Category: Climate Change

Statement of the Problem

Modern scientists focus on the problem of the climate change because of expecting the dramatic consequences in the future.

The problem is that the climate is changing, while affecting the environment and shaping the peoples lives through increasing the air and surface temperatures.

The main cause of the drastic changes is the global warming.

It is necessary to concentrate on solving the climate change problem using the interdisciplinary approach and referring to the accomplishments in the fields of industrial ecology and environmental chemistry.

Modern scientists focus on the problem of the climate change because of expecting the dramatic consequences of the process in the future. The worst scenarios of developing the climate change process can lead to the significant environmental change, the impact of which is difficult to be predicted completely. However, the problem is in the fact that the climate is changing, while affecting the environment and shaping the peoples lives through increasing the air and surface temperatures, and the main cause of the drastic changes is the global warming. While focusing on global warming as the major cause of the climate change, it is necessary to concentrate on solving the climate change problem using the interdisciplinary approach and referring to the accomplishments in the fields of industrial ecology and environmental chemistry.

Historical Perspective and Scientists Approach

1980s  the problem of climate change received the media attention in connection with increasing average temperatures, discussions of greenhouse effect, and global warming.

During a long period of time, scientists partially discussed the problem, focusing on the carbon dioxide increase in the air and global warming(Dessler, 2011, p. 24).

1990s  changes in approaching the problem and analyzing the data on the global temperature increase.

Some scientists discuss the climate change problem as illusory.

Potential benefits: the change of climates into mild and more comfortable for people (Lean, 2010, p. 111).

Many scientists agree that the problem is important (McNall, 2011, p. 34).

The problem of climate change was not discussed actively until the 1980s, when the problem received the media attention in connection with the anomaly of increasing average temperatures, discussions of greenhouse effect, and global warming. Although the problem is recent, its potential impact on the environment is dramatic.

During a long period of time, scientists did not accentuate the existence of the problem, partially discussing it while focusing on the carbon dioxide increase in the air, greenhouse effect, and global warming (Dessler, 2011, p. 24). The situation changed in the 1990s because of analyzing the data on the global temperature increase. Referring to the changes in the Northern and the Southern hemispheres, the scientists noted the significant alternations associated with the climates stability.

Different scientists discuss the climate change problem as illusory because the effect of the change can be observed only in thousands of years. Moreover, there are the potential benefits such as the change of climates into mild and more comfortable for people (Lean, 2010, p. 111).

However, many scientists agree that the problem is important, and it should be addressed and solved appropriately (McNall, 2011, p. 34).

Climate Change: Causes and Aspects

Global warming is the main cause of the climate change.

Global warming is the result of increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Increases in the carbon dioxide concentration are the consequences of anthropogenic activities, such as the development of industries, mining, and transportation.

Global warming leads to warming the oceans, melting glaciers, sea level risings, changes in the climate, when some territories become wetter, and the other regions become dryer (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The main cause of the climate change is the global warming which is the result of increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The increases of the carbon dioxide concentration affected by the impact of the solar energy lead to the greenhouse effect. Thus, increases of the carbon dioxide concentration are the consequences of anthropogenic activities, such as the development of industries, mining, and transportation. The mens activities lead to the situation when the greenhouse gases are absorbed in the atmosphere to heat the surface of the Earth, and the sunlight passes to the surface more actively, increasing the radiation levels.

As a result, global warming leads to warming the oceans, melting glaciers, sea level risings, changes in the climate, when some territories become wetter, and the other regions become dryer (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The Problems Impact

The population of the whole world is impacted by the problem of the climate change.

Developed Countries (North America, Europe, and Japan):

• The snowpack in mountains will melt;
• The frequency and duration of heat waves will increase;
• The risk of inland and island floods will increase;
• The sea level will rise;
• Frequency of storms will increase;
• Crop productivity will decrease (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

Underdeveloped Countries (South America, Africa, and Eastern counties):

• The population will suffer from increased water shortage;
• Decreased access to food;
• Increased risks of flooding and droughts (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The population of the whole world is impacted by the problem of the climate change. However, the impact on the population of developed and underdeveloped countries can be discussed as rather different, depending on the region.

The population of the developed countries, including the countries of North America, Europe, and Japan, will be affected significantly because the snowpack in mountains will melt; the frequency and duration of heat waves will increase; the risk of inland and island floods will increase; the sea level will rise; frequency of storms will increase; crop productivity will decrease (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The population of the underdeveloped countries, including the countries of South America, Africa, and Eastern counties, will suffer from increased water shortage; decreased access to food; increased risks of flooding and droughts (NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

Industrial Ecology and Environmental Chemistry

• Industrial ecology  the climate change is the direct result of the mens activities.
• The solution  the focus on developing sustainable industries and reducing carbon dioxide emissions (Dessler, 2011, p. 84).
• Environmental chemistry  the climate change is a result of the greenhouse effect and the associated processes in the atmosphere.
• The solution  the change in the approaches to using coal, oil, and gas and the focus on biofuels (McNall, 2011, p. 111).

Two science disciplines used to frame the problem of the climate change are industrial ecology and environmental chemistry.

Industrial ecology is selected because the climate change is discussed in this field of knowledge as the direct result of the mens activities. Thus, one solution to resolve the problem is to focus on developing sustainable industries and reducing carbon dioxide emissions (Dessler, 2011, p. 84).

Environmental chemistry discusses the climate change as a result of the greenhouse effect and the associated processes in the atmosphere. The first step to resolve the problem is to change the approaches to using coal, oil, and gas and focus on biofuels (McNall, 2011, p. 111).

Solutions Proposed by Disciplines

• Industrial Ecology  scientists propose the effective way to decrease the global warming effects with references to the idea of sustainability.
• Environmental Chemistry  it is more reasonable to find the alternative ways of energy and focus on biofuels.
• The focus on the idea of suitability is characteristic for both the approaches.

The approach used with references to industrial ecology contributes to resolving the problem of the climate change significantly because the scientists propose the effective way to decrease the global warming effects with references to the idea of sustainability.

Environmental chemistry proposes the approach according to which it is more reasonable to find the alternative ways of energy and focus on biofuels.

The focus on the idea of suitability is characteristic for both the approaches.

Possible Solutions to Resolve the Climate Change Problem

Possible solutions to the problem of the climate change are the following ones:

• The practical focus on using the alternative renewable sources of energy.
• The focus on sustainable development as associated with management, governments policies, and environmental standards.

Possible solutions to the problem of the climate change are the following ones:

The practical focus on using the alternative renewable sources of energy.

The focus on sustainable development as associated with management, governments policies, and environmental standards.

Pros and Cons of the Solutions

First Solution

PROS:

• cost-effective;
• sustainable technologies are the priorities today;
• developed countries promote using alternative sources of energy;
• investment in the industry increases;
• decrease in CO2 emissions is obvious;
• scope for using biofuels is large.

CONS:

• the necessity to implement new innovative technologies;
• increased competition within the industry.

Second Solution

PROS:

• the climate change problem is discussed at the international conferences, and the proposed solutions are implemented at the global level;
• focus on policies and management is effective to control the problems development.

CONS:

• high costs associated with implementing new policies;
• the risk of provoking unfair competition within the industry (Dessler, 2011, p. 84; McNall, 2011, p. 111; NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The pros associated with the first solution and the focus on using the alternative renewable sources of energy are the following ones:

• The use of renewable energy is cost-effective;
• The use of sustainable technologies are the priorities for many industries today;
• Developed countries promote the research in the field and pay more attention to using alternative sources of energy;
• Investment in the industry increases;
• The decrease in CO2 emissions is obvious;
• The scope for using biofuels is large.

The cons are the following ones:

• The necessity to implement new innovative technologies;
• Increased competition within the industry.

The pros associated with the second solution and the focuses on sustainable development are the following ones:

• The global warming and climate change problems are discussed at the international conferences, and the proposed solutions are implemented at the global level;
• The focus on policies and management is effective to control the problems development.

The cons are the following ones:

• High costs associated with implementing new policies;
• The risk of provoking unfair competition within the industry (Dessler, 2011, p. 84; McNall, 2011, p. 111; NASA: Global climate change, 2014).

The Best Possible Solution

• The solution to the problem of the climate change can be discussed as effective when the solution is practical.
• The greenhouse effect and the global warming are the main causes of the climate change.
• To reduce the percentage of CO2 emissions in the air, it is necessary to focus on using alternative renewable sources of energy because the use of renewable energy is cost-effective.
• The use of renewable energy contributes to supporting the sustainable environment and proposes such solutions as the use of biofuels.

