20 Nov 2022

185

Climate Change: Effects, Causes and Solutions

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Climate change, evidenced in changing climatic patterns globally, is part of the leading causes of damaging human and natural systems in contemporary society. Advanced by aspects, such as increased emission of greenhouse gases, black carbon in the air, deforestation, and pollution, climate change is responsible for the untimely loss in biodiversity, human and animal lives, and Food and water insecurity. According to research, up to 65.8 million people globally were victims of natural disasters, such as drought, storms, floods, and wildfires propelled by climate changes ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . Climate change impacts also cost the entire world approximately $131.7 billion, with 93% of the funds being spent on handling the effects of wildfires, storms, and floods ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . Climate change attacks ecosystems, food, health, water, and human habitat. Therefore, mitigation strategies, such as renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, regulated waste combustion, use of civic and classroom education, and environmental preservation policies must be deployed and reinforced by nations globally.  

Background Information 

Climate change results from excessive heat trapped by the earth's atmosphere, negatively impacting the hydrological cycle. The primary causes of climate change are greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted from natural or human-induced activities. Natural sources of GHGs that cause climate change include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, wildfires, oceans, and wetlands. Additionally, GHGs are produced in the atmosphere by human activities, such as large-scale industrial burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, aerosols for farming, coal-mining, burning, and poor agricultural techniques that promote soil erosion ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . The above natural and human activities propel harmful gases, such as methane, carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur hexaflouride, hydroflourocarbons, nitrous oxide, and perflourocarbons. 

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According to statistics, 145% of GHG emissions that cause climate change between 1970 and 2004 resulted from the energy sector, 65% from industries, 120% from transportation, 69% from overpopulation, and 40% from land-use changing patterns ( Misra, 2014) . The GHGs absorb the earth's terrestrial radiation and cause an anomalous rise in temperatures on the earth's surface. Furthermore, climate change results from soot-like particles, scientifically referred to as Black Carbon (BC), which upset the regular climatic balance 200 more times than GHGs ( Raila & Anderson, 2016) . The BC particles alter the climate by changing the reflectivity of clouds, ice surfaces, and the atmosphere, absorbing energy from sunlight and increasing the thermal gradient on earth by inflating the level of cloud formation. Therefore, climate change is propelled by GHGs and Black Carbon emissions, which cause detrimental impacts globally.  

Impacts of Climate Change 

Climate change is responsible for adverse effects experienced in the world today, such as suddenly increased hunger from food and water insecurity, deteriorating human health, loss of marine life, and untimely deaths from natural disasters. Food and water insecurity results from the changes in precipitation levels that result from the emission of GHGs and BC in the atmosphere. As a result of unregulated temperature rise, rainfall patterns have become unpredictable because of a shift in the hydrological cycle regulating precipitation. Erratic rainfalls propel the decline in groundwater levels, which human beings depend on for agricultural purposes ( Misra, 2014) . Consequently, plants lack adequate water essential for growth, which results in a food shortage to feed the general population globally. Additionally, water becomes scarce because underground aquifers do not become replenished because of lower precipitation levels, resulting in a severe water shortage. Human beings depend on food and water for survival, and the lack of the above results in the deaths of animals and people in severely impacted regions, such as arid and semi-arid areas.   

Additionally, climate change results in marine life loss and untimely deaths because of temperature rises that affect the ocean, ice caps, and weather seasons. Oceans trap excessive heat from the atmosphere and cannot release it because of GHG blanket-like cover. Consequently, the heat transferred to ocean floors, preventing oxygen from being circulated appropriately and propelling aquatic plants and animals' deaths. Further, a rise in atmospheric temperatures causes the melting of ice caps on mountains, causing the ice to melt and flow down towards human habitats in the form of vast water amounts. People who live near melting ice-cap regions experience floods, which destroy valuable properties and cause the loss of lives ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . Moreover, melting ice from mountain caps flows into oceans and seas, causing rises in sea levels that translate to hurricanes that cause untimely deaths. Furthermore, temperature changes cause anomalous shifts in weather seasons, such as the European period when the region missed summer. Finally, excessive atmospheric temperature caused by climate changes promotes wildfires, which propel the loss of wildlife and plants.  

