
Global warming is drastically changing the world’s climate, causing temperatures and sea levels to rise noticeably. Caused by the usage of greenhouse gases, global warming has brought about extensive controversy concerning its causes and even its existence. Although it is an issue of ongoing concern,many make no modifications in their daily lives. Global warming remains a substantial issue for the world's people, animals and the environment; its ill health effects, forced relocations and the killing off of the food sources combine to make it a widespread problem that requires immediate attention and action.
Global warming has been a controversial topic for years and some have even denied its existence; however, as more studies are being published every day in regards to our changing climate, it is hard to ignore this growing issue and how humans contribute to it. The term greenhouse gases refers to the group of gases that are primarily responsible for global warming and chief among these gases is carbon dioxide. Rising carbon dioxide levels can be attributed to a combination of burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum as well as deforestation in general ( Source A). To slow the effects of global warming, it is important for leaders in our society to consider their greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, and make
Thesis Statement: Global warming is a growing concern of scientists and researchers who believe that it is a serious problem for our planet. The concerns and research have also been questioned and have even been called myths. Millions of people find themselves affected by these weather pattern changes and are concerned for their futures. Activists on both sides of the argument are very passionate and not afraid to attack each other in every way they can. There are many questions that are still not answered, however, we continue to see drastic weather changes to Earth. We must go beyond the arguments and learn as much as we can to stop what could possibly lead to the destruction of our planet, our way of life and our future.
On June 1, 2017, from the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump announced that he will be withdrawing the US from the landmark Paris Climate Agreement. This could be a step back from the progress that was being made during the Obama administration. It was a very puzzling decision because the majority of Americans supported the agreement. Although some people think that the Paris Climate Agreement is not important, it was a poor decision to withdraw from the agreement because it has the potential to be a very important to Earth's future.
The earth is a beautiful and extraordinary planet, but are we treating it right? For the past 20 decades, temperatures have been rising along with hundreds of factors contributing to it. Climate change concerns the public as they wonder if its occurring, how much has occurred in the modern era, what has caused it, what the effects will be if we don’t do anything about it and much more. Many people and scientist agree that mankind is the number one cause of climate change. Humans have influenced this by greenhouse gases, methane nitrous oxide.
In recent years, the controversial subject of global warming has been more predominantly brought to our attention. Is the threat of global warming real? Is it man-made or is this just a natural cycle of earth? Does it really affect earth’s inhabitants? Should action be taken against it? If so, what kind and to what extent? It cannot be only a coincidence that the alarmingly rapid climate change coincides perfectly with the increased amount of pollutants that humans release into the environment. The once stable climate has in recent years begun to skyrocket, thus altering the delicate structure of earthly life. This proves to be hazardous to the future of the planet; some people worry that many of the resources the environment provides that
Among the main goals of the Paris Agreement is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels” (Paris Agreement, 2015). That is, countries involved in the agreement are expected to implement measures that
Under the Kyoto Protocol, a group of developed countries’ (so-called Annex B countries) pledged to cut their greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by varying amounts, averaging 5.2%, by 2012 as compared to 1990. Was Kyoto Protocol a success? According to IEA (2014), the Annex B countries emitted 6.4% less in 2012 compared to 1990, and the participating Annex B countries emitted 14.2% less (excluding the US and Canada). However, the global GHG emissions soared by more than 50% in the same period (IEA, 2014). Researchers argue that the effect of the Kyoto Protocol should be discounted by production offshoring to the Non-Annex B countries (Kanemoto, et al., 2014; Peters et al., 2011a). For example, Peters et al. (2011a) find that the net emission
There is a serious situation is occurring on planet Earth that is causing a significant and harmful effect on communities, health, and the climate. It is Global Warming which can be defined as the constant heating of Earth 's surface, oceans and atmosphere. In order to understand global warming, the most important basic is to figure out how the of greenhouse effect plays an important part in its development. The greenhouse effect is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) that trap heat in the atmosphere that keeps the Earth warm. The information this text will discuss is the meaning of global warming, the causes, and most importantly how citizens can help to rectify the situation. Humanity must tickle this problem immediately before the consequences increase and affect the entire planet.
Uncertain earth climate brings about unpredictable natural hazards; therefore it is necessary to acknowledge if the earth is getting warmer or cooler, what truly causes these changes, and is there a casual relationship between the increase of carbon dioxide and global warming. Only when these study results are reasonable and accurate, relevant forecast and clear polices can be made and implemented. In other words, those biased studies results might point out an opposite direction to protect earth environment and even make current situation get worse. For example, the original aim of Earth Hour is to reduce carbon emissions and balance climate change; however, according to Luke Weston’s lab experiment (2008), the candle burned during Earth Hour, shows that greenhouse gas emissions are increased by 9.6 g of carbon dioxide over electric lighting. Therefore, some misguided results might bring about inappropriate propose and run in opposite directions.