The Climate Change: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE 1 

Climate Change 

Unrestricted emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) around the world through human activities such as manufacturing has threatened the habitability of the universe. Since the mid-19 th century, the world increasingly became industrialized as human society sought to become advanced. Factories have since then relied on fossil fuels as primary sources of energy. The burning of crude oil products leads to the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Other activities by humans, such as farming and manufacturing of chemicals, lead to the emission of i other GHGs such as methane and nitrous oxide. When these gases exceedingly accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap radiations from the earth resulting in global warming. Continued global warming adversely affects global climate patterns (“ Greenhouse gases' effect on climate," 2019 ). The increased concentration of GHGs and the subsequent climate change has fuelled a debate about the kind and radiative potency of gases that cause global warming. All countries are responsible for the emission of these gases but developed, and emerging economies have the largest emissions. Governments should campaign for the mitigation of climate change to ensure that food security and sustenance of ecological balance is achieved. 

Global climate change is due to excessive buildup of GHGs in the atmosphere. Activities such as the use of crude oil fuels in industries and the transport sector, manufacturing of chemicals, deforestation, and agricultural activities result in the high concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere. Apart from carbon dioxide, other GHGs include methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (“ Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions," 2019 ). Over the years, the world has become industrialized with fossil fuels that have played a key role in achieving this industrialized status. Since the mid-20 th -century, scientists linked the observable climate change with the emission of GHGs from human actions ( Mgbemene, Nnaji & Nwozor, 2016 ). Also, activities such as the depletion of forests have adversely impacted the ecological balance; thus, these gases become concentrated in the atmosphere. For instance, forests are known to be carbon-absorbing; therefore, when they are depleted, carbon dioxide becomes excess. Methane is released during the transportation of coal, natural gas, and oil. Nitrous oxide levels in the atmosphere are rapidly increasing due to agricultural practices such as fertilizers. Also, internal combustion engines produce nitrous oxide, which has a long life. 

There is a debate on gases that are responsible for global warming and their potency. As mentioned above, there are many GHGs that have a varying degree of radiative potency, which is the capability of a gas to retain radiation in the atmosphere (“ Climate Science Investigations South Florida," 2019 ). Some of the gases have a short-lived radiative potency, while others can easily last decades in the atmosphere. Some GHGs are found in vast amounts, but they also are not as voracious as those emitted in smaller quantities. Among the most potent GHGs include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide ( Ward, 2019 ). Molecules of these gases have vibrational modes that match the frequency of the earth's radiation. Fundamentally, an efficient GHG has a bigger absorption ability, which implies that it can absorb a wide range of the spectrum’s wavelengths. The current debate is fuelled by the need for governments to act with urgency to control activities that emit gases that have a higher potency and long lifespan. 

Radiative potency of GHGs determines how effective a gas can blanket the planet's radiation, thus preventing it from escaping beyond the atmosphere. As the atmosphere's temperatures rise, more water evaporates from the earth's surface, which leads to more vapor in the air. Water vapor is the strongest GHG with its concentration controlled by the atmosphere’s temperature. Global warming and thus climate change effects of water vapor are higher than that of other gases ( Etminan, Myhre, Highwood & Shine, 2016 ). Carbon dioxide is another vital GHG which has a long lifespan in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide absorbs radiated heat at a wavelength of 15 micrometers. Methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as an absorber of radiated energy. The quantities of methane are, however, lower than those of carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide is a comparatively long-lived GHG with approximately 300 times the global potency of carbon dioxide per molecule. The debate surrounding GHGs and their potency are centered on their amounts and lifespan in the atmosphere ( Etminan et al. 2016 ). Although carbon dioxide levels are high, it is not as potent as nitrous oxide, which is found in fewer amounts. Both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide have a long lifetime. Water vapor is more potent than other gases, but it has a short life since it turns into precipitation through the water cycle. 

Countries emit different amounts of GHGs, and it is upon individual governments to develop policies that protect the world’s climate. Carbon dioxide is the GHG produced by human activities in large quantities. China (30%), USA (15%), India (7%), European Union (9%), Japan (4%), and Russian Federation (5%) are the leading emitters of carbon dioxide majorly from the burning of crude oils, cement manufacturing, and gas flaring. The rest of the world shares the other percentage (“ Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions”, 2019) . From the above statistics, it is notable that carbon dioxide emission is greater in developing and major emerging economies. In these countries, the burning of crude oil products for electricity is the largest source of GHGs. Deforestation, agriculture, and other land usages are other human activities that lead to the generation of GHG (“ Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions”, 2019 ). Trees are responsible for maintaining the carbon dioxide balance in the ecosystem. With rampant deforestation in the world today, carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere beyond the natural levels. 

Governments should develop policies that focus on mitigating climate change. Agriculture relies heavily on the consistency of the world climate. When climate changes for worse, the existence of humanity is threatened since food production will be adversely affected. Governments should align their actions along the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Nations should collectively endeavor to stabilize the GHG amounts in the atmosphere at a level that would not be catastrophic to the climate system ( Tubiello, 2012 ). Food security entirely depends on favorable climatic conditions; thus, when global warming due to the accumulation of GHGs disrupts the global climate system, people will not be able to cultivate food for their livelihood. The UNFCCC recommends that stabilization of climate should be actualized within a timeframe enough to allow the ecosystem to adjust naturally to changes in the climate ( Tubiello, 2012 ). Food security should be a priority for governments, and it has to be realized within the ecological, economic, and social sustainability goals. Without food security, economic development will be hard to achieve since people will not be at the optimum level to engage in any viable economic activity. 

Agriculture is a key human activity that is threatened by climate change. Climate change occasioned by excess GHGs is a primary driver of environmental changes. Land and water resources are greatly affected when the climatic conditions of a region drastically change, which subsequently changes the livelihood of populations. Agriculture and forestry are human activities that are entirely dependent on water for sustenance. Global warming affects the water cycle and, therefore, negatively affecting crop production ( Campbell et al., 2016 ). Governments have the sole responsibility of ensuring that human activities, including transport, agriculture, and manufacturing, are climate-sensitive to prevent a scenario where food produced cannot sustain the world population. If the emissions of GHGsare not controlled, their concentrations in the atmosphere will increase, which will result in severe climate change. Anthropogenic interference of the climate system should be checked through enforcement of strict policies that will collectively aim at safeguarding the world against disastrous food scarcity. 

Apart from ensuring food security, governments must consider health risks that are associated with climate change. Global warming due to the accumulation of GHGs traps heat radiation from the surface of the earth, which raises temperatures. Heat waves, the stagnant air masses, and pollution from industries and vehicles are conducive to the formation of smog. Children and the elderly, especially from underdeveloped regions of the world, will be at risk of respiratory, cardiovascular, and heat-related health conditions. Governments should develop policies that advocate for a shift to environment-friendly forms of energy that will drastically reduce GHGs emissions ( McCright, Dunlap & Marquart-Pyatt, 2016 ). Besides reducing global warming, these energy alternatives will contribute to improved air quality hence reducing cases of respiratory diseases such as asthma. Vital ecosystems and species will also benefit from intergovernmental measures that advocate for climate change mitigation (“ Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions”, 2019 ). Addressing global warnings will lessen harm to the environment that provides the human population with multiple benefits. Humans depend on many animal and plant species for food and medicine, besides having other intrinsic values. If global temperatures continue to rise, animals and plants could gradually become extinct, affecting the balance in the universe. 

Regarding climate change, I believe that governments have the most significant responsibility to mitigate the harm being done on the ecosystem. It is not just enough for the government to develop policies, but they must act now and religiously enforce them. Delayed efforts by governments to mitigate the emission of GHGs will rubberstamp the continued global warming trends, which will have potentially irreversible global consequences. Governments can pool resources through world organizations such as the United Nations to have a common framework of combating climate change. The best approach toward stabilizing world climatic conditions would be campaigning for the use of alternatives fuels and afforestation. Other approaches, such as safe agricultural practices, would be used to reinforce the primary mitigation solutions. Governments should also target short-lived GHGs such as methane since they have the most radiative potency. I think that widespread actions to reduce both short and long life GHGs have the potential of reducing global warming and thus preempting further climate change. The best way to achieve this objective is to have governments pooling their resources, thus having a common approach to the menace. 

In conclusion, human activities since the industrial era are responsible for the high levels of GHGs in the atmosphere. Due to the high concentration, earth radiation is trapped, leading to global warming. In return, global warming is responsible for climate change currently being observed. Governments, especially of developed and emerging economies, should take the responsibility of ensuring that GHGsemission in their respective countries is controlled. Emission of all GHGsregardless of their potency should be controlled to ensure human survival, and that of other species is guaranteed. 

References 

Campbell, B. M., Vermeulen, S. J., Aggarwal, P. K., Corner-Dolloff, C., Girvetz, E., Loboguerrero, A. M., ... & Wollenberg, E. (2016). Reducing risks to food security from climate change. Global Food Security, 11, 34-43. 

Climate Science Investigations South Florida - Energy: The Driver of Climate. (2019). Retrieved 16 October 2019, from www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-2/how-greenhouse-effect-works.php 

Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions. (2019). Retrieved 16 October 2019, from www.ucsusa.org/resources/each-countrys-share-co2-emissions 

Etminan, M., Myhre, G., Highwood, E. J., & Shine, K. P. (2016). Radiative forcing of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide: A significant revision of the methane radiative forcing.  Geophysical Research Letters ,  43 (24), 12-614. 

Greenhouse gases' effect on climate - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2019). Retrieved 16 October 2019, from www.eia.gov/energyexplained/energy-and-the-environment/greenhouse-gases-and-the-climate.php 

McCright, A. M., Dunlap, R. E., & Marquart-Pyatt, S. T. (2016). Political ideology and views about climate change in the European Union.  Environmental Politics ,  25 (2), 338-358. 

Mgbemene, C. A., Nnaji, C. C., & Nwozor, C. (2016). Industrialization and its backlash: focus on climate change and its consequences.  Journal of Environmental Science and Technology ,  9 (4), 301-316. 

Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions | US EPA. (2019). Retrieved 16 October 2019, from www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions 

Tubiello, F. (2012). Climate change adaptation and mitigation: challenges and opportunities in the food sector. Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, FAO, Rome, 150. 

Ward, M. (2019). The Principal Greenhouse Gases and Their Sources. Retrieved 16 October 2019, from www.neefusa.org/weather-and-climate/climate-change/principal-greenhouse-gases-and-their-sources