Climate Change: The Leading Cause of Global Warming

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Introduction

This essay will provide a discussion of the causes, effects, and possible solutions to climate change. The earths average temperature is about 15 degrees Centigrade, but sometimes it varies for several reasons, a fluctuation called climate change (National Climate Assessment, 2014). This alteration results in a lasting change in the global weather patterns, which defines the earths climates. The dilemma surrounding this issue is that economists and social scientists have opposing views regarding the actions needed to alleviate climate change. Although various disciplines have advocated for opposing approaches to reducing the impact of climate change, there is need collaboration in the formulation of a comprehensive policy towards tackling this issue.

The Dilemma Chosen

The chosen issue is climate change because it is a social dilemma triggered by human activity and will need joint efforts to reduce or alleviate its adverse effects. The primary causes of climate change include farming, deforestation, and fossil fuel burning, leading to adverse consequences which will need collective social responsibility to help lessen their effects (Romm, 2016). Climate change will require social sacrifice and adjustment to help address it and ensure the earth is safe for all living organisms.

The State of Social Science Knowledge on Climate Change

Causes of Climate Change

Many factors lead to climate change, but the main one is human activity, including farming, burning fossil fuels, and cutting down forests for farming (deforestation). These practices produce greenhouse gases such methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide, carbon (IV) oxide (CO₂), and chlorofluorocarbons that trigger climate change (Battersby, 2017). The gas which accounts for the most man-made-induced climate change is CO₂, with a 64% contribution, and since industrialization began, its concentration in the atmosphere has increased by 40% (Ge & Riedrich, 2020). This gas absorbs heat and traps it, making atmospheric temperatures rise abnormally. When this accumulated heat is re-emitted back to the earth, global warming starts, adversely affecting animal and plant life.

Additionally, clearing forests for human activities and farming increases the amount of CO₂in the atmosphere. The plant cover has been identified as an essential aspect of balancing biodiversity (Romm, 2016). Trees absorb carbon (IV) oxide from the environment as they require it for photosynthesis. When plants are cut down, this absorption mechanism is hampered, thereby increasing the level of the gas, which causes climate change (Ge & Riedrich, 2020). Similarly, agriculture results in nitrous oxide and methane emission, which are greenhouse gases and cause climate change. For instance, nitrogenous fertilizers used in farming emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, contributing to climate change.

Consequences of Climate Change

The effects of climate change are divided into direct and indirect ones and are classified on how they impact humans and the environment. Direct consequences include rising of the minimum and maximum temperatures, which makes the globe inhabitable, and the melting of polar ice caps, causing a rise in ocean levels and temperatures (Romm, 2016). These extreme conditions endanger aquatic life is, and the overflowing water bodies may cause flooding in low lands, thereby leading to such public health and economic hazards as water-borne diseases, deaths, and destruction of property. Moreover, the high accumulation of CO₂ in the air makes a part of the gas to be re-emitted back to the globe, causing heat waves (Romm, 2016). These extreme conditions are likely to cause a sharp rise in the earths temperatures, which may lead to plant and human life death. Moreover, unpredictable weather patterns disrupt many human activities and adversely affect livelihoods. Therefore, the direct consequences of climate change can be very dire, which calls for adopting policies that will help alleviate the issue.

Conversely, indirect impacts include those that result from the aftermath of the alteration caused by climate change. The first one is hunger and food insecurity due to extremely high temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns (Romm, 2016). Crops usually grow at ideal temperatures, and some of them require a large amount of rainfall or water for irrigation. Global warming triggers fluctuation in the atmospheric temperatures, leading to unpredictable weather patterns that make it impossible to plant food crops (Romm, 2016). This results in a worldwide food shortage that leaves many people hunger-stricken, thereby threatening international food insecurity.

In turn, food shortage can lead to a dramatic increase in food prices across the world since only a small amount is available. The poor will starve and later die, or they will be forced to adopt those land policies that cause habitat loss and defragmentation (Romm, 2016). These practices adversely affect many nations desire to be self-sufficient. In some cases, people will be compelled to move away from flooded areas or those with extreme heat waves, leading to overpopulation of other regions. Therefore, the indirect effects of climate change may disturb many aspects of the worlds social and economic status and cause an imbalance in biodiversity.

