No doubt, James Hansen has rightly identified one of the emerging issues in the whole world. Soon after realizing the importance and intensity of this global issue, developed countries started taking the initiative to sort out the issue. However, in order to delve into the subject in detail, it is first essential to understand the meaning and the background of the problem. When the average global temperature increases, it is termed global warming. The increase in temperature however leads the world towards the serious implications. It affects various areas, including global economics, society, geopolitics, humanity, and, in turn, all living beings, as it is an environmental problem. There are two schools of thought on this subject. Where one school of thought believes that this issue is just a myth, the other believes that it is a horrible reality. The intensity of the issue is also reflected in the statistics provided by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the rise of temperature is about .6 degrees centigrade, the rise in sea level is 20 cm, and the prediction for the future is that it would rise by 1.4 to 5.8 c whereas the sea level has the tendency to rise by 88 cm till 2100.
The history of global warming began when the natural greenhouse effect was identified for the first time. The scientists began to study the dimension, which asserted that the emission of greenhouse gases has an increased probability of changing the climate. Finally, the development of the Milankovitch theory of ice ages affirmed the notion that greenhouse gases are responsible for most of the changes that are caused by the climate. This essay will discuss how climate change can have an environmental effect.
To begin with, one of the major environmental effects caused by climate change is the increase in the level of the sea. The level of the sea increases due to the greenhouse effect, and the ozone layer tends to deplete. The depletion of the ozone layer then causes the ultraviolet rays of the sun to hit the earth more severely. Further, the rise in the temperatures also causes the ice glaciers to melt, which also increases the levels of the sea. Due to rising sea levels, the threat of coastal flooding also increases. Thus, the change in the climate creates multifarious environmental anomalies, and the rise in the level of the sea is one of them.
Moreover, extreme weather is also one of the effects caused by climate change. Climate change impacts the weather patterns. It causes a change in the levels of precipitation, and the level of warming increases over the land area. More specifically, the northern latitude bears the most burden by becoming warmer than the Southern Ocean. Thus, the impact climate change has on the environment is evident; however, after realizing the importance of this issue and the need to sort it out beforehand, the developed countries of the world signed a treaty named the Kyoto Protocol. Under this agreement, the countries committed that they shall attempt to control the reasons that lead to the changes in the climate by raising the level of temperature in the atmosphere, such as the reduction in the greenhouse gases up to the level that would reduce the likelihood of the interference of these gases with the climate system.
However, the obligation and the burden of this responsibility have been kept with the developed countries. The reason behind this has been pronounced as these countries have been responsible for the current levels of these gases in the atmosphere. However, one of the major setbacks for this effort to control the issue was the withdrawal of the US from the agreement. The country has been a world leader for a long time, and the exclusion has led to a decline in the credibility of this agreement. As a result, the chances of execution have decreased.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, climate change is a global issue; thus, all countries need to stand together and work to sort this issue out. It impacts the environment in a variety of ways, and it is evident that the world is in danger due to the change in the climate, and there is a dire need to work on it so that it can be controlled sufficiently. The countries of the world, after realizing the importance of the issue and the difference it might cause, have worked on the formulation of international laws and treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol; however, this is not the only solution, and even it is not effective enough if it does not involve those countries that are very important for its execution. There may be other solutions that countries may follow, such as less consumption and less burning of fuels. Further, moral pressure may be exerted upon the companies so that they must formulate a proper procedure for becoming socially responsible and playing their part in sustainable environmental protection.
References
Global Warming Quotes – BrainyQuote. (2018). BrainyQuote. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/global_warming
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2018). Ipcc.ch. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from http://www.ipcc.ch/
The Kyoto Protocol – Status of Ratification | UNFCCC. (2018). Unfccc.int. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://unfccc.int/process/the-kyoto-protocol/status-of-ratification
Global Warming 101. (2018). NRDC. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzY-Dkee22AIVB7jACh09xQlZEAAYASAAEgI27PD_BwE