The solution to the problem of the climate change can be discussed as effective when the solution is practical, and it works to cope with the main cause of the problem. The greenhouse effect and the global warming are the main causes of the climate change. To reduce the percentage of CO2 emissions in the air, it is necessary to focus on developing and using alternative renewable sources of energy in developing and developed countries because the use of renewable energy is cost-effective and attractive for investors, it contributes to supporting the sustainable environment, and proposes such solutions as the use of biofuels.

Conclusion

The problem of climate change is extremely significant because it influences all the people living on the planet.

The consequences of the climate change are irreversible, and much attention should be paid to finding the solution which can be effective not only in the economic and policy context but also in relation to its practical usefulness.

That is why, the focus on the renewable energy is the appropriate solution to cope with the problem at the current stage.

The problem of climate change is extremely significant because it influences all the people living on the planet. The consequences of the climate change are irreversible, and much attention should be paid to finding the solution which can be effective not only in the economic and policy context but also in relation to its practical usefulness. That is why, the focus on the renewable energy is the appropriate solution to cope with the problem at the current stage.

References

Dessler, A. (2011). Introduction to modern climate change. USA: Cambridge University Press.

Lean, J. (2010). Cycles and trends in solar irradiance and climate. WileyInterdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(1), 111-122.

McNall, S. (2011). Rapid climate change: Causes, consequences, and solutions. USA: Routledge.

NASA: Global climate change. (2014).

Generation Z refers to the youngest generation and it entails individuals aged between 6 and 24 years. They were born when negative impacts of climate were being felt across the globe. These changes are becoming a matter of urgency since they are affecting many people. The need for more stringent measures is on the rise as the number and intensity of natural disasters such as floods, wildlife, hurricanes, and earthquakes continue to rise (Crichton et al., 2009). These issues have attracted the attention of the generation who they have identified climate change as the most challenging problem the world is facing today. This paper explains that climate change is the greatest issue affecting Generation Z and needs to be addressed.

Climate change is a major issue of concern to people born after 1997 since they cannot recall a time when the problem did not exist. They were born when measures to address global warming were the main agenda in regional meetings encouraging them to become part of the solution. The generation understands that the problem can affect their future implying that it is necessary to establish effective corrective measures (Nordhaus, 2019). Moreover, it is affecting their career choices since climate change has impacted many sectors of the economy negatively. Since everyone would like to study a marketable course, many young people are considering areas that are not directly affected by climate change. For instance, many are avoiding agriculture because it is one of the highly affected areas.

Most people in generation Z understand that climate change is an issue affecting everyone and not the government alone. This implies that every individual has a role to play in supporting beneficial changes and facilitating the reduction of the negative impact. Many young people are motivated to make a difference as they have a passion for nature (Crichton et al., 2009). Moreover, the problem is affecting their decisions on how and where to live. This is because many areas that were considered favorable are now being marked with endless natural disasters, which are life-threatening. Many young people are concerned about issues that can affect the quality of their future and are determined to offer solutions to the problem by being more responsible.

The US seems to have heard the cry of the generation as President Biden announced a policy of bringing back the United States into the Paris Climate Change. The generation understands that climate change can worsen in case effective measures are not taken to address it. They are concerned since the issue can escalate to cause devastating issues and compromise the quality of life. Natural disasters can overturn the economy, and destroy properties and the way of life (Henderson and Seekamp, 2018). This implies that all young people should be concerned about problems that affect their future.

In conclusion, climate change is increasing with time becoming the greatest issue of concern among the Generation Z population. It is affecting nearly every decision that a young person is making today including career choices, where to live, how to travel, and what to eat, and do. This implies that the generation has a big task ahead to address the problem and make the world a better place for them. Failure to take the necessary measures can cause many problems most of which are unbearable.

Reference List

Crichton, D., Nicol, F., and Roaf, S. (2009) Adapting buildings and cities for climate change. Routledge.

Henderson, M., and Seekamp, E. (2018). Battling the tides of climate change: The power of intangible cultural resource values to bind place meanings in vulnerable historic districts. Heritage, 1(2), pp. 220-238.

Nordhaus, W. (2019). Climate change: The ultimate challenge for economics. American Economic Review, 109(6), pp. 1991-2014.

The examined concepts correlate with environmental trends and, therefore, are important for their consideration. Social change is viewed as a shift in peoples interactions transforming societal institutions (Dunfey). Social movements are campaigns aimed at achieving goals for societys benefit, and collective behavior implies combined efforts in organizing activities (Anindya and Avci). In turn, the environmental movement positively affects society since it helps people develop their organizational skills and attain unity in critical matters. Thus, the issue of climate change, a shift in weather patterns causing global warming, contributes to this aspect (Climate Change: How Do We Know?).

The arguments are peoples confirmed responsibility for their actions, rising levels of human-produced gases, and temperature shifts (Gaby; Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change?). They affect social change by increasing awareness and involving more people.

Social movement theories are also important for environmental projects. For example, the structural strain theory explains the deficiencies evoking citizens concerns (Anindya and Avci). These programs imply gains and losses, reflected by better conditions for future generations alongside the struggles of present-day people in the lack of resources. Collective behavior leads to everyones involvement in the recycling process for peoples safety, but most citizens tend to join because others participate.

There is no clear view of the opposing perspectives since the issue is too complex and there are enough arguments from both sides (Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change?). The only confirmed facts are the impact of ones culture and community on willingness to participate in environmental projects, and some people can refuse to join, thereby demonstrating their individuality.

Collective behavior affects every decision, whether it is joining different movements or having social media accounts. It is explained by the fact that humans are social beings and need to conform to some extent. Therefore, citizens tend to copy their peers behavioral patterns. The concepts studying during the course reflect on these mechanisms, and social theories allow gaining a better understanding of how much individuality one might express in their actions.

Works Cited

Climate Change: How Do We Know? Global Climate Change, n.d. Web.

Dunfey, Theo Spanos.  What is Social Change and Why Should We Care? Southern New Hampshire University. 2019. Web.

Gaby, Keith. Is Global Warming Real? A 30-Second Answer. Huffpost. 2014. Web.

Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change? Britannica ProCon. 2020. Web.

Sen, Anindya, and Omer Avci. Why Social Movements Occur: Theories of Social Movements. Journal of Knowledge Economy and Knowledge Management, vol. 11, no. 1, 2016, pp. 125-130.

Statement of the question

What are the health effects of climate change and what can be done to address them?

• Climate change, which is a universal problem, is thought to have devastating effects on human and animal health. However, the precise health effects are not known.
• We need to know the precise effects of climate change on health to devise appropriate strategies to counter them.
• This presentation explores different studies that have been done to ascertain the correlation between climate change and health.
• Recommendations to address the climate change issues will also be provided based on the findings of the studies and current measures to address climate change.

Background of the question

• Climate change affects the social and environmental aspects of health such as access to clean water, air, food and shelter.
• The mortality rates due to health problems have increased recently and are likely to increase further.
• The Who (par. 2) projects that climate change will increase global deaths to 250,000 annually in the next two decades.
• Climate change has environmental consequences that affect the physical, social and psychological health of humans.
• Therefore, the impacts of climate change on human health cannot be underestimated.
• Climate change causes changes in precipitation patterns that result in flooding and droughts, degraded air quality, extreme heat waves, intense hurricanes and tornadoes, rising in sea-levels, and unpredicted wind patterns.
• All these factors have direct and indirect effects on physical, social, and psychological health of humans.
• Extreme climatic changes increase disease predisposition especially among children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
• Despite the negative effects of climate change, mitigation and adaptation strategies can be explored to prevent illness and deaths while protecting environment.
• Adoption of such strategies will address climate change and improve the environment and ultimately global health.
• A study done in 2008 showed that the death toll in Europe rose to 70,000 from 2003 because of the effects of climate change (natural calamities).
• In August 2003, 15,000 deaths occurred in France alone following an intense heat waves.

Climate change causes changes in precipitation patterns that result in flooding and droughts, degraded air quality, extreme heat waves, intense hurricanes and tornadoes, rising in sea-levels, and unpredicted wind patterns.

All these factors have direct and indirect effects on physical, social, and psychological health of humans.

Extreme climatic changes increase disease predisposition especially among children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Despite the negative effects of climate change, mitigation and adaptation strategies can be explored to prevent illness and deaths while protecting environment.

Adoption of such strategies will address climate change and improve the environment and ultimately global health.

A study done in 2008 showed that the death toll in Europe rose to 70,000 from 2003 because of the effects of climate change (natural calamities).

