Abstract
The current discourse aims to find a response to two questions, to wit: (1) what can the individual do about global warming? And (2) what are the economic problems of individual action by a business, individual, or nation? From studies and researches on global warming, the response presented ways that individuals could do in the home, office, school, or on the road to mitigate the impact of global warming. Likewise, identification that economic problems ensure from irresponsible use of finite resources explain the dilemmas that could apparently ensue.
What can the individual do about global warming?
Various studies and research on the subject of global warming and climate change have confirmed the role of human activities in this global phenomenon (Harris & Roach, 2009; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). As such, each individual could significantly assist in mitigating continued deterioration of the environment and assist in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, identified to contribute to global warming. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2013), for instance, has suggested ways that individuals could do to protect the environment, the climate, and lessen pollution and global warming. Individuals within the residential or office setting have been recommended to do the following: change lighting fixtures to Energy Star which was explicitly identified to provide “bright, warm light; generates 75% less heat; uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting; and lasts from 10 to 50 times longer” (United States Environmental Protection Agency: What You Can Do: At Home, 2013, par. 1); maintaining heating and cooling equipments regularly to ensure that they function efficiently; insulating the home (or office); participating in reduce, reuse, and recycle program; using water efficiently; purchasing green power; calculating the household’s carbon emission; and encourging others to use power and energy efficiently. Likewise, within the school environment, individuals (students, administrators, and educators) could learn more information on climate change and global warming through incorporating the subject in the course modules. In addition, programs that support environmental protection and conservation could also be promoted.
Concurrently, on the road, individuals could assist in conserving energy through selecting vehicles that are fuel-efficient and contribute less to greenhouse gas emissions. Individuals could opt to use the public transportation system or opt to go on a carpool, ride the bike or walk (if the office, school, or targetted location is within the vicinity).
What are the economic problems of individual action by a business, individual, or nation?
The economic problems of individual action by an individual, business, or nation stems from irresponsible use of resources; especially finite resources. As emphasized, the effects of climate change could be observed as significantly impacting diverse sectors of contemporary economies. As such, the impacts range from varied intensities of rainfall; erratic yields in agricultural crop production; adverse effects in health; changes and transformations in ecosystems as well as forests; and energy consumption and supply (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). It could therefore be deduced that the economic problems include potential lessening of agricultural crop yields; increase in health care costs; destruction of forests and ecosystems which could pose additional dangers in terms of floods, soil erosion, and losing the natural habitat of diverse living things; as well as the increasing costs of energy that make it more expensive to run and operate businesses – which could reverberate to higher costs of products and services to consumers.
Principles in economics have acknowledged that goods and services are allegedly limited; despite evident need to use unlimited resources due to the increasing global population. Therefore, economic problems ensue from the need to allocate and distribute these finite resources in the most efficient and effective manner (Principles of Economics, n.d.). Thus, when individuals, businesses or nations consume, use, or waste finite resources at levels which are greater than ways to replace these resources, problems would naturally occur. The distribution of resources, per se, is an ecomomic problem since social structure has evidently been proven to be unequal. There is great disparity between social classes and trying to balance access to these economic resources have been the dilemma of governments for a long time. In addition, finding effective solutions to economic, environmental, social, and political problems continue to pervade contemporary societies on a global scale.
References
Harris, J., & Roach, B. (2009). The Economics of Global Climate Change. Retrieved from Tufts University: http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/education_materials/modules/The_Economics_of_Global_Climate_Change.pdf
Principles of Economics. (n.d.). Retrieved from depts.alverno.edu: http://depts.alverno.edu/dgp/GEC/Principles%20of%20Economics.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 9). Climate Change Impacts and Adapting to Change. Retrieved from epa.gov: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/index.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 9). What You Can Do. Retrieved from epa.gov: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
