Global warming has become one of the most controversial issues in the media today. While most of the Western world countries have generally accepted the premise that man's chemical emissions in the atmosphere can and are affected by the world’s climate patterns, in the United States, the issue has become so politicized with many republicans challenging the science behind the theory. Global warming is a greenhouse effect whereby gases are trapped on the earth’s surface causing it to heat up (Maslin 14). It is based on the worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by human beings through their activities since the 1880,s. In addition, global warming is not only caused by human activities only but also through climate changes in solar radiance. The problem is that, humans continue to contribute to the global warming phenomenon. All citizens should work in reducing human activities that cause global warming and also support the development of nuclear power. Scientists deem that, global warming is mainly caused by human activities which accelerate the natural process by creating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human activities have become a great contribution to the greenhouse effect and this means that climate changes are inevitable. They further argue that, if these activities continue and are not reduced, it will lead to more trapping of energy radiated from the earth and this will likely lead to extreme weather and global warming. Global warming should be at reduced levels or else, it will be catastrophic.
Climatologists are scientist who study climate. The global warming debate has created tension between climate scientist and meteorologists especially weather forecasters on television. Climatologists argue that global warming is mainly caused by human activities thus causing climate change. However, there is less of a consensus amid meteorologists who are always predicting short term weather patterns which at times turns out to be wrong. It was once thought that climate changes over long periods of time, however recently, scientists have found out that, shifts in climates occur in a relative much shorter time frame than it was assumed. According to Drummond and Wilkinson there were dramatic shifts only 8200 years ago (330). With the development of civilization and its reliance on weather for agriculture, if a climate shift occurred today, it would have dire consequences on humanity.
It appears that severe consequences could be looming for humanity if global warming continues. According to the National Academy of Sciences report in 2002, they compiled a report with over 500 references that was drafted by a group of over 50 top experts on climate (Cox 102). The report dubbed Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises lays out a scope of the problems that are inevitable. They determined that, past climate can be inferred through ice shoots on the polar caps. Earlier on, the National Science Foundation had funded a $25 million project drill two miles into the caps on Greenland. The group was able to compile a rough climatic history from the last 110,000 years where they came up with a determination. Their data led to the conclusion that, in the last 100,000 years, the earth’s climate had fluctuated much more drastically than scientist had originally suspected. Furthermore, they concluded that, in the last 110,000 years, there has been around 20 major climate shifts in the earth’s climate (Cox 127). The conclusion of the National Academy of Sciences report is an important consideration for the current issue of global warming. Their conclusion was that, abrupt climate change not only possible, but it is normal on earth. The current warm and stable climate is rare normally.
No one can ever claim to have a better and complete understanding of the climate as there are various theories yet none of them is conclusive. This is the reason as to why the global warming issue is tricky since no one has completed the theories about it. However, according to many scientists, humans are the main contributors to global warming and are likely to contribute to another climate shift. Maslin (45) thinks that, until we know better when this might happen, carbon emissions should be reduced in the air as they are the main cause of climate change. Furthermore, according to the National Resource Defense Council, climate change is changing our economy, health and communities in diverse ways. Carbon dioxide is released in the air at increased levels. According to the US Geological survey, humans produce in between 3 and 5 days the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that all volcanoes in the world emit in the entire year (Maslin 65). The burning of coal, fossil fuels and natural gases has tremendously raised the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere yet it is one of the gases causes climate change.
The National Resource Defense Council lists what is at stake of human activities changing the earth’s climate. While it is such a complex phenomenon that is almost impossible to know anything about for certain, there are some basic things that can be expected. These according to NDRC include; increase in illness and death due to heat waves, polluted water, food and air. Reducing global warming might help in preventing about 300,000 - 700,000 premature deaths yearly by 2030 (National Research Council). This is because there will be a reduction in air pollutants which affects the human health and causes many deaths. The global warming can be reduced by making sure that there is adequate oxygen in the atmosphere to decrease the carbon dioxide in the air and can mainly be done by encouraging planting of many trees. Some Americans do not believe in global warming politically, they argue that Democrats hammer about it while republicans see it as political and not scientific. In addition, epistemological, they argue that there is no evidence to make them believe except from what scientists say. While metaphysically, Americans argue that God cannot allow millions of people to die of epic droughts and extreme weather and therefore, they are always doubtful about climate change.