In August 2003, 15,000 deaths occurred in France alone following an intense heat waves.

Stowell et al. (42) predicted that by the 2050s, increased ozone levels due to combined climate change and emission control policies could increase premature deaths by 50 people annually in the US.

In the study, it was evident that industrialization played an important role in the influences of climate change on human health.

Wilke et al. (343) reported that the genera Aedes and Culex, which include vectors of mosquito-borne diseases, are highly invasive and adapted to man-made environments.

The man made environments refer to the changes brought about by revolutions in industrialization and agriculture hence climate change.

The climatic variations promote the breeding of mosquitoes with direct consequences to their disease transmission dynamics.

The three most important genera of mosquitoes are Anopheles (malaria parasite vector); Culex (vector for filariasis and several arboviruses, such as West Nile virus), and Aedes (which transmits dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses).

The Burden of Climate Change on Health Is Huge

This slide is a pictorial representation of how climate change affects human health and the economy.

Climate change increases flooding, heat waves, death toll due to air pollution, expenditure on remediating the effects of climate change, droughts, and increased cases of vector-borne diseases.

Literature review

Ma et al. (103)

• The study explains the impact of heat waves on human health in Shanghai, China.
• The study showed that heat waves increase annually in frequency and intensity.
• Temperatures were taken daily and compiled over a period of time.
• It was noted that mortality rates heightened with increased temperatures.
• The authors concluded that heat waves in urban areas is directly proportional to the adverse health effects observed.

The authors investigate the short-term effects of heat waves on mortality and its modifiers in China (Ma et al. 103).

Mortality rates were recorded over a 5-year period using Distributed Lag Non-linear Model (DLNM).

Separate DLNM models were fitted to investigate the effect of modification by individual characteristics (age, gender, cause of death, education level or place of death).

A meta-regression analysis was used to examine the potential effect of modification by community characteristic.

A total of 5.0% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.9%7.2%) excess deaths were associated with heat waves in 66 Chinese communities, with the highest death rate being recorded in North China (6.0%, 95% CI: 1%11.3%), followed by East China (5.2%, 95% CI: 0.4%10.2%) and South China (4.5%, 95% CI: 1.4%7.6%).

The authors concluded that the effects of heat waves were pronounced in urban areas and densely populated settlements.

McMichael (1340)

• The review focused on globalization, climate change, and human health.
• There is a link between climate change and environment, economy, and social aspects.
• Mitigation strategies have been proposed in the review.
• Early indicators of climate change such as El Nino and increased vector-borne diseases are addressed.

• The study focused on assessing the exponential increases in demographic, economic, commercial, and environmental indexes (also called the Great Acceleration) that have resulted in environmental effects hence altering major components of the earths system.
• The loss of biodiversity has amplified global circulation of bioactive nitrogen compounds and that human induced climate changes have already reached levels that are unsafe.
• These effects could have unpredictable consequences on human health.

For example, shifts in climatic changes in Kenya since 1975 have been related to stunting in children.

The study focused on assessing the exponential increases in demographic, economic, commercial, and environmental indexes (also called the Great Acceleration) that have resulted in environmental effects hence altering major components of the earths system.

The loss of biodiversity has amplified global circulation of bioactive nitrogen compounds and that human induced climate changes have already reached levels that are unsafe.

These effects could have unpredictable consequences on human health.

For example, shifts in climatic changes in Kenya since 1975 have been related to stunting in children.

Factors that affect population health are grouped into three major domains  social, economic, and environmental  within which globalizing processes and changes occur.

The study concluded that the current environmental changes have adverse and far-reaching implications on human health.

Hosking and Campbell-Lendrum (1076)

The authors identified five priority areas all revolving on climate change and human health.

The study assesses the impacts of mitigation and adaptation policies in curbing the climate change.

The study reviewed publications from 2008 onwards on the issue of climate change and health.

The authors noted that an increasing number of researchers are publishing new evidence on the issue every year.

Logic model for research on climate change and health in relation to global research priorities.

Categories reflect the priorities set by the WHO.

• The authors reviewed the influence of climate change and human health on policymakers.
• They noted that in 2008, WHO Member States passed a World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution recognizing the importance of climate change for human health and called for commitment to address climate changerelated health threats.
• The member states recommended the following priorities:
  • Health protection strategies and measures relating to climate change and their effectiveness.
  • Mitigation measures in other sectors such as marine life, water resources, land use, and transport.
  • Decision support and other tools such as surveillance and monitoring for assessing vulnerability and health impacts.
  • Assessment of resources necessary for health protection from climate change.
• The authors found out that research on climate change and health is growing rapidly due to high publications concerning this topic.
• They also noted that a large proportion of publications on this topic consisted of reviews and editorials, which may be partly because climate change and health is a relatively new and emerging research field.
• Also, other differences between fields may influence the proportion of reviews and editorials.
• Such papers can help raise awareness regarding the links between climate change and health, and identify promising strategies for future evaluation.
• The authors recommended that more studies involving systematic reviews and quantitative approaches were needed.
• They also recommended that funding should be shifted towards attaining sustainable strategies for dealing with the impacts of climate change on human health.

Faustini et al. (325)

• The study focused on the wildfires and particulate matter in Southern Europe.
• Climate change results in unexpected wildfires leading to smoky air.
• Respiratory tract infections have increased because of this reason.
• The authors found out that smoky days were associated with higher mortality rates.
• Smoky days also have a larger effect on cardiovascular and respiratory illness than on other days.
• They concluded that smoke is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in urban residents.
• Direct acyclic graph exploring the effects of forest fires on
  Death.
• The contribution of forest fires on Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations could not be assessed.
• The impact of forest fires on temperature could not be assessed.

The paper focused on the effects of particulate matter from forest fires in Southern Europe.

Most forest fires in the Mediterranean area occur during springsummer and overlap with Saharan outbreaks.

The fires are associated with increased temperatures.

The corresponding health effects such increased incidences of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases are due to an increase in particulate matter.

They analyzed the effects of wildfires and particulate matter (PM10) on mortality rates in 10 southern European cities in Spain, France, Italy and Greece between 2003 and 2010.

They found out that smoky days were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (lag 05, 6.29%, 95% CIs 1.00 to 11.85).

There was an increase in natural mortality (0.49%), cardiovascular mortality (0.65%), and respiratory mortality (2.13%) on smoke-free days.

PM10-related mortality was higher on smoky days (natural mortality up to 1.10% and respiratory mortality up to 3.90%).

The authors realized that smoke is associated with high levels of particulate matter.

Personal Opinion

• Climate change has brought devastating effects on human health.
• The work that has been done on climate change revolves around global warming and gaseous pollutants.
• Industrialization has heightened the health hazards through unregulated affluent discharge.
• Heat waves and other natural calamities such as tornadoes and tsunamis have been exacerbated by climate change.
• Human beings play an important role in most aspects of climate change.
• Mitigating the harmful effects of climate change requires a collective responsibility.
• Proper handling of waste substances by individuals and industries is likely to minimize the release of noxious substances that worsen climate change and its related outcomes.
• In the meantime, manmade efforts can be used to prevent certain adverse effects of climate change, for example, using electric fans to provide cooling effects during heat waves.

Summary and recommendations

• Current efforts to address the effects of climate change in health include:
  • Strict legislations by Agencies such as United Nations Environmental Program have tried to enforce laws that ensure that environment is well protected.
  • Hazardous materials that could compromise the environment have been banned e.g., leaded fuel.
  • The use of environmental pollutants such as plastic carrier bags has been banned to reduce pollution.
  • Partnerships between UN agencies are in place to represent health is the climate change agenda (WHO).
• Current efforts to address the effects of climate change in health include:
  • Strict legislations by Agencies such as United Nations Environmental Program have tried to enforce laws that ensure that environment is well protected.
  • Hazardous materials that could compromise the environment have been banned e.g., leaded fuel.
  • The use of environmental pollutants such as plastic carrier bags has been banned to reduce pollution.
  • Partnerships between UN agencies are in place to represent health is the climate change agenda (WHO).

Climate change involves complex interactions between climatic, environmental, economic, political, institutional, social, and technological processes.

Therefore, it cannot be addressed independent of broader societal goals (such as sustainable development), or other existing or probable future sources of stress.

Awareness campaigns should provide and disseminate information regarding the threats posed by climate change presents to human health.

Science and evidence should be exploited to address climate change by creating a global research agenda.

A public health response to climate change should help other nations build capacity to promote health and safeguard the environment.