Further, climate change is responsible for the loss of human lives because of diseases. For instance, when temperatures rise, regions that were previously wet start experiencing anomalous precipitation and may become wetter. Wetter areas attract Anopheles mosquitoes, snails, and other microorganisms that cause diseases. People living in regions affected by climate change may start experiencing a rise in illnesses, such as malaria, dengue fever, exhaustion from heatwave, or schistosomiasis ( Kalhapure et al., 2019) . Vulnerable individuals, such as older adults and children whose immune systems are weak, may acquire cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and pneumonia, from the atmosphere's inhalation of Black Carbon particles ( Tambo, Duo-quan, & Zhou, 2016) . Climate change also causes acid rain precipitation that causes cancer in human beings if consumed in its untreated form. Further, climate change promotes persons' exposure to ultra-violet rays from the sun, resulting in malignant melanoma and chronic kidney disease. The illnesses above are costly to treat and may drain victims' financial resources, causing mental health challenges from stress and loss of lives ( Hayes et al., 2018) . Therefore, climate changes are responsible for diverse detrimental impacts on plants, human beings, and animals. 

Perspectives from Multiple Disciplines 

The concept of climate change cuts across multiple disciplines today. For instance, lawyers globally are becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of consideration by some project managers on the effects of their activities on the environment. Consequently, multiple lawsuits, such as  American Electric Power, Co v. Connecticut (AEP) , where the defendants were sued for emitting excessive GHGs, have become common in an attempt to mitigate climate change ( Grossman, 2018) . Additionally, health professionals have shown concern about the rise of temperatures in the atmosphere and consequent detrimental impacts on patients' mental health ( Hayes et al., 2018) . Moreover, educators are concerned about the ignorance of human beings about the harmful effects of climate change and the lack of educational tools to create awareness in rural and under-educated regions. Finally, agricultural experts globally are worried about the increased food insecurity caused by climate changes in the world ( Kalhapure et al., 2019) . Therefore, climate change has elicited concerns across different disciplines concerning its effects on people and animals generally.  

Solutions to Climate Change 

Climate change from excessive GHG emissions or accumulation of Black Carbon in the atmosphere can be remedied through various strategies. For instance, nations globally can create policies to regulate the emission of GHGs from industries and non-industry sources. Global bodies' approaches, such as the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, champion the reduction of temperature changes in the atmosphere from present to natural levels. In the United States, laws protecting the environment to prevent climate change include the Clean Air Act, Climate Action Plan created by the Obama administration, National Environmental Policy Act, Our Children's Trust, and Endangered Species Act ( Grossman, 2018) . Global policies governing climate change mitigation strategies include the Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  

Additionally, climate change can be mitigated by promoting renewable energy for industrial and non-industrial energy consumption purposes. Renewable energy sources include offshore and onshore wind power, biofuels and biomass, concentrated solar power, photovoltaic solar power, and solar thermal power for cooling and heating purposes. According to research, by 2018, the world had harnessed 26.6% of its electricity from renewable energy ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . Moreover, renewable energy sources, such as thermal and photovoltaic solar energy, can be used for heating and cooling purposes in buildings and industries and propel vehicles' movement. Decarbonization through renewable energy can be attained by creating a mix of biodiesels, bio-methane, bioethanol, and bio-dimethyl ether as biofuels for power, cooling, and heating purposes ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . Therefore, climate change can be solved by using renewable energy for fuel and power purposes.  

Moreover, climate change can be mitigated using technologies, such as carbon capture, storage, and utilization. Carbon dioxide from pre-combustion, combustion, and post-combustion activities can be extracted from gas, coal, and fossil fuels and stored safely to prevent its spread in the atmosphere, which causes climate change. When the carbon dioxide has been captured, it is liquefied and transported using ships and pipes to storage sites, such as depleted gas and oil fields, underground saline aquifers that do not store water, and coal beds. Later, the stored carbon dioxide can be mined and utilized to produce chemicals, concrete materials for construction, oil recovery, and fuels. Current carbon capture and storage technologies include ocean fertilization, soil carbon sequestration, enhanced weathering, biochar, and ocean alkalinity enhancement.  