The solutions to climate change are two fold, one is political and the other is practical. The over arching solution to human affecting the climate is to cease the human activities that lead to carbon emissions. Human activities have been blamed for the increase of carbon emissions in the atmosphere and if they are reduced, the climate change topic could be no more. One problem is that, electricity and power all depend on fossil fuel which has an undesired effect on the air.
The Natural Resource Defense Council lays out five things that must be done in order to stop these carbon emissions from being released in the air (National Research Council.). Set limits on global warming pollution, invest in green jobs and clean energy, drive green cars, create green homes and building better communities and transportation networks. Global warming can be reduced by planting of many trees and this makes sure that there is adequate oxygen in the atmosphere to decrease the carbon dioxide in the air Moreover, the dependence of fossil fuels should be reduced and renewable energy used so as to decrease the high emissions of carbon dioxide. People should learn to drive green cars and avoid cars with high carbon emission levels. By decreasing the emission of harmful gases in the air, the global warming phenomenon will be stopped.
These things are easier said than done though. The current industry that makes profit from fossil fuels is powerful and lobbying power for law makers. This makes it an uphill task to pass legislations that would restrict the use and sale of fossil fuels. Since much of the world operates under capitalistic market principles, the solution would not make sense given the current economic state of affairs in the world. Moreover, green technology such as green cars do exist but come at a very high cost. Moreover, solar and wind mills do exist but they come at a very higher cost too.
Another promising solution that is controversial in its own right is to replace traditional power such oil and coal based production with nuclear power. However, nuclear power is still viewed as a pollutant to the air by some people and they argue that it will still cause global warming and climate change. It is estimated that by 2050, the energy needs of the world will have tripled due to the growing population. So, how will the world be able to cater for the growing population and reduce fossil fuel emissions when they are the commodities that it relies on to produce electricity? According to William, David, Chaim, Steve and Bob (1177), the answer to these is to move forward to nuclear power.
Nuclear power is clean energy, meaning it produces power without producing emissions in the air. The trade off is that it involves a lot of risks but it is considered to be the best to cater for the growing population needs. Nuclear power operates on the same principles that nuclear weapons operates under. By splitting an atom, am enormous energy is released which can be collected. In the form of a weapon, it can destroy an entire city, but in the form of nuclear power, it can power up an entire city. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it is the main way to reduce global warming because the continued burning of fossil fuels is likely to warm up the atmosphere and the consequences might in the long run be a serious concern to the entire humanity.
Critics to this solution cite known cases such as Chernobyl in Russia when an entire city had to be evacuated due to a melt down of a reactor (Abbot 98). The Chernobyl disaster has led to many deaths due to cancer and other related diseases. In addition, more recently in 2011, there was the Fukushima reactor which was to be shut down after an earthquake. It caused a tsunami which destroyed the ability of the reactor to cool itself causing death and destruction of property (Brumfiel 291). A nuclear meltdown is a term that is used to describe a situation when a reactor is impaired from overheating. When a reactor starts producing more heat than the cooling system is able to cool, the entire power system can fail.
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.
Works Cited
Abbott, Pamela (2006). Chernobyl: Living With Risk and Uncertainty. Health, Risk & Society 8.2 (2006):105-121. Print.
Brumfiel, Geoff. "Fukushima: Fallout of fear". Nature 493.7432 (2013): 290–293. Print.
William C. Sailor, David Bodansky, Chaim Braun, Steve Fetter, Bob van der Zwaan. A Nuclear Solution to Climate Change? Science 288. 5469 (2000): 1177-1178
National Research Council. America's Climate Choices: Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2010. Print.
Drummond, Carl N, and Wilkinson, Bruce H. "Interannual Variability in Climate Data". Journal of Geology 114. 3(2006): 325–39. Print.
Patterson, Thom. Climate change warriors: It's time to go nuclear. November 3, 2013 http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/03/world/nuclear-energy-climate-change-scientists/
Cox, John. Climate Crash: Abrupt Climate Change and What It Means for Our Future. Washington, D.C: Joseph Henry Press, 2005. Print.
Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future. New York: MBI Publishing Company, 2007. Print.