Works Cited

Faustini, Annunziata, et al. Short-term Effects of Particulate Matter on Mortality During Forest Fires in Southern Europe: Results of the MED-PARTICLES Project. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol. 72, no. 5, 2015, pp. 323-329.

Hosking, Jamie, and Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum. How Well Does Climate Change and Human Health Research Match the Demands of Policymakers? A Scoping Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 120, no. 8, 2012, p. 1076.

Liang, Song et al. Surveillance Systems for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Global Lessons from Chinas Evolving Schistosomiasis Reporting Systems, 19492014. Emerging themes in epidemiology, vol. 11, no. 1, 2014, p. 19.

Ma, Wenjun, et al. The Short-Term Effect of Heat Waves On Mortality and Its Modifiers in China: An Analysis From 66 Communities. Environment International, vol. 75, 2015, pp. 103-109.

McMichael, Anthony J. Globalization, Climate Change, and Human Health. New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 368, no. 14, 2013, pp. 1335-1343.

In recent years, the Earths climate has changed markedly: some countries suffer from abnormal heat waves, others from winters that are too harsh and snowy for these places. Climate change is one of todays significant difficulties. Unpredictable weather patterns that threaten food production, and rising sea levels that inflate the danger of natural hazards are the outcomes of climate change and have a global nature and unprecedented degree. The consequence of global warming on the planets natural landscape regularly leads to geopolitical changes that threaten the stability of already vulnerable regions. Climate change threatens human security, creating multiple vulnerabilities and exacerbating existing social tensions. Unless action is taken now, subsequent adaptation to climate change will be more challenging and costly.

Global temperature increases result in a scarcity of natural resources; climate change is becoming a security threat, particularly in politically unstable territories of the world. Conflicts often arise between different social groups regarding resource-dependent communities (Sharifi et al., 2020). Disputes related to resource scarcity stem from multiple tensions in land-use systems, control of seasonal livestock routes, rangeland restoration, and new farming and production forms. However, looking at climate change solely through the lens of conflict narrows the scope for human security-based solutions.

The article by Ayyoob Sharifi, Dahlia Simangan, and Shinji Kaneko (2020) studied this topic in more depth. Their work examined papers over the past three decades related to climate change and its relationship to conflict and peace. Many different articles, reviews, and studies on this topic have been published recently. However, according to Sharifi et al. (2020), there is still no bibliometric analysis in this area. Thus, the purpose of their study is to fill this gap for a greater understanding of the problem at hand.

The authors are professors and researchers at various universities and have several dozen papers on social science, the natural sciences, and the environment to their credit. The authors have included many charts and tables to help understand the research they describe and make the structure of the article clearer. The review looks at various works from different years on the environment, connections to conflict, and the impact of climate change. The authors use outside sources to corroborate their statements. As a research method, bibliometric analysis was used to measure documents related to recording and transmitting knowledge and apply statistical techniques to the library and information science (Xu & Yu, 2019). This approach makes the work not only impartial but also objective. The results of this work can help identify understudied research topics that require further attention and can be used by scholars and policymakers as additional guidance in the field.

Security threats arise from the usual geopolitical and territorial disputes, but environmental factors can also undermine peace and safety. In terms of human security, climate change can hamper economic growth and limit the ability of vulnerable communities to cope with the challenges they face, which causes chronic poverty, insecurity, and unnecessary loss. Extreme weather events, sea-level rise, ecosystem degradation, and river basin depletion increase the risk of potential conflict. At the same time, the outcomes of climate change often overlap with another complex social and environmental problems. They become a threat multiplier and exacerbate the harmful effects of climate change so that it is perceived as a significant cause of hostility. While the geography of conflict remains the same, the increasing scale of the effects of climate change is reducing the range of possible adaptation strategies previously used by communities to manage and prevent conflict. As the available tools become less effective and less efficient, disagreements among different social groups can develop into protracted and chronic conflicts.

A problem like climate change deals with several things and causes many consequences, and conflict formation is only one of them; biodiversity loss should also be noted. Biodiversity enhances the ability and function of species and contributes to their resilience and adaptation to the environment (Jamieson, 2016). In other words, all living things in any ecosystem perform an important task, and the combination of their functionality contributes to the ability of any ecosystem and their resilience to various damages and losses. Biodiversity loss frequently decreases the environments productivity, making the natural storehouse of goods and services constantly used by humans impoverished. Prolonged climate change affects the vitality and health of ecosystems, causing shifts in the distribution of plants, pathogens, animals, and even human settlements. Thus, the problem is global and requires appropriate attention, control, and regulation.

It is essential to understand that climate change is not the primary cause or source of conflict but often, when combined with a set of implicit tensions, exacerbates conflict situations. Human security fundamentals are increasingly at risk, especially in countries in economic recession and fragile states. The problem of climate change should be considered not only in terms of conflict formation but also in terms of other equally significant consequences. People should pay particular attention to the loss of biodiversity. An objective approach and a broader view of the situation will help find new ways to address this issue.

References

Jamieson, L. (2016). Families, relationships and environment: (Un)sustainability, climate change and biodiversity loss. Families, Relationships and Societies, 5(3), 335-355.

Sharifi, A., Simangan, D., & Kaneko, S. (2020). Three decades of research on climate change and peace: A bibliometrics analysis. Sustainability Science, 1-17.

Xu, Z., & Yu, D. (2019). A Bibliometrics analysis on big data research (20092018). Journal of Data, Information and Management, 1(1), 3-15.

Climate change is a phenomenon threatening the well-being among people due to the negative attributes to the environment. It is a concept that is evident in Australia after research indicated that a higher percentage of young Chinese-Australian students agree that different factors contribute to the change in frequency of natural events. In an exercise, out team focused on assessing the opinion from other individuals, that is, the target population was the Chinese-Australians to the necessity of media representations of the emergent phenomenon.

According to CSIRO (2021), it is the responsibility of the Australian national government to implement strategies that alleviate the repercussions of human activities. The media significantly contributes to the creation of awareness, thus the importance of integrating the role of the news press with sustainability practices. The solution to climatic change depends on the effectiveness on integrate the principles of protecting habitats with daily human activities such as agriculture and trading practices.

Impact of Human Activities to Environmental Principles and Sustainability Development Goals on Alleviating Climate Change

Environmental law is an entity that seeks to address the main consequence of human activities to nature and biodiversity, that is, climatic change. Garmestani et al. (2019) argues that the framework bridges a gap between human lifestyle and the nature.

In a research, it is argued that evolution demands the change in the governance mainly through the Act both local and international (Garmestani et al., 2019). According to the researchers, the main issue rendered by the imbalance between human activities and environmental sustainability lies in the administration of the ideologies (Wang et al., 2018). Further, another mainframe that attributes to the entity of climatic change is the concept of sustainable development goals. Therefore, the international controlling system should ensure the development of effective ideologies to alleviate the impact of resource overexploitation in the action plan.

Principles of Environmental Law and Sustainability Development Goals

The principles of environmental law encompass the dynamic issues that control the balance between human activities and the natures aesthetic value. The integral values include the management of waste, the production of food, water reserves, the remediation and control of pollution rates, the protection of animals and plants, construction and emission activities, and mining (Zhang, Peng & Su, 2017). These procedures variably influence the effectiveness of the entity concerned with the implementation of the sustainability initiatives.

The management of waste is a component that significantly impacts implementation of the principles of environmental law. Materials disposed after the usage pollute the locale thus posing a significant risk to human health and natural biodiversity. Trash exists in three different forms. These forms include air impurification, noise besmearing, and solid wastes and the poor management in either form increases its hazardous effect to the local community and the habitat (Russell, 2020). In a different spectrum, the concept is a key feature in the Sustainable Development Goals with at least twelve of the laws. It is an initiative addressing the development of a solution regarding the disposal of litter to designated areas to avoid compromising the pristine state of the realm.

The Sustainable Development Goals is a multifaceted ideology of governance that entails the core values of human health and environment protection. The core values of Sustainable Development Goals enshrine human health, the protection of nature, and the enhancement of resources value. In this case, waste management becomes one of the development initiatives in international governance. It is a dominant factor in growth since it shields settlements from poor sanitation and the spread of diseases. Rodi and Wilson (2017) suggest that urbanization rendered the migration of individuals to urban areas seeking employment opportunities.

As a result, the areas became congested and vulnerable to pollution from human activities. According to Menken and Keestra (2016), modernization era fostered the evolution of human societies, it is crucial to consider an integration of sustainability initiatives with the developmental agendas. Therefore, the effective implementation of the waste management program promotes public health and biodiversity protection from the evolutionary trend.

Food production is another phenomenon that profoundly defines the concept of principles of environmental law. One of the primary needs of human beings is food; therefore, the increase in global population demands the increase in the processing of meat and grains. Agriculture is a human activity that poses a significant risk to the aesthetic value of nature, due to the unregulated tillage of land. One of the major focuses of the regulatory framework is a clear definition of sustainable farming, harvesting, storage, and packaging (Garmestani et al., 2019). The cultivation activities adversely affect biodiversity, such as the use of fertilizers that leaks into waters and influence the animals behavior.

Potashes contain a blend of chemicals in different percentages to increase the nutrient content in the soil. Therefore, the governance system must stipulate the regulations on the use of commercial compost to avoid the leaching of the chemicals to different regions. Another issue that highly affects the environment in the regulation of food production is packaging that is addressed in the sustainable development goals as a restoration of aquatics pristine state. Although it contributes to the sustainable utilization of the resources, it is a phenomenon that renders high risk to the habitat (Garmestani et al., 2019). This is because of the disposal rate of recyclable and non-recyclable resources. The multi-dynamic essence of food production is an interdependent variable to the principles of environmental law.

The global water reservoir footprint faces the threat of decrease from the increasing interference by people through such gaieties as irrigation. A significant percentage of the aquatic footprint is utilized for industrial, residential, or for the generation of electricity.

The protection of areas is an element in the principles of environmental law due to the huge reliance on water resources for human existence. As a source of energy through hydroelectricity, the aquatic resource becomes overexploited with the aim of generating adequate electricity for societies (Garmestani et al., 2019). China is one of the countries that is involved in the controversy of conservation due to its expansive population. A discussion of the overutilization of the water reservoirs as a source of energy poses the vital significance of the definition of the conceptual framework.

The rebound effect of energy consumption in China is a multifaceted phenomenon that profoundly relies on certain dynamic elements. The level of household energy consumption varies from one province to another, depending on infrastructural development. Further, the difference in the level of household energy consumption depends on the direct and indirect aspects (Wang et al., 2018). Primarily, uninterrupted energy use refers to its utilization by various means such as fossil fuels and electricity. The indirect consumption of energy is concerned with the utilization in facilitating transportation, production, and the disposal of materials. It is crucial to establish the sustainability practices that aim at enhancing the optimal exploitation of resources without compromising the pristine state and value.

In the teamwork report, the main focus encompassed the assessment of medias influence in the campaign efforts about sustainability. It is an activity that fostered the comprehension about the impact of various institutions in determining the alternative solution to climatic change. Sustainability is an interdependent factor based on the integration of the development goals, environmental principles, and stakeholders participation (Naidoo & Fisher, 2020).

The conservation of natural resources is a factor that enhances the cycle of energy from the decomposers, producers, and consumers. In this case, it is the responsibility of all entities and institutions such as the United Nations Environment Program, governments, and international corporation to integrate economic operations with ideal approaches that appreciate the value of ecology.

The balance in the ecological system involves the coordination of all parties involved to establish the core factor of sustainability. This comprises the management of wastes, protection of water reservoirs, and forests. A shortcoming in the implementation plan translates to the inefficient circulation of energy that highly attributes to climatic change. Our course and the teamwork project sufficiently address the matter of human activities and the impact to the environment such as education. The primary goal of the dynamic frameworks is addressing the integral value of economy despite the influence of capitalism.

According to capitalism theorem, it is the mandate of individuals to engage in different profitable engagements to accumulate wealth. However, it is essential to incorporate strategies that ensure the regulation and prevention of overexploitation of natural resources (Diverse approaches to data: where to get it, how to use it, and how to communicate it, n.a). The teamwork research focused on Chinese Australian students regarding the perception on news press contribution in campaigning protection of nature. It was notable that there is an interdependent relationship in asserting the practice that enhances the harmony between capitalism and the efficient cycle of energy.

Based on the research exercise, one of the key issues affecting younger generations encompasses the role of media in campaigning for sustainable practices. Another matter is the utilization of strategic initiatives that alleviate climatic change and frequent natural calamities. My team focuses on the perceptions from the young Chinese-Australians regarding the political influence and the attribution of the human activities to nature. On the one hand, environmental laws establish approaches to alleviate climate change as a consequence from compromised aesthetic value. On the other hand, the debate is an entity that provides an insight to the contrast posed from the sustainability development goals.

Historically, people seek to find solutions to major problems and align commercial interests as an integral value addition (Martin, 2018). However, I believe that it is crucial to address the significance of industrial revolution in relation to the global population. A persistent increase in human population means an elevation to the activities with the aim of feeding people. The debate triggered the thought of establishing an initiative that focuses on aligning the international principles with biodiversity protection.

Consequently, the major issue contributing to climate change is the increase in human population. The major factor to consider is the impact of natural conservation to the younger generations. Although the Australian government seeks to establish initiatives that boost sustainability, the media plays a profound role. In the research with my team, we focused on the perceptions by Chinese-Australians about climate change.

My team members agree that it is important to consider the significance of campaign to weigh the contribution of education among people in the implementation strategy. Primarily, team work is a vital factor in the success of an exercise. In this case, the coordination fostered the consideration of a critical reflection based on the results. The increase in the frequency of natural calamities is an entity that renders the optimization media representation in fostering the action plan on proper exploitation of natural resources without compromising the aesthetic value.

References

CSIRO. (2021). Partner with us to tackle Australias greatest challenges  CSIRO. Web.

Garmestani, A., Ruhl, J. B., Chaffin, B. C., Craig, R. K., van Rijswick, H. F., Angeler, D. G.,& & Allen, C. R. (2019). Untapped capacity for resilience in environmental law. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(40), 19899-19904.

Diverse approaches to data: where to get it, how to use it, and how to communicate it. Lecture 4.

Martin, G. J. (2018). Principles and rules. Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law (pp. 13-22). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Menken, S., & Keestra, M. (Eds.). (2016). An introduction to interdisciplinary research: Theory and practice. Amsterdam University Press.

Naidoo, R., & Fisher, B. (2020). Reset sustainable development goals for a pandemic world.

Rodi, L., & Wilson, D. C. (2017). Resolving governance issues to achieve priority sustainable development goals related to solid waste management in developing countries. Sustainability, 9(3), 404.

Russell, G. (2020). Reflecting on a way of being: anchor principles of cultural competence. Cultural competence and the higher education sector (pp. 31-42). Springer, Singapore.

Wang, Q., Gao, Z., Tang, H., Yuan, X., & Zuo, J. (2018). Exploring the direct rebound effect of energy consumption: A case study. Sustainability, 10(1), 259.

Zhang, Y. J., Peng, H. R., & Su, B. (2017). Energy rebound effect in Chinas Industry: An aggregate and disaggregate analysis. Energy Economics, 61, 199-208.

Introduction

One of the most significant issues that may concern humanity, climate change, is rapidly growing with no possibility to adapt to it. There is no certainty in the bright future for the Earth in the long-term perspective considering the devastating aftereffects that the phenomenon might bring. Nowadays, indicators foster efforts to foresee the impacts and derail and minimize the damage that people may encounter in case of unawareness. There is a need for a viable strategy that can be implemented in forestalling disasters. Governing authorities in every nation are looking into climate change indicators measurements to make corresponding actions.

Projects and data often do not reach society through streams of media. While portrayed as made up or fake, if not taken seriously, climate change carries serious repercussions with melting glaciers, catastrophic storms, drought, and depletion of food sources as opponents use social media for their agenda. Drought, higher than average temperatures, melting glaciers, and acidic waters are currently wreaking havoc worldwide, and it is only the beginning. Indicators of climate change call for a thoughtful and quick response from governments.

The Present Climate State and Indicators

The indicators are essential to evaluate the scale of the growing or decreasing issue and examine the trend over time. As the Earth had been going through many perils for millions of years, swings of factoring temperatures have diverged variably by season. Nonetheless, over the last 50 years, scientists have been watching and recording the constant pivotal changes in climate, which will have an enormous impact in the near future (NOAA).

For example, in the figure below, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) displays National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) data on seasons average temperature for the 48 states within the U.S. between 1896-2020. The data provided by NOAA is considered to be one of the most accurate. Seasons are defined as follows: winter (December, January, February), spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), and fall (September, October, November). The baseline is important to clearly illustrate the change over the years. It was obtained by taking the average of 1901-2000.

Climate Indicators and data compiled of the United States 48, between 1896-2020 for changes in seasonal temperatures. The baseline used for this graph is derived from the years 1901-2000 for facilitating data descriptions of change. The graphs show an increase in temperatures just above 2.75 degrees, reaching 3 degrees, over time in all four seasons. The most visible change is depicted in the graph, which illustrates the temperature change in the winter season.

The most considerable shift in temperature has occurred over the recent 30 years, demonstrating that innovation and population increase facilitate natural disasters. Trends consist of smaller snowpacks, glacier and ice accumulations, and increased temperatures in the winter and summer months. Thousands of animals are losing their shelters and food; massive deforestation and fires are a few of the precedents that take place with the changing temperature. The indicators prove the ground behind the fear of many ecologists and scientists of the global catastrophe which will transform the principal life on Earth.

Social Media and Interpretation of Data

The role of social media has drastically changed the normal flow of information in society over the last decade. According to Mitchell et al., an increasingly large portion of the worlds population (more than 50%) now rely on social media for news (1). The development of social media has its pros and cons. On the other hand, many individuals have gained popularity and obtained a job through the number of followers of their public social media pages. People can network, attract others, interact, make connections all over the globe, and implement current news events through the internet. As a result, the influence of such figures became higher than that of relevant scientific findings.

On the other hand, the number of non-credible sources, which eradicate facts and truth to populate confusion, has risen. The new information is usually thrown into an abyss of misrepresentations within social media streams. Psychological specialists suggest that people tend to create personal premises or belief systems (USGCRP). Thus, the news in the media, which is not evidence-based, causes polarization of the opinion in the audience. Inasmuch, beliefs are one of the most important things people have, driving the human premise and fostering decisions (USGCRP). Human beliefs are a derivative of social origins and social spread. As humans adopt beliefs from each other in a community, social media is a potentially vibrant vice against truth and facts.

The Formation of Beliefs

The relationship between the formation of ones belief and the surrounding environment has been discussed in countless psychological, and sociological articles. Cailin OConnor writes that a political era is riven by fake news, alternative facts, and disputes instead of trustworthy sources (8). The examples of climate change or the size of inauguration crowds convincingly show that what a person believes depends on who he or she knows (OConnor 10). In the event that social forces can clarify the working mode of deceptions, individuals should see how these forces work to adequately oppose falsifications. As propaganda entices public sentiment, there are interest groups that try to control and confound information. The intertwining between social factors and science can create an endless cycle of false conceptions.

It is difficult to articulate the exact reason for global warming ignorance. Research has shown that a central motivation for skepticism, or denial of climate change, is brought by social media venues (Lewandowsky 3). World views become motivated by influential cues in media that generate conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories often use efforts to deny science to derail facts, leading one to believe the deception. However, Stephan Lewandowsky, Professor in Psychology, claims that one claims that it is possible to introduce clashing perspectives without misdirecting by offering weight-of-proof or weight-of-specialists data (12). This technique supports more factual convictions while additionally recognizing views.

The Terrifying Outcome of Climate Change

The repercussions of misinformation being promulgated in media transfer to others lead the public to believe false information and stay passive about the current problem. The longer people decide to keep generating carbon footprint, which will irreversibly harm the Earth. It is empirical that people continually evaluate the global situation and demand others to make rapid steps toward the rehabilitation of the planet as its dwellers. The consequences of the current pandemic situation cannot be compared to the effect of depleting sources and, more importantly, climate change.

The Impact of Climate Change on Food System

The trickle-down effect of vital food sources has become ravaged by current climate factors. For example, climate change indicators showed drought and floods in places that had never seen such devastation before the pandemic (Climate Change Indicators: the U.S. and Global Temperature). Reports also dictated that loads for truck drivers decreased immensely as drought and floods destroyed farmlands (Wojciak). The food system faces many severe challenges, and it is not the only issue that is brought about by climate change. The current food system is already high for severity, as statistical reports mark more concern.

One truck remarked that farms were underwater, animal carcasses were afloat, yet they were dry to the bone in other places. All of the changes that are possible to occur in our food system depend on whether our climate change trajectory is more in line with the lower or higher emission scenarios (Wojciak). Therefore, the availability of resources is highly dependent on the outcomes of global warming.

Conclusion

The popularity of social media in the modern world has developed a closed vacuum where information is constructed based on someones opinion and irrelevant information that has no connection to actual facts. This has contributed to the misleading of the citizens and ignorance of real problems, which can deteriorate the situation. Credibility and facts are best in combatting opposing views to reach the center of truth.

The time that is necessary for people to figure out the truth might not be available as the global problem is on the verge. Climate shifts or their indicators show past, current, and future models as a desperate means for educating and formulating alliances globally to combat misinformation in media. Countries should join the efforts to reduce the harmful effects and work on repairing the damage to the ecosystem while there is still a chance.

Works Cited

Lewandowsky, Stephan. Climate Change Disinformation and How to Combat It. Annual Review of Public Health, vol. 42, no. 1, 2021, pp. 121. Web.

Mitchell, Amy, Katie Simmons, Katerina Eva Matsa, and Laura Silver. People in Poorer Countries Just as Likely to Use Social Media for News as Those in Wealthier Countries. Pew Research Centers Global Attitudes Project. Pew Research Center. 2019. Web.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental information, Climate at a Glance: Global Mapping. Web.

Climate Change Indicators: U.S. and Global Temperature | US EPA. US EPA, 2016. Web.

OConnor, Cailin, and James Owen Weatherall. The Misinformation Age. Illustrated, Yale University Press, 2019.

USGCRP (U.S. Global Change Research Program). 2017. Climate science special report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, volume I. Wuebbles, D.J., D.W. Fahey, K.A. Hibbard, D.J. Dokken, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock (eds.). Web.

Wojciak, Kaitlin Koch. How Will Climate Change Impact the Food System? (Part 1). MSU Extension. 2017. Web.

The economic sphere is constantly developing, affecting various aspects of life, including nature. This relationship is reciprocal, so the conclusion is that nature also affects the quality of the economy. Climate change is a problem, which causes issues that the economic system must adjust to, as well as industries trying to make more money, are detrimental to the harm that these changes cause.

Climate changes cause problems with production and transportation, which also lead to large-scale delays and cancellations of contracts. It is a disaster not only for individual industries but for the national economy as a whole. On the one hand, droughts or hails cause great damage to agriculture, on which the economy of many large companies is based, forcing the purchase of products in other countries or regions. On the other hand, cutting down forests to supply timber reduces the air quality that trees create and clean, disrupts the greenhouse effect, and causes warming, which is a type of climate change.

The majority of industries are blamed by society for high carbon emissions and dirty production, which contributes to climate change, and this fact provides judgment, distrust, and loss of customers, which also ruins the economy (Stoffberg & Prinsloo, 2009). However, the circular economy helps to cope with the negative effects of climate change by promoting recycling and reuse of products. In this way, the issue of production problems and harm to the environment is decreased, which helps the industry to preserve both nature and reputation.

In conclusion, the quality of economics dementing because of climate changes, which are ruining supply chains, but such economic type as circular helps reduce environmental damage. It provides production stability and prevents the development and danger of climate changes caused by mass production. With recycling, reusing of materials, and collecting waste, industries help to fight ecological issues, which are the cause of climate change by saving natures integrity.

References

Stoffberg, H., & Prinsloo, P. (2009). Climate change. A guide for corporates. Unisa Press.

Using Efficient Vehicles

Pacala and Socolow believe that the use of efficient vehicles can curb carbon emissions. They theorized that light-duty vehicle would reduce carbon emissions. This is because large size vehicles require a large amount of power that comes from fuel. Hence, they produce high carbon emissions due to high fuel consumption.

Minimize Car Use

Many cars probably release more carbon into the atmosphere. The more the annual road activity indicates that more cars traversed throughout a fiscal year, the higher the size of the annual fuel consumption. Pacala and Socolow believe that an annual decline in the rides of about 10,000 to 5000 miles would reduce emissions.

Using Efficient Buildings

Carbon emissions come from buildings. Pacala and Socolow assume that efficient residential and commercial buildings can reduce carbon emissions by approximately one-fourth come 2052. The stabilization wedges advocates for efficient house heating and cooling, refrigeration, water heating, and proper lighting, as the carbon reduction approaches in the residential and commercial buildings.

Efficient Coal Plants

Coal plants are the sources of heavy carbon emissions. Pacala and Socolow suggest that improved coal power plants with a higher operating efficiency of about 40%, rather than the current 32%, can reduce carbon emissions by 60%. Electricity and fuel de-carbonization would be imperative in this approach, because they would reduce gigatons of carbon (GtC).

Gas Base-load Power

Efficient coal plants may not be effective remedies to the control of carbon emissions. Sixth theory of the stabilization wedges claims that it is possible to replace the coal plants producing 1400 Gigawatt (GW), which represents 50% maximum efficiency, with the natural gas plants that produce as little as 700 GW.

Carbon Capture at Base-Load Plants

Carbon affects the atmosphere, and a proper carbon capture and control would reduce emissions. The seventh assumption claims that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology can curb carbon emissions. Coal producing companies should establish CCS in the power plants with 800 GW or, in the natural gas firms that produce 1600 GW. Pre-combustion or geologic storage would help.

Carbon Capture at Hydrogen Plants

The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology can also reduce carbon emissions in the Hydrogen plants. Coal firms that produce 250 MtH2 annually or natural gas plants that produce 500 MtH2 should incorporate the CSS technology. The CCS technology would assist to reduce the carbon through a pre-combustion process.

Storing Coal from the Synthetic Fuel

To control carbon, coal and natural gas plants should begin by controlling the synthetic fuels. The process of controlling the carbon from the synthetic fuel is through the capturing or venting of the carbon dioxide gas. Controlling the captured CO₂ in the synthetic fuels reduces the gigatons of carbon released.

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear energy is capable of reducing the 700 GW estimated to be the efficient coal capacity produced in the most appropriate manner. Nuclear fusion, through the construction of nuclear power plants can reduce the over reliance on coal for power. Nuclear is efficient and can produce the 90% globally needed power.

Wind Electricity & Photovoltaic Electricity

The tenth assumption of the Stabilization Wedges advocates for the use of the wind power instead of coal power. Windmills can produce 3 GW more than the 1 GW that a coal plant can produce on a nominal peak capacity. About 2000 GW of wind electricity can displace the coal power.

Optionally, the stabilization wedges propose for the replacement of the coal energy with the photovoltaic electricity. Photovoltaic electricity generates energy by depending on solar or sunlight energy. The world needs over 700 more of these investments on 2 million hectares of land to replace the coal energy efficiently.

Renewable Hydrogen

To reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere, renewing hydrogen gas can be an effective approach. Recyclable hydrogen power via the water electrolysis method is capable of producing non-carbon hydrogen that cars can utilize in their fuel. Utilization of the hydrogen from windmills in fuel-cell cars can displace diesel and petrol fuels.

Use of Bio-fuels

Biotechnology is capable of producing bio-fuel, which is more economical and environmentally friendlier than coal. 34 million daily barrels of bio-fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, and bio-butanol can replace the fossil-carbon fuels. Strategically, 250 million hectares of sugarcane and corn plantations may be adequate to replace the fossil-carbon in the year 2054.

Natural Sink

Some countries have employed carbon dioxide sinking strategies using the natural sinks. Natural sinks are carbon reservoirs of the ocean-like nature that companies can incorporate adjacent to the carbon emitters. The reservoirs are capable of allowing carbon gas to percolate into the ground through a sequestration process.

Forest Management

Efficient forest management and decreased deforestation of the tropical forest would reduce the atmospheric carbon dioxide because trees use CO₂ in the life cycle. Forestation plans or re-forestation techniques in an estimated space of 250 million metric squares of land within the extreme regions or 400 million metric squares of land in the hot zones can reduce carbon.

Managing Agricultural Soils

Soil conservation strategies can reduce carbon emissions. Techniques such as the land conservation tillage, soil erosion mitigation, and the cover crop farming style can help to preserve soil carbon that plants sometimes use instead of the atmospheric carbon. A cropland of 1600 million can sustain this practice.

Introduction

Can the insights of behavioural economics help fight climate change? (Gunther 2009, p. 1). The above statement describes the question most economists have asked themselves as they try to formulate sound policy recommendations regarding energy and climate change.

The behavioural economic approach is considered unique to other conventional energy and climate change policies because policymakers usually focus on technology as the premise for formulating useful energy and climate change policies. The focus on technology has birthed many recommendations that propose the need to adopt more environmentally friendly technology such as solar power and wind power.

Since the use of environmentally friendly technology has been the focus for economic and environmental debates, the role of human behaviour in influencing energy and climate change policy has been rarely addressed. Amir (2005) observes that human behaviour can be a very useful tool for influencing energy and climate change policies in particular the irrational, emotional, self-defeating, short-term, inconsiderate and plain old silly human behaviour that most of us engage in every day (Amir 2005, p. 1).

Many tenets of human behaviour have interested behavioural economists as they explore different strategies for formulating effective energy policies. For example, the use of incandescent light bulbs instead of CFL light bulbs has been an interesting observation made by such researchers as they explore different human habits that have an impact on energy and climate policy (Reiss and White 2008).

Another interesting observation has been the popular focus on commodity prices as opposed to product lifecycle and the purchase of extraordinarily big houses (that consume a lot of energy) as opposed to moderately sized houses which are energy efficient (Gowdy 1998). A recent study by Pollitt (2011) reports that home energy choices and personal lifestyle choices account for close to 40% of the total energy consumption in America alone.

Consequently, this study has prompted economists to estimate that within the next decade, focusing on positive behavioural change can lead to a 20% to 30% reduction in energy costs (Pollitt 2011). Due to the unique human behaviours present in todays society, it is difficult to ignore the impact behavioural economics have on energy and climate policy.

Energy and climate policies can, therefore, be improved by focusing on the contributions of positive behavioural economics on energy policies. This paper focuses on exploring the current situation concerning behavioural economics and climate policy. Subsequently, this paper seeks to investigate the potential (or actual) use of appropriate techniques from behavioural economics and the impact such a methodology may have on initiating positive behavioural change (viz-a-viz energy and climate policy).

Finally, to be fair to proponents and critics of behavioural economics (as a process of influencing climate and energy policies), this paper will also review the arguments for and against the use of behavioural economics. These analyses will be done sequentially. However, to improve the understanding of the research problem, it is crucial to have a proper conceptual understanding of the research problem.

Conceptual Understanding

The role of behavioural economics in predicting energy demand and energy efficiency has often been contrasted with insights from neo-classical theorists (Camerer 2004). As explained in earlier sections of this paper, behavioural economics borrows from psychological influences of human behaviour (to explain the power of economics).

Neo-classical theorists often propose the view that maximum utility can be realised through exponential discounting (Pollitt 2011). This outcome is often realised when agents have free access to information. Partially, the same outcome is also perceived as a parsimonious model of how economic decisions are made, but empirical research studies have shown that there is a big difference in the outcome of traditional models and behaviour induced models (Gowdy 2007, p. 2).

Explicitly, traditional models have tried to explain many things, including the varied reasons for high returns on equity (as opposed to bond returns), why there are many untapped methods for reducing energy demand (through energy-efficient policies) and why people prefer to pursue short-term gains at the expense of long-term gains (ODonoghue and Rabin 2000).

From the weakness of neoclassical economists, behavioural economics has emerged as an alternative way to model decision-making because this alternative model is more congruent with empirical experiments (predicting human behaviour) and it has a higher accuracy when compared to other models founded on neo-classical ideals (Pollitt 2011).

Current Approaches

Even though there has been a strong appeal to consider behavioural economics as a crucial predictor of energy and climate policies, traditional economists often focused on the impact prices have on consumer behaviour (Hanser 2010). Consequently, many economic and environmental debates have been characterised by how much energy can be saved by increasing the price of environmentally unfriendly goods.

Companies and institutions have also embarked on purchasing energy-efficient appliances and machines. The same trend has trickled down to households. However, after comparing the price approach to the previously mentioned influences of behavioural economics on climate and energy policies, it is correct to say that traditional economists have reversed the study of behavioural economics to be an aftermath of energy prices as opposed to a precursor to energy prices.

Furthermore, traditionally, economists and psychologists have affirmed that non-pecuniary interventions on energy and climate change policies have often compared favourably to financial interventions aimed at influencing consumer behaviour (Pollitt 2011).

Through the same analysis, it has been affirmed that judiciously applied pecuniary interventions have significantly increased the efficiency of financial interventions aimed at influencing consumer behaviour. Consequently, many researchers have had an increased interest to understand the power of behavioural economics on consumer behaviour. Precisely, the increased interests of such researchers have been seen in the current understanding of public health, public finance and public law.

Potential (Or Actual) Use of Appropriate Techniques from Behavioural Economics

Issues of energy conservation and energy efficiency have featured prominently in many of todays political and economic debates (Newell and Stavins 2004, p. 79). However, climate change concerns have elevated these issues to the forefront of policy dialogue. In a 2010 report made by the international energy association, it was estimated that close to 35% of the global decrease in carbon emission would be solely attributed to energy efficiency (Pollitt 2011).

