The anthropogenic climate change refers to actions produced by human activity that generate greenhouse gases, which contribute to the global warming (McMichael, 2003). Studies indicate that post-industrial rise in greenhouse gases is not an outcome of natural processes, but they are the result of human activity (“Anthropogenic Climate Change”). Human actions that are causing the current global warming issues were generated decades, even centuries ago and the current actions destined to mitigate the global warming by properly managing the human activities that generate greenhouse gas might start to show results in several decades or centuries (McMichael, 2003).
On the other hand, natural climate changes refer to climatic shifts produced naturally, as a result of physical, chemical or geological processes, such as the intensity of the sunlight or the composition of the atmosphere for instance (McMichael, 2003). The natural climate change is induced by solar changes that alter the greenhouse gases and they tend to determine the anthropogenic factors that generate climate change, but in this case, human activity should not be considered a factor of the climate change, because it occurs as a result of a natural factor that causes climate change (West & Scafetta, 2010).
For stating whether global warming exists or not, there must first be defined the concept. Therefore, global warming is an aspect of climate change, but so is global cooling (“Global Warming and Climate Change”). Global warming refers to the increase of the average global temperature with nearly one degree Centigrade in 100 years (West & Scafetta, 2010).
In the last century temperatures have been steadily increasing, which is an indication of global warming. Moreover, human activity and natural causes generate greenhouse gases, which impede the warmth to circulate outside the earth, causing an increase in the global temperatures.
The greenhouse gases consist in carbon dioxide (CO2, which has increased with 25% in the last century, mostly in the past 30 years), methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs, manmade chemicals, available in refrigerators, propellants in aerosol cans and so on), nitrous oxide or water vapors, which have increased because of human activity (“Global Warming and Climate Change”). These facts indicate that human activity that produces greenhouse gases must be properly mitigated.
A mitigation solution would be to reduce the CO2 consumption by replacing it with renewable energy. Experts on global warming, such as Bjorn Lomborg, a climate policy maker from The Copenhagen Consensus Centre says that carbon taxes and emission targets have proved inefficient in combating the global warming and proposes as a new approach, specifically to ramp up the innovations so that the green energy to become more affordable to everybody (Carleton & McHugh, 2013). Guerrero-Lemus and Martinez-Duart (2013) note that the renewable energy use is on an ascendant trend and their usage decrease and avoid large amounts of CO2 emissions and similarly the renewable energy installations have quadrupled from 200 to 2010. Therefore, there is a vivid global interest towards reducing the CO2 emissions and replacing the fossil fuels with green energy. The challenging aspect about the renewable energy is that it is costly and in time of economic crisis it seems not to represent a priority for societies around the world. Although this method is considered to be more environmentally friendly and more supportive of stopping global warming, it is nevertheless totally un-pollutant. As such, while CO2 are mostly produced by coal-fired plants, the new, green procedures used for extracting crude oil also increase air polluting (Guerrero-Lemus and Martinez-Duart, 2013).
Afforestation and reforestation represent yet viable strategies for the mitigation of global warming, because green areas increase the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere (mostly generated my human activity) and provide a further cooling of the climate (West & Scafetta, 2010).
Reforestation would imply conversing the non-forested land, previously forested and ultimately transformed into un-forested land, into forested soil by planting trees and building green areas (Metz, 2007), which would have as an outcome the beautification of the forested areas and would also provide a more healthy living environment and also a place where to go to escape the noise and agglomeration of crowded areas. Similarly, afforestation (planting trees in areas where trees have not previously existed) is a strategy for absorbing the carbon dioxide and reducing the global warming, because the trees will maintain coolness. Metz (2007) states that studies estimate that carbon benefits rise up to 89% from land-use through afforestation and reforestation. The cost of afforestation/deforestation is around 13.6$/tCO2, which, according to Metz (2007) should make these processes attractive strategies for the mitigation of the global warming in many countries. The afforestation/reforestation strategy for mitigating climate change into global warming should be combined where applied, with the reduction of the deforestation, for attaining effective results and environmental sustainability through time. Moreover, afforestation and reforestation would have other positive significant outcomes, such as the development of biodiversity.
There must be noted that both afforestation and reforestation, as well as employing renewable energies for reducing the CO2 emissions are anthropogenic strategies, implying, hence, human activities.
In order to achieve the global stabilization of the climate, I would propose a policy that would impose companies, factories and other CO2 emission entities to limit their carbon dioxide to a nationally imposed limit and the failure to meet the national imposed standards should be penalized. Additionally, I would sustain the gradual integration of green energy to replace the fossil fuel energy, by offering economic incentives to corporations and factories that would develop plans to integrate renewable energy in their operations. Moreover, I would impose afforestation and reforestation processes, by identifying proper lands in key areas that would need a new landscape and a green area for reducing the pollution, but also to sustain the biodiversity. The main business sectors that I would target for applying my policies would be the industrial factories, which heavily base their activity of fossil fuel, the automotive industry, which, although focuses on developing electric cars and on employing renewable energy are still primarily dependent on fossil fuels also, the construction industry, which through the materials employed in building various immobile is jeopardizing the environment because those materials are pollutant and contribute to global warming. Nevertheless, I would also target public opinion and individuals, responsible for their own waste, which pollutes the environment and through their activities generate global warming. They would be key stakeholders in responsibly changing their habits of consuming less energy, protecting trees and green areas for the benefit of their own health, for improved living condition and for sustainable mitigation of global warming. For the more industrially developed societies, such as United States, United Kingdom, China, or the emerging economies, such as India, Singapore, Brazil or Russia there should be imposed stricter standards for the implementation of the proposed policies.
References
Anthropogenic climate change (n.d.) Global Greenhouse Warming. Retrieved from http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/anthropogenic-climate-change.html.
Carleton, J. & McHugh, B. (2013) Renewable energy technology the key to climate change. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-30/renewable-energy-technology-not-emission-target/4988946.
Global warming and climate change (n.d.) Retrieved from http://colinandrews.net/files/c15_Proof-2012BookChapt15-WebSite.pdf.
Guerrero-Lemus, R. & Martinez-Duart, J., M. (2013) Renewable energies and CO2: Cost analysis environmental impacts and technological trends-2012 edition, New york, Springer.
McMichael, A., J. (2003) Climate change and human health: risks and responses. Geneva, World Health Organization.
Metz, M. (2007) Climate change 2007-mitigation of climate change: working group III. IPCC Working Group III.
West, B., J. & Scafetta, N. (2010) Disrupted networks: from physics to climate change. London, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
