Politics and Global Change

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Geology

Document 1

Today, the world has embarked on mega projects that have significantly altered the globe. For instance, urbanization of the human habitations has resulted in the creation of local climates around cities. Other than the mega projects, the trivial activities carried out by people every day cumulatively have a significant impact on the globe’s atmosphere since the world’s population is large. Due to the scale of human activities, the globe's climate has been changing over the years. The most remarkable climate change has been the warming of the planet. Fourier came up with several hypotheses that suggested that the Earth’s atmosphere was absorbing solar energy and hence the ability of the planet to support life. Fourier thought that the age of the earth might be older than the estimated age- which was estimated through Newton’s laws of cooling – since the earth contained an atmosphere that traps heat energy and hence slowing down the cooling of the earth (Powell 17).

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Working on Fourier’s hypothesis, some scientists did a number of experiments to show that the earth’s atmosphere actually trapped radiation from the sun. One of the scientists is the notable John Tyndall. Tyndall, an Irish scientist, had been studying the concept of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air. The world’s industries release enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere (Solomon 1705). Moreover, other activities such as transport also release huge quantities of gaseous substances which contribute to the warming of the planet. The rate of release of the gas to the atmosphere is higher than the natural mechanisms can dispose of. The greenhouse gases released into the earth’s atmosphere have resulted in alteration of the atmosphere’s capacity to absorb and retain heat energy.

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In summary, the mechanisms of the warming of the planet are as follows; once the sun’s radiation hits the surface of the planet earth, it is absorbed by the oceans and the land masses. In addition, the world’s average temperatures have hit their peak in the years of the 21st century since scientists began recording data on weather and climate back in 1885. According to data collected by satellite imaging done by the National space agency, 2016 recorded the highest average temperature over the last one and a half centuries. Prior to 2016, 2015 had taken the position. Moreover, 2014 had also assumed the position. As a matter of fact, the 15 of the warmest years in the recorded history of global weather belong to the 21st century.

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Over the period, the snow cover in North America has reduced by an area that equals the land area of New Mexico. In addition, the snow cover season in the continent has also reduced by an average of 2 weeks. One of the most visible manifestations of the reduction in global snow cover is the reduction in Arctic sea ice (Scott 65). According to NASA, the Arctic sea ice hit a record low extent between 2015 and 2016 at times which it was supposed to be at its peak. Another good example is the glacial retreat in the northern hemisphere. The rising sea levels have resulted in increased flooding in the coastal low lying areas. It is expected that the sea levels will rise by more than three feet within the next 80 years if the current trend in rising sea levels is not checked.

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Consequently, the rise of sea levels will eventually lead to flooding of most of the coastal areas which harbor half of the globe’s population (Gerald et al. The warming of the globe has also resulted in the occurrence of extreme weather events. For instance, the United States has been experiencing some of the hottest summers due to effects of global warming. While some leaders are advocating for actions to curb global warming, other leaders have been working to suppress the consensus on global warming. The conflict of interest has resulted in the politicization of the global warming phenomenon. For instance, some of the developing countries largely rely on fossil fuels to support their young industries. The leaders from the developing countries have therefore seen the efforts to curb the warming of the planet as a hindrance to the growth of their developing countries.

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Moreover, the developing nations are also shifting the blame for global warming to the developed nations. Nevertheless, the world has been unable to control the occurrence of such activities due to the high dependency on the activities for human survival. For example, the rising world population has compelled the human population to clear forests for habitations and for agriculture and industrialization. Moreover, the other activities such as brick building and cement production have been necessitated by the high demand caused by the rapid global urbanization. It has therefore been close to impossible for the world community to regulate the activities. What the World is doing about Global Warming Nevertheless, the world leaders have been making efforts to curb the trend in global warming.

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One of the most remarkable examples of the shift in energy sources has been in the transport sector. Today, mega transport systems in the developed world run on electricity. For instance, most of the trains built in the contemporary world rely on electricity. Furthermore, the world’s biggest automobile companies are developing vehicles which rely on electric power. One of the leading companies in the development of electric cars is Tesla motors. To counter the warming, world leaders have come together to enact policies that are supposed to minimize the warming of planet. However, the politicization of the issue and the vitality of carbon IV oxide emitting fuels to the world economies has been a challenge to the measures adopted to reduce the warming.

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