Consequently, renewed focus on climate talk has been on the manner people use energy and the criteria used to make energy-efficient choices. Undoubtedly, the extent of energy conservation or energy efficiency anticipated in the coming decades largely depends on consumer interventions and behaviour.

From this understanding alone, Pollitt (2011) observes that the role of consumer behaviour in making energy choices has generated a keen interest in the development of energy policies and recommendations because consumer choices have a strong impact on energy demand.

In addition, consumer behaviours have a strong effect on assessing the effectiveness of energy policy interventions. From this understanding alone, it is correct to say that behavioural economists can offer new perspectives that influence policy design (Pesendorfer 2006).

However, even as policymakers ponder on new ways to better formulate energy policies, it should be understood that energy policies do not only revolve around the realms of climate change because other factors such as the security of energy supply and energy affordability also play a vital role in energy policy.

Through this understanding, Gunther (2009) explains that Climate policy significantly interacts with both forms of these elements of energy policy via the introduction of expensive and intermittent renewable electricity and heat (p. 1).

From this statement, Gunther (2009) proposes that if energy demand is subject to consumer behaviour, consumer behaviour can be used as a start to induce renewable energy choices. Nonetheless, it is also vital to point out that if issues of energy supply and affordability are ignored, it is going to be difficult to realise the full potential of revised energy policies.

De Martino (2006) observes that based on the understanding that the model of extreme rationality has significantly failed to predict (correctly) human behaviour; there is a strong need to introduce a new methodology that correctly predicts human behaviour.

Issues of energy demand and climate change are complex activities, which cannot be correctly understood by a simple application of rational behaviour. This understanding sets the ground for replacing the rational actor model by models that incorporate the regularities of human behaviour. This is where behavioural economics sources its strength.

Focusing on energy and climate policy, the potential of behavioural economics in mitigating the impact of global warming and decreasing energy demand is only limited by our imagination. To understand this statement, it is essential to think beyond rational choice and optimisation. Economists have in the past failed to offer the right guidance on the ways to limit fossil fuel use, beyond the strategies adopted in market situations.

However, as Gowdy (2007) observes, energy and climate issues go beyond this understanding. The reasoning behind this statement stems from the fact that people living in the world today may postpone future environmental gains for lavish short-term gains like driving big cars, living in lavish houses, going for expensive holidays (and similar lifestyle choices). The environment is left to choke at these choices.

Global warming is, however, a complexity of the interaction between environmental well-being and economic production. Therefore, issues such as the increase of prices or the introduction of carbon taxes are mere secondary concerns in the entire debate.

However, this statement does not imply that such policies are ineffective; there is only a stronger need to go beyond public policy rhetoric that assigns property rates and raises commodity prices (Gowdy 2007). Here, the perception should be that incentives should not just be prices but a culturally conditioned situation that is characterised by human behaviour.

Another plausible argument for weighing the potential of behavioural economics in climate change talk is the criticism levelled against introducing monetary incentives. Relying on assumptions that monetary incentives are likely to show the desired outcomes that positive climate talk seeks to realise is a flaw (Gowdy 2007). In fact, behavioural studies show that sometimes, the mere mention of money may hinder the realisation of social good (Gowdy 2007).

These studies have further affirmed that financial incentives can possible crowd out urges of civic responsibility among individuals. Consequently, it is correct to point out that monetary incentives can discourage the behaviours needed to solve communal problems like climate change or similar socio-economic issues. Therefore, contrary to the policy recommendations advanced by most economists today, purely relying of financial incentives may have a perverse effect on climate change.

Arguments for the Use of Behavioural Economics

Behavioural economics has shown a lot of potential to the understanding of how we can mitigate the effects of climate change. This potential lies in the uniquely humanistic attribute of realising cooperation across a sea of diversity. For example, human beings can cooperate across cultures, geographical spaces and generational divides, thereby elevating the human species to be extensively superior to other mammals.

Tapping into this potential outlines the advantages that can be realised by adopting behavioural economics. Research outcomes have changed dramatically after the adoption of behavioural economics because behavioural economics has instituted the adoption of experiments to explore different outcomes (Gowdy 2007).

For example, as explained in earlier sections of this paper, traditional axioms of human behaviour have been tested by the adoption of behavioural economics and the findings have shown that traditional models fall short of human behavioural outcomes.

Consequently, it is untenable for economists to claim that human behaviour is specifically motivated by rational choice. Similarly, it is even more difficult for economists to claim that human behaviour follows the law or any other tenet of rational behaviour (Loewnstein 2004).

Behavioural economics bears a strong understanding of how climate change and energy policies can be properly formulated because it touches on the very premise that influences climate change  human behaviour (Shogren and Taylor 2008).

Therefore, there is no better basis for understanding energy policies than through the comprehension of human behaviour. For example, the influence of social norms on understanding household economic behaviour has been studied by researchers to explain the influence of behavioural economics on energy consumption (Pollitt 2011).

The practicability of such studies has been witnessed through efforts by certain global organisations to change household energy consumption by availing information regarding the consumption of other people as an indicator of the influence of social norms on household energy demands. The results of such studies have been largely successful.

In a study done by Nolan (2008) on Californian households in the US, it was established that placing door hangers describing various energy conservation messages had a stronger impact on the reduction of energy demand as opposed to placing door hangers, which shared energy conservation tips. The difference in the reduction of energy demand between these two experiments was reported at 10% (Pollitt 2011, p. 12).

These findings mirror similar findings by an American company known as OPOWER. OPOWER did an experiment on 600,000 American households where it posted reports showing the differences in energy consumption among neighbourhoods. In the same study, the households were given energy conservation tips.

The study included the participation of 23 utilities in the US. Six of these utilities were deemed the largest in the country. After completing the study, it was reported that there was a 1.11% to 2.78% reduction in energy consumption among the households.

The reduction in energy demand (cited in the above studies) shows the true effect of behavioural economics on energy conservation and energy demand. These parameters have a stronger impact on mitigating the impact of climate change. Costa and Kahn (2010) did a follow-up study on the OPOWER experiment and found out that the results were heterogeneous among the households included in the study.

The true effect of the experiment was, however, seen to be more effective for liberal households that conservative households. Nonetheless, it was evident from the experiments that the true effect of behavioural economics on motivating viable policy alternatives was undisputable.

Arguments against the Use of Behavioural Economics

Some of the arguments levelled against the use of behavioural economics in influencing energy policies stem from the extent of influence behavioural economics have on energy policy.

Some researchers such as Loewenstein and Ubel (2010) observe that it is not right to rely on policy interventions, which are purely based on behavioural economics because the energy savings generated from such interventions are dismal. For example, concerning the OPOWER experiment, Loewenstein and Ubel (2010) observe that it would probably be more beneficial to introduce carbon tax as a measure to reduce the impact of global warming.

There have also been some conceptual weaknesses of behavioural economics, which have been identified to strengthen arguments against it. For example, Pollitt (2011) observes that the greatest weakness of behavioural economics literature is its violation of the rational actor model as an anomaly. Researchers explain that the rational mind is often embroiled in a tag of war with the emotive mind (Ostrom 1998, p. 1).

Proponents of behavioural economics rely on this view to explain the influence of the methodology on economic issues. However, biologists and neurobiologists oppose this view by explaining that the human brain is a unified system that is characterised by complementary parts as opposed to conflicting parts (Glimcher 2005).

Therefore, the anomalies presented above are in fact, what distinguishes human beings from other animals. Interestingly, the rational actor model is deemed appropriate for other animals but not human beings (Arkes 1999, p. 591).

Conclusion

Effective energy and climate change policies have been very elusive for most policymakers. This paper proposes that, perhaps, the problem has been the ignorance of behavioural economic factors in the entire debate of climate talk. Behavioural economics is shown to be more effective in predicting human behaviour when compared to other models of predicting human behaviour (advanced by neo-classical theories).

Based on this strength alone, it has been much easier to adopt behavioural economics when trying to influence climate change positively. This paper cites studies, which have shown that behavioural economics have a positive impact of reducing energy levels among communities.

Its accuracy stems from the fact that it correctly predicts human behaviour. However, the strength of behavioural economics in influencing energy and climate policies hail from the fact that the methodology touches on the centre of climate change  human behaviour.

Therefore, influencing human behaviour is bound to have a strong effect on influencing positive human behaviour to realise positive environmental outcomes. Going forward, more studies need to be done to ascertain the extent that behavioural economics can have on realising the goal of having an environmentally consciousness society.

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