The Climate Change Dilemma

[Your Name]

[Instructor Name]

[Course Number]

[Date]

The Climate Change Dilemma

Introduction

Nature is angry, and we fool ourselves if we think we can fool nature because nature always strikes back (Antonio Guterres, The UN General Secretary). Disturbance in the natural functioning of our environment is called Climate Change; for instance, inconsistent and unorganized alteration of seasons, and continuous increase in the natural global temperature. The root cause of Climate Change is the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases from our industry. It causes the gasses to make a blanket like the atmosphere around our planet and create a hindrance in the way of the solar waves that go back to space after touching the Earth. Consequently, the natural temperature on Earth keeps increasing which leads to excessive melting of glaciers, floods, excessive rains and sometimes famine in the warm regions of the globe. Climate Change is an issue created and faced by the modern world and it is known to almost everyone in the current times. The ecologists offer a simple solution to the issue that is the decrease in the use of fuels that cause the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases. The purpose of the idea of using renewable and human-friendly energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy. Despite knowing the simple solution to such a grave issue the world looks incapable of solving this issue because the leading countries in the world do not look determined to have this problem solved.

Body

Climate Change is such a grave issue that it can bring the whole human race to permanent chaos, but the issue is intractable due to the lack of the developed world in the issue. A New York magazine article The Uninhabitable Earth published by David Wallace Wells on July 9, 2017, that we discussed in class depicts a worst-case scenario of what might happen as the result of Climate Change. The first heading of Wells' article is Dooms Day and he starts the article with this statement: "It is, I promise, worse than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today” (Wallace-Wells, David. N.p). Thus, Wells attempts to convince his audience that this one issue alone can destroy the life on Earth “sooner than you think” (Wallace-Wells, David. N.p). Wells believes that every passing moment is a tick of the time bomb and we surely will face horrible consequences of what we have done to our natural environment even if we stop the use of fossil fuels immediately. The article is rich with the arguments of Wells where he claims that we will have a warmer world with uncertain weather: floods at one hand and famines at the other, acidic seas, wildfires, and eventually a grand explosion from the heart of Earth. Karen A. Garret agrees with Wells in his article Climate Change Effects on Plant Disease: Genomes to Ecosystems that continuous warming of the globe will lead to the vanishing of the green life and eventually to the collapse of eco-system as a whole (Garrett, Karen. P.p.489-509). As we discussed above the cause of Climate Change that is the result of the emission of greenhouse gases, it is notable that the top three emitters of such harmful gases are the most developed and progressed nations on the face of Earth: The USA, China, and European Union. Emissions from these regions are more than emissions from the rest of the world. Scientists from these regions know more than anyone else the consequences of Global Warming and Climate Change, but the issue with these countries is that the other sources like solar, wind and geothermal energy are unable to meet their commercial needs that are being met by the fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

The obstacles in the way of action against Climate Change are fewer options for commercial consumers; the issue can be addressed by determination. The developed countries have enough capital to invest in research to explore more renewable and environment-friendly sources of energy, but no country wants to spend its wealth in such researches because money is too short to play dirty power politics. The lack of seriousness of the world leaders to curb Climate Change can be judged by the fact that the total budget of United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is less than $2 billion whereas the military spending of China in 2019 is $147 billion and of the US is $686.1 billion (Nelson, Gerald. 3274-3279). Therefore we can assume that they are spending in the sector that interests them or suits them per se. One might contradict my arguments saying that national security is the matter of existence in this anarchic world so the spending in defense can never be undermined. I would say that what these so-called superpowers would do with their peoples if we lose our home Earth. The Earth is the home to all human civilizations, and it is sensible to save this home instead of exploring the chances of life on the other planets like Mars.

Conclusion

Climate Change is one of the most dangerous issues that we face in the 21st century and it has posed a threat to the existence of life on Earth. The reason behind Climate Change is the harmful gases that are emitted from the industry and vehicles majorly in the developed world. Everyone is aware that Climate can be saved by stopping emissions from the industry, but we are unable to have it done because the developed countries that are expected to play the leading role are engaged in having an economic edge over rivals by boosting their industry. For this purpose, they do not care what kind of energy source they use and how harmful can it be for the environment. The natural environment of the earth can never be saved unless these countries are forced to invest in research for renewable and environment-friendly energy sources with legal bindings.

Works Cited

Wallace-Wells, David. "The Uninhabitable Earth: Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak—sooner than you think, New York Magazine, 9th July." (2017).

Garrett, Karen A., et al. "Climate change effects on plant disease: genomes to ecosystems." Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 44 (2006): 489-509.

Nelson, Gerald C., et al. "Climate change effects on agriculture: Economic responses to biophysical shocks." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.9 (2014): 3274-3279.