Climate change is the long-term changes in global temperatures and other characteristics of the atmosphere such as wind patterns or the amount of precipitation. These shifts may affect one region, many regions, or the whole planet. The type of climate change that concerns our generation is global warming, as the planet warms quickly, mostly due to human activity, weather patterns in regions around the world will fluctuate. This matter is indeed very problematic and it has fatal consequences which are getting worse with time. These issues have plagued the human race for generations but it has never been as bad as it is currently, we are running out of time and the only way to change our fate before it`s too late is to take immediate action.
However, in order to take action and comprehend the importance of climate change we must understand the causes.
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According to the EPA, here are some of the most important causes.
Power plants are one, if not the most damaging contributor in regard to climate change, they are responsible for 40% of the United States' total carbon dioxide emissions. The fossil fuel industry itself produces around $5.6 trillion annually, this shows that it's an industry that contributes to around 5% of the world`s GDP yet they are not doing much to diminish the damaging effects that their industry has on the environment and the planet in general. It`s known that in order to produce electricity, they need to burn coal which is a fossil. However, it is well known that burning fossils is the leading cause of pollution, and global warming therefore, this being the primary method of electricity production, power plants are considered to be the biggest contributors to climate change. Other important causes also include the transportation of people and goods, oil drilling and fracking, industrial farming, deforestation, and volcanic eruptions.
Climate change is an important topic that needs to have more education and awareness around it, because if the current generation does not take vigorous action to slow down climate change now and save the planet from destruction during the early stages which are now it will be a nearly impossible job down the line, therefore society and governments have to take climate change seriously and accept the responsibilities that they have in order to make a change and stop climate change.
The Health Impacts of Climate Change
Argument one: One reason why climate change remains an important issue is because of the significance of the impact it has within the 21st century, in modern-day society. A health risk that is directly caused by the burning of fossil fuels is that the emissions which arise as a result of the immense amount of fossil fuels that are being burnt annually, massively contribute to the greenhouse effect and this can eventually lead to respiratory diseases, for example, asthma both for children and adults. Which can sometimes be life-threatening. Air pollution kills around 7 million people worldwide every year according to the world health organization. This is just one of the health problems associated with the issue of climate change. There are many others that can be more or just as severe and cause thousands of deaths worldwide mainly due to pollution. Therefore, this shows the severity and damaging effects of climate change which needs to be taken seriously.
Debating Climate Change: Denial vs. Reality
Counter: However, even though it is evident that climate change is important there are also figures and other people in society who are climate change deniers and do not believe that climate change is real, or in some cases, they do accept it is real but argue that it is not harmful or the scientific figures and models being presented to the public are fake or exaggerated. Even Though it is only a small population of people who will truly believe that climate change is fake or not important it may seem that the damage they cause cannot be that significant as most of the world will agree on the dangers of climate change and take the right course of action to tackle the issue. For example, there are powerful figures such as the president of the United States stating that climate change is a hoax that was invented by China. And even though he denies this Trump tweeted this on the 6th of December in 2013, but now claims he did this as a joke. But later during his administration in 2017 Trump released a budget proposal that cut out $100 million in funding for the EPA`s climate work as it`s a waste of [their money]. Not only this but Trump also withdrew from the Paris climate change treaty which was formed in order to keep the global rise in temperature this century well below 2C above pre-industrial levels as he argued that it put the US at a huge economic disadvantage.
Summary- However, the issue of climate change cannot simply be ignored and must be taken seriously, especially by those who wield great amounts of power such as the president of certain countries as they have an immense amount of influence over their people as well as domestic and foreign policy in order to make strong environmental policy to try to slow down climate change and as well as the environmental effects we also have to consider the health risks that are associated with climate change as if it is not dealt with correctly it will lead to irreversible consequences in the future.
Climate Change and Its Effect on Wildlife and Ecosystems
Argument two: climate change affects wildlife. Climate change affects wildlife massively, as this may cause certain species to go extinct, and as well as this some species of plants would also become endangered and may ultimately go extinct. Plants are vital for the planet to thrive and for gases in the earth`s atmosphere to balance out because plants absorb carbon dioxide and in return releases oxygen into the air through the process of photosynthesis, this ensures that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not as much so the damaging effects of the increasing amount of CO2 are not as harmful. Also, plants provide humans and animals with food and products such as timber, oil, rubber, and many more for human use and so if certain plants were to go extinct in terms of resources for humans and food for animals there will also be a struggle there. Therefore, losing plants would have a massive impact on all living things and the planet. As well as this it was reported that 1 in 6 species could disappear as the climate warms within the next century. According to The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in certain areas, more than 50% of plants could be lost due to high temperature rises. As well as this, The WWF also states that if action is not being taken on climate change then 50% of the species could go extinct from the world`s most important natural areas. The factors of this may be due to the temperature rise being limited to 2 degrees celsius which leads to less than 25% of species in Priority Places being at risk of local extinctions.
Counter: However there is again the argument that climate change is not as important as it may seem because even though many ecosystems and species of plants and animals will come under pressure as species move to a new climate some plants can actually benefit from the increase of carbon dioxide levels so on an environmental element in some ways it can be beneficial as well even if it may not seem obvious at first glance. As well as this in regards to agriculture this may also be beneficial as for some areas and crops warmer periods and weather can actually be useful and these plants and crops can benefit from these warmer periods of time. This example goes to show that from a different angle it can seem that climate change may not be as important as we had first anticipated it to be as it can in some way benefit the environment around us mainly the crops and jobs in agriculture not for all but some plants which would thrive in those conditions.
Summary- Yet again overall, it is very clear that climate change does remain a very important issue as even though higher levels of carbon dioxide and longer periods of warmer conditions may be beneficial to certain specials overall it is evident that the damaging effects climate change creates simply outweighs these two small advantages. As most plants and animals will still continue to suffer.
The Economic Perspective of Tackling Climate Change
Argument three: If climate change and global warming are not taken seriously enough in the future this means the human race will be facing grave consequences which cannot be reversed and this will eventually lead to the downfall of planet earth itself therefore climate change is an extremely important issue which needs to be given enough attention and awareness until is dealt with properly. There is hope for a better future but this is only possible if we act now, and this is because if we are able to spend enough money we can ensure that climate change does not get worse and worse in the coming years. For example, through some research that was carried out, it was stated that we could fix the damