Mitigating Global Warming Essay

intensify in world(a) climate became a astray accepted social problem in the exsert two decades. How ever so, in those too soon age, controersies existed roughly the certainty of orbicular change turn scientist and surroundingsalist lay overed out that the instauration was acquire hotter due to the change magnitude let loose of nursery bollixes and other human activities, transnational corporations and both(prenominal) national governments refuted such(prenominal) claims, downstairs the guise that thither were no satisfactory scientific evidence to support such claims (McCright and Dunlap, 2000).Fortunately or unfortunately, young scientific evidences point, irrefutably, to the fact that the world is indeed get dangerously hotter. The Stanford solar vegetable marrow defines globose melting as the gradual maturation in planet all-embracing temperatures, mend McCright and Dunlap (2000) defines it as discernable increase in mean world(a) temperature result ing from the release of greenhouse gases produced by human activities (p. 499). Whichever way ball-shaped warming is defined, the apparent truth, as has been flaccid by the Intergovernmental plug-in on mode agitate (IPCC), the U.S National seek Council, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and interminable other bodies and research institutions, is that the globe is hotter than it has ever been in history and if nothing urgent is done, serious danger looms. The Problem In the early days when stories nigh a warming hide was first heard, thither were some(prenominal) counterclaims and numerous challenges to scientist to prove that the dry come to was indeed getting hotter. In recent times, merely, it is clear that the issue of global warming has passed that stage.There are now boundless irrefutable evidences from both government and buck private interests to show that there is indeed a problem at hand. The Stanford SOLAR Center points out that it is certain now that the earth is presently the hottest it has been in at least(prenominal) 400 old age and possibly even over the last 2,000years. It has been shown that the mean global find temperature has change magnitude by an estimated 0. 5-1. 0F (0. 3-0. 6C) inwardly the last century completely and this is documented as the considerablest temperature rise in surface temperature over the last 1,000years.The IPCC (2007a) alike states that eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the twelve hottest years since indicate of global surface temperature started in 1850. They likewise stated that from 1900 to 2005, precipitation change magnitude operatively in the eastern parts of the northern and South America, Union Europe and Northern and Central Asia and that the most significant increases were experienced from 1970 onward. To buttress this stand, the body pointed out that in the last fifty years, cold days and cold nights study been significantly infrequent, while hot days an d hot nights fill become more frequent.The frequency and long suit of heat waves and heavy precipitation events over land areas have change magnitude globally, curiously since 1975. Further, there is irrefutable evidence that the middling Northern Hemisphere temperatures during the last half(prenominal) of the 20th century were the highest observable in either fifty year diaphragm over the last 500years and possibly the highest in the last 1300 years. All these hard facts point to the same conclusion the earth is getting hotter, faster than any time in history and the trend does not smell like it is ready to reverse.We have a grave global problem on our hands, which require urgent and drastic steps. The Causes forwards recommendations can be made about how to go about mitigating this Herculean problem, it is disposed(p) to first provide a apprise overview of the behaves of this problem. In most studies and newspaper publishers, the release of greenhouse gases (e. g. , carbon paper dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons and their substitutes, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. ) have been severally indicted as the primary experience of the problem. It is important to know that these gases, especially carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxide, are natural components of the atmosphere.These gases absorb the heat reflected from the earth surface, regulating cosmoss temperature, which is essential for life. However, since the industrial transition of the 1700s, these gases have been released into the atmosphere in higher(prenominal) than normal c at a timentration, thus off fixedting the normal balance. blow dioxide is released from burning fossil fuels and other industrial activities, while deforestation and increasing land use, drivings more nitrogen oxide gases to be released into the atmosphere.The increasing concentration of the gases in the atmosphere immobilise heat radiated from the earth, preventing subjoinitional thermal actinotherapy from leaving the earth and thus likewise increasing the temperature of the earths surface ( orbicular Warming, 2008 IPCC, 2007a IPCC, 2007b). Another factor that has been indicted in the cause of global warming is solar division changes in the heating capacity of the sun. Studies on the sun activities have shown that the sun face slight variation in activity.Although, this has been named as one of the factors responsible for global warming, there exists consensus that the role of solar variability, if present at all, is very minimal. solar irradiance measured over the last 30 years has shown changes of altogether a hardly a(prenominal) tenths in solar activity, and this depends essentially on the solar 11-year cycle. The NASA Goddard bring for Space Studies (GISS), in this regard, states that The Sun is once again less bright as we approach solar minimum, yet global warming bears.Eventually, we are left with greenhouse run as the primary cause of global warming. Why We Must mo Now That the earth is warming up might sound far fetched to many, however, the report the global warming is already having its bell shape on, not just the environment, but excessively on plants and animal lives, will purpose the point home. The IPCC reports that changes in snow, churl set ground can be attributed to global warming. Ice melting has ca employ sea levels to increase continually, with the resultant flooding experienced in several parts of the globe.The reduction in snow and ice cover over holes and frozen ground and reportedly increased the number and size of glacial lakes, increased ground instability in mountain and other permafrost regions and led to changes in some Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems. converts in algal, plankton and fish abundance can be associate to increasing water temperatures as come up as related changes in ice cover, salinity, oxygen levels and circulation. And these are just a tip of the iceberg, of the results and pending results of global warmi ng.To get to matters worst, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that with current climate change easing policies and related sustainable development practices, global greenhouse gas runs will continue to grow over the next few decades (IPCC, 2007a p. 4). The implication is that something better and more drastic needs to be done to break off global warming. Recommendations The IPCC states rightly that a wide variety of national policies and instruments are available for the nation to create the right motivator for mitigation action.Since the primary and most significant cause of global warming has been set to be greenhouse gas liberation, several polity instruments exist to curb electric arc of the gases, at least to drop the venting to reasonable limits. Government must set stringent regulations and standards for greenhouse gas sacking. grownup and small corporations must be enticed or forced (whichever is appropriate) to obey these regulations on gas e mission. Taxes and charges can too be used to control gas emission.For example, setting a higher price for carbon emission will drive large corporations to appearance for more cost effective slipway of disposing their waste or stay within their gas emission limits. Another unexampled way of reducing gas emission is through gas tradable permits. Companies that can expeditiously manage their gas emission down the stairs their limits could sell such gas emission points to other corporations. Government can also provide incentives, such as subsidies and value credits to companies that develop more businesslike and better technologies of managing gas emission.This could drive large corporations to spend more on R&D as it concerns gas emission management. Governments might also enter into unwashed agreement with industries, though it is reported that the majority of such agreements have not yielded any significant gas emission reduction, it should be hoped that better understandi ng between both parties created through such agreements would eventually salary off. Automobiles and other individual items also add to the greenhouse gas build up in the atmosphere, therefore, increased information campaigns about the dangers of global warming would increase ken in the populace.This could help influence behavioral changes, such as increasing preferences for items that do not negatively impact the environment e. g. fuel economy cars. The impact of such changes might be difficult to measure, however any step, instrument or policies that could reduce greenhouse gas emission in whatever level or course should be welcomed.Bibliography Global Warming (2008). Stanford SOLAR Center. Available at http//solar-center. stanford. edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm. html (Mar 14, 2008). Goddard give for Space Studies (1999). Link Between Solar Cycle and Climate is Blowin in the Wind. NASA fresh York N. Y.Available at http//www. giss. nasa. gov/research/news/19990408/ (Mar 14, 2008) . Human Impacts on Climate (2003). American Geophysical Union. Available at http//www. agu. org/sci_soc/policy/positions/climate_change. shtml (Mar 14, 2008). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC (2007a). Summary for Policymakers. In Climate Change 2007 Mitigation. piece of Working Group trinity to the fourth part Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change B. Metz, O. R. Davidson, P. R. Bosch, R. Dave, L. A. Meyer (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, united earth and New York, NY, USA.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC (2007b). Summary for Policymakers. In Climate Change 2007 Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change B. Metz, O. R. Davidson, P. R. Bosch, R. Dave, L. A. Meyer (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. McCright, M Aaron and Riley E. Dunlap (2000). Challenging Global Warming as a neighborly Problem An Analysis of the Conservative executions Counter-Claims. Social Problems, 47(4) pp. 499-522.