How Social Science and Economic Disciplines Evaluate Climate Change

The economic and social science fields are in a conflict concerning climate change. The latter is opposed to the regulation, or even shut down, of the energy sector to ensure reduced emissions of CO₂, which is the primary cause of global warming and climate change (National Climate Assessment, 2014). Besides, the former has been adamant that the latters suggestion is outrageous and could make the world uncomfortable. To solve this stalemate, there is a need for both disciplines to collaborate and formulate a working policy that will help reduce climate change while having peoples livelihoods in mind. One looming issue is the low chance of humanity avoiding climate commons tragedy (Battersby, 2017). There has been a growing self-interest among individuals in transportation, overgrazing, and energy production, which has threatened the whole communitys good. An ideal way to ensure a balance between the economic and social sciences argument is adopting clean energy sources (International Energy Agency, 2016). This move will make transportation and energy production possible without having to use fossil fuels, which emits greenhouse gases, thereby preventing climate change.

Possibility of Some Solutions to Succeed

Some assessments and solutions are likely to succeed in addressing this dilemma. One of them is banning or reducing the amount of carbon (IV) oxide that escapes to the atmosphere (Ge & Riedrich, 2020). This can be done through reforestation since plants absorb CO₂from the atmosphere to use during photosynthesis. One of the identified factors for the extreme accumulation of this gas in air is the cutting down of forests to accommodate human activities (Romm, 2016). Social scientists argue that this approach calls for collective responsibility to reduce the high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Moreover, sociology suggests the formulation of policies to reduce carbon (IV) oxide emissions into the atmosphere since it is the leading cause of climate change. One way to do this is to ban or limit the use of fossil fuels as energy sources and adopt cleaner energy ones, such as wind power (Romm, 2016). Governments need to create a collaborative environment between social scientists and economists to help arrive at an amicable, balanced solution that will ensure a world free of climate change while supporting human activities.

Furthermore, such practices as excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and overgrazing have also caused an increase in methane and nitrous oxide gases concentration in the atmosphere. These can be controlled by limiting the number of animals that can be reared or the amount of fertilizer used for farming. According to Bradshaw (2014), it will require collective social responsibility to strictly follow these policies once enforced to ensure a planet free of climate change and is habitable for all its occupants. Therefore, climate change can be solved through global cooperation.

Why Climate Change is Solvable

Humanity and social scientists are up to the challenge and can help solve climate change. However, humans need first to accept the individual and joint efforts of ensuring they avoid the activities that lead to greenhouse gas production, leading to global warming and climate change (Hunt & Colander, 2016). The economic argument against the enforcement of these policies is a stumbling block for social scientists. This shows that the problem is solvable, but it needs to be done carefully without creating an imbalance (Hunt & Colander, 2016). For example, slowly switching to clean energy, such as wind, can help both sides of the dilemma to adjust before a total migration from fossil fuels can be enforced later. Thus, this dilemma is not insolvable, as some may view it.

Conclusion

To sum up, the essays purpose was to discuss climate change as a social dilemma: its factors, consequences, and possible ways of solving it. Human activities have been identified as the leading cause of global warming. The most notable practices include deforestation, farming, transportation, industrialization, and energy production using fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases when burned, triggering atmospheric temperatures to rise beyond the normal range, thereby causing climate change. Some solutions can be adopted to help solve this problem, including restricting or banning fossil fuels and embracing clean energy sources such as wind power.

References

Battersby, S. (2017). News feature: Can humankind escape the tragedy of the Commons? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(1), 7-10.

Bradshaw, M. (2014). Global energy dilemmas: Energy security, globalization, and climate change. Polity Press.

Ge, M., & Riedrich, J. F. (2020). 4 charts explain greenhouse gas emissions by countries and sectors. World Resources Institute.

Hunt, E. & Colander, D. (2016). Social science: An introduction to the study of society (15^th ed.). Routledge.

International Energy Agency (IEA). (2016). Key world energy statistics. IEA Publications.

National Climate Assessment (NCA). (2014). Climate trends. U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Romm, J. J. (2016). Climate change: What everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press.

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