The link between human activity and climate change remains a contentious issue (Urry, 2015). There is a group that believes that man has only played a limited role in causing climate change. On the other hand is a camp that insists that man is the main culprit behind rising temperatures and other indicators of climate change. Industrial activity and rapid technological advances have received particular blame for fueling climate change. There has also been a dramatic increase on human consumption (Stephenson et al., 2013). As the consumption rises, man has been forced to turn to nature for supply. This has strained nature and set the stage for climate change. Time-space compression is another issue that can be linked to the acceleration of climate change. Technological innovations have ushered mankind into a new paradigm where the relationship between time and space has been altered. Moreover, changes in consumption are also to blame for the alteration of the time-space relationship. The increase in global population is another issue that is responsible for climate change (Stephenson et al., 2013). As the population grows, the pressure on the environment is intensified. Another issue that drives climate change is the global economic cycle. All these issues involve the deliberate effort of man. Man appears fixated on maximizing profits. This has come at the expense of the climate. As man engages in profit-maximizing ventures, the environment suffers and climate change has set in. Therefore, there is a clear and indisputable link between human activity and climate change.
Metabolic relationship defined
Metabolic relationship is a rather new concept that has been advanced to explain the interactions between humans and the environment. Essentially, it refers to the exchange that brings humans in conflict with nature. In their article, Brett Clark and Richard York define metabolic relationship as “the relationship of exchange between nature and humans” (Clark & York, 2005). From this definition, one may argue that metabolic relationship involves the destructive impacts that mankind has on the environment. The introduction provided above has revealed that man engages in a wide range of activities that have a devastating effect on nature. For example, Clark and York identify deforestation as among the human activities that can be blamed for climate change (Clark & York, 2005). As people fell trees to create room for industries, settlement and agriculture, they are essentially setting the stage for climate change. Clark and York are not alone in their attempts to link man to environmental damage and climate change. D’Artis Kancs also added his voice to this issue. He links migration to climate change. As people more from one region to another, they impose strain on the environment (Kancs, 2010). Since the environment is unable to cope with the tremendous strain that it faces, it responds in the form of climate change. The concept of metabolic relationship attempts to capture how human activities, inadvertent or deliberate, have the effect of damaging the environment and driving climate change. Gavin Bridge and his colleagues also explore the impacts that different human pursuits have on the environment and climate. They contend that any activity that increases man’s carbon footprint should receive blame for climate change (Bridge et al., 2013). Basically, man is the greatest enemy that the environment has ever encountered. He engages in activities that are very destructive.
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The problems of uneven wealth/wage and outsourcing
Wealth and wage inequalities are some of the problems that the world grapples with today. This problem is particularly pronounced in the United States. Here, the wealthiest continue to grow their wealth while the poor grapple with a wide range of economic challenges (Tyson, 2013). The situation is also being witnessed in workplaces. Senior executives receive pay that is many times more than what lower-ranking employees take home. The uneven wealth and wage can be linked to climate change. In their book, Trevor Barnes, Jamie Peck and Eric Sheppard explore development inequalities across the globe. The developed world is not evenly matched with the developing world in relation to economic development (Barnes, Peck & Sheppard, 2012). This uneven matching is also being seen in the levels of economic activity responsible for climate change. The developed world is the biggest polluter of the environment. For example, China and the United States are responsible for a bulk of carbon emissions that the world witnesses (Schoen, 2017). On the other hand, poorer nations which grapple with poverty and low levels of industrial development make a very small contribution to the carbon footprint. Despite their small contribution, these countries have borne the brunt of climate change. The people in these countries are grappling with financial and energy crises that are the direct result of climate change (United Nations, 2017). Their experiences underscore the link between human activity and climate change. Furthermore, the suffering that these people are enduring highlights the impact of power dynamics on human experiences. The wealthy and the powerful damage the environment yet it is the poor and the vulnerable who suffer. Urgent action is clearly needed to correct wage and wealth inequalities. The action should also focus on scaling back the human activities that accelerate climate change.