Further, climate change may be resolved by the civic campaign globally to raise awareness of its impact through education. Schools should incorporate lessons on causes, consequences, and solutions for climate change in their curriculums to increase awareness and create responsible citizens in the future who will not indulge in activities that promote climate change. According to statistics from the Gallup World Poll, developed nations had 90% awareness on climate change while up to 65% of Africans and Asians were uneducated on climate change (Lee et al., 2015). Countries globally must support bodies that advocate against the excessive use of fossil fuels and coal for combustion purposes and educate citizens on the importance of proper waste combustion practices. According to research, countries can reduce their fossil-fuel consumption by up to 50% by adhering to guidelines created to prevent climate change ( Tambo, Duo-quan, & Zhou, 2016). If countries should teach their citizens the effects of climate changes, such as loss of lives from food and water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, diseases, and natural disasters. Citizens must also learn the importance of preserving forests to prevent the imbalance of the hydrological cycle responsible for climate change. Therefore, climate change can be mitigated using creating awareness, carbon capture and storage, and the use of renewable energy as indicated above.  

Source Analysis 

The sources used to discuss climate change are peer-reviewed journals, implying that they are reliable, valid, and non-biased. Information from the sources is well-cited, with references explaining concepts lifted from other journals or books. Moreover, all sources are experts in their respective fields, as is the prerequisite for all peer-reviewed journals. However, most sources focus on their individual titles only, yet the causes of climate change and solutions are multiple, as observed above. In the future, further research should be made on the carbon capture and storage technology of preventing climate change because the available studies on the issue are limited. 

Ethical Considerations 

Several ethical outcomes are associated with the solutions provided above. For instance, litigation against companies that primarily depend on fossil fuels to function is pointless if alternative energy that can handle their manufacturing capacity is not provided. Additionally, some solutions, such as civic education, warrant the uplifting of people's income levels for them to afford school fees for their children. One positive ethical outcome of the solutions above is the conversion of animal waste for biofuel purposes because the method does not harm animals ( Fawzy et al., 2020) . One negative ethical outcome from the answers is the defacement of the environment when installing equipment, such as wind turbines, for the production of renewable energy. Finally, two ethical issues from the solutions are the loss of animal habitat if wind turbines after installation of wind turbines in the environment and noise from renewable energy sources, such as wind energy. 

Conclusion 

Climate change is detrimental to the environment, human beings, and animals because of its adverse effects, such as loss of biodiversity and lives. Therefore, mitigation strategies must be instituted to prevent the negative consequences identified above. However, ethical considerations must be inculcated in the solutions devised for climate change. In the future, more research must be conducted to explore how solutions, such as carbon capture and storage, can be made available for nations globally.  

References 

Fawzy, S., Osman, A. I., Doran, J., & Rooney, D. W. (2020). Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review.  Environmental Chemistry Letters , 2069–2094.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01059-w 

Grossman, M. R. (2018). Climate Change and the Individual.  The American Journal of Comparative Law 66 (1), 345–378.  https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcl/avy018 

Hayes, K., Blashki, G., Wiseman, J., Burke, S., & Reifels, L. (2018). Climate change and mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions.  International Journal of Mental Health Systems 12 (1).  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6 

Kalhapure, A. H., Gaikwad, D., Sah, D., & Tripathi, A. (2019). Climate change: Causes, impacts and combat with special reference to agriculture-A review.  Current Advances in Agricultural Sciences(An International Journal) 11 (1), 1.  https://doi.org/10.5958/2394-4471.2019.00001.7 

Lee, T. M., Markowitz, E. M., Howe, P. D., Ko, C., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2015). Predictors of public climate change awareness and risk perception around the world.  Nature Climate Change 5 (11), 1014-1020.  https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2728 

Misra, A. K. (2014). Climate change and challenges of water and food security.  International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 3 (1), 153-165.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2014.04.006 

Raila, E. M., & Anderson, D. O. (2016). Black carbon emission reduction strategies in healthcare industry for effective global climate change management.  Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 35 (4), 416-425.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242x16678315 

Tambo, E., Duo-quan, W., & Zhou, X. (2016). Tackling air pollution and extreme climate changes in China: Implementing the Paris climate change agreement.  Environment International 95 , 152-156.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.04.010 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Climate Change: Effects, Causes and Solutions.
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