Uneven wealth and wages are not the only problems that are accelerating climate change. Outsourcing has also been shown to play a role in compounding climate change. Firms in such developed nations as the United States are in the habit of outsourcing their manufacturing processes to developing nations (Lohr, 2017). The main force that inspires outsourcing is the fact that the wages in the developing nations are significantly lower than those in the developed economies. While outsourcing helps to boost the economies of the developing countries, it has received blame for worsening climate change (Goldenberg, 2014). In the developing countries, companies rely on coal and other fossil fuels to power their operations. These fuels release toxic compounds into the environment. The result is that the problem of climate change is compounded. Outsourcing is closely linked to the issue of wage and wealth inequalities examined in the discussion above. The developed nations are not just outsourcing their manufacturing processes to the developing economies. They are outsourcing their carbon emissions as well (Goldenberg, 2014). It is little wonder that climate change is accelerating and developing countries are paying the price. What is worse is that while the developing nations have demonstrated their resolve to address climate change, such developed countries as the United States seem reluctant and are yet to demonstrate any serious commitment. For example, the US recently withdrew from the Paris climate accord which committed countries to take all necessary measures to combat climate change (Volcovici, 2017). The US withdrew from this agreement despite being one of the biggest polluters of the environment. Human activity is clearly among the main forces that are driving climate change.
The geography of carbon emissions is the main issue that Gavin Bridge and his colleagues explore in their article (Bridge et al., 2013). They suggest that low-carbon emission policies have geographical implications. Essentially, they argue that carbon emission policies affect more people than those whose government has developed the policy (Bridge et al., 2013) This argument ties in with the issue of outsourcing that has been presented above. Bridge and his team recognize that carbon emission is not confined by space. Toxic substances that are released in one part of the world can present devastating impacts in a different part of the world. Equally, when a nation takes steps to combat climate change through low-carbon emission policies, the entire globe benefits. Bridge and his team make it clear that human activity and policies are closely associated with climate change.
Capitalism has become the dominant form of economic management in the world today. Nearly all countries in the world permit and encourage free trade. While free trade allows firms to operate without undue interference, it adversely affects the environment (Storm, 2009). It encourages firms to engage in activities that hamper environmental conservation efforts. For example, forests are being cleared to create room for industries. Energy companies are revamping their efforts to exploit fossil fuels. They are able to do this without much obstruction from the government. Capitalism and greed are undeniably responsible for climate change. The energy companies and the firms that are bringing down trees are essentially exposing earth to the threat of irreversible damage. What is more cause for concern is that governments are actively encouraging companies to do all it takes to make profits and boost the economy. For example, the Trump government withdrew from the Paris climate accord on the grounds that this agreement hurts American businesses (Volcovici, 2017). It appears that the government is prioritizing economic growth at the expense of the wellbeing of mankind. The actions of the Trump government and the free trade that the world encourages today point to the fact that human activity is intimately linked to climate change.
The role of technology fix
Today, humanity continues to witness unprecedented advancements in technology. From industry to medicine and communication, virtually all aspects of human life have experienced some form of technological advancement. While the advancements have allowed mankind to improve efficiency and to deliver convenience, they have also contributed to climate change. To understand how the technology fix fuels climate change, one has to wonder what happens to the old technology that new technological developments replace. Most of the old technologies find their way into developing countries (Biello, 2008). The developed world continues to face accusations that it treats the developing countries as dumping ground for their old and obsolete technologies. This unfair practice compounds the problem of climate change. Most of the developing countries that are receiving the outdated technologies lack the recycling facilities and resources needed to ensure that the outdated technologies do not pose a threat to the environment. The United Nations is among the organizations that have raised the alarm regarding the dumping of electronic waste in developing countries (Vidal, 2014). The UN needs to do more to rally its members to adopt more responsible electronic waste disposal measures that do not pose any harm to human populations or the environment.
Dumping the outdated technologies in developing countries is not the only measure that the developed economies institute to rid themselves of outdated technologies. These countries are known to dump the technologies in landfills. Once in the landfills, the electronic waste poses a danger to the environment. It is worth noting that the US has taken some measures to protect its environment from the danger that electronic waste poses. It has enacted laws that allow recycling companies to export the electronic waste to such countries as China and Nigeria (“After Dump” 2010). The practice that the US has embraced echoes the issue raised above. Instead of leading the world in promoting responsible waste disposal practices, the US is delegating this responsibility to countries in the developing world. Given this practice, it is quite easy to understand why the world is not making much progress in its effort to tackle climate change. Unless the US joins the rest of the world in aggressively tackling climate change, the fate of mankind will continue to hang in the balance as climate change ravages humanity.
The impacts of the technology fix go beyond posing a threat to the environment. Man’s desire to replace obsolete technology with fresh ones also serves to entrench wage and income inequalities while promoting outsourcing. As noted earlier, firms in the US outsource most of their manufacturing processes. China is among the largest markets that host the operations of the American companies. As a result of the intense industrial activity that China undertakes, its environment has become dangerously toxic (Coghlan, 2017). For example, the air becomes so smog-filled that Chinese citizens are forced to wear face masks and to install air purifiers in their homes. The experiences of the Chinese underscore how outsourcing contributes to climate change. Silicon Valley is an embodiment of income and wealth inequalities. This area is home to large technology companies that earn huge amounts every year. In the same area, there are thousands of people who are homeless and struggle to satisfy their basic needs (Rotman, 2014). While the income and wealth inequalities in Silicon Valley are not necessarily the result of technology fix, the situation in Silicon Valley allows one to understand how unequal the US is despite the remarkable progress that it has made in the development of new technologies. The inequalities can also be witnessed when one compares the US and the Asian countries to which American companies outsource their manufacturing operations. While the US is developed and its citizens enjoy high standards of living, the people in the Asian countries endure biting poverty and low levels of development. It appears that the US has simply outsourced its operations without guaranteeing that the Asian nations reap benefits in terms of improved economic outlook.
Time-space compression
The time-space compression is a concept that captures the changes that the idea of space and time undergo as a result of the transformation that the world is undergoing (Warf, 2008). Essentially, this concept seeks to explain how the world shrinks and becomes more like a village. Technological advancements are the chief force that is driving the time-space compression. For example, thanks to the developed of enhanced communication technologies, it has become easier for an individual in one part of the world to seamlessly engage with another in a different part of the world that is miles away. The time-space compression represents the influence that technology has on driving consumption and fueling climate change. As newer technologies are being developed, people are rushing to acquire them while discarding their old technologies. As was pointed out earlier, the obsolete technology is dumped in landfills and developing countries. This is how the time-space compression is linked to climate change. It encourages individuals to go great lengths to acquire fresh technologies.
The resources that are used to craft new technologies are limited. For example, the electronic industry relies on metals to create products. These metals are in very limited supply. The restricted supply forces companies to institute extreme measures to identify new sources of the raw materials. For example, the companies in the energy industry are now venturing into regions that were previously protected (“The Arctic”, 2015). They are doing this in an effort to keep up with the increasing demand for energy products at a time when the energy supply is dwindling. The result of this is that the environment suffers damage. To understand how the rush to develop new technologies is negatively affecting the environment, one simply needs to examine some of the energy policies that the US has adopted. The Trump administration approved the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. This approval went ahead despite protests from environmental activists who feared that the pipeline would pose a threat to the environment (Harper, 2017). The actions of the Trump administration and other bodies that ignore calls for environmental conservation highlight the impact of the time-space compression. Man seems to be so adamant in his quest for new technologies that he is damaging the environment in the process. Left unchecked, the quest for new technologies will leave man without a home as climate change will render earth uninhabitable.
The discussion above has examined how various human activities contribute to climate change. Each of these activities is an effort that man undertakes to boost economic production. Companies are outsourcing their operations to save money. Governments are encouraging free trade to boost their economies. Nations are clearing forests to accommodate new industries. While these activities do indeed enhance economic development, they have a detrimental impact on the environment. The world is staring at the annihilation of man and irreversible environmental damage.
In conclusion, climate change continues to be hotly debated. The role that man plays remains a controversial issue with some groups insisting that man is not to blame for climate change. There is overwhelming evidence that human activity is responsible, at least in part, for the frightening changes that the earth is undergoing. The human activities include accelerated economic activity and destruction of forests. Outsourcing and uneven distribution of wealth and income also appear to compound the problem of climate change. Developed nations seem to be at the center of climate change. Their irresponsible waste disposal practices are hampering environmental conservation efforts while exposing developing nations to harm. If the world is to reverse the devastation that the environment has suffered, a concerted effort that brings together all nations is needed. All countries need to come together and commit to reduce carbon emissions and adopt environmentally friendly practices.
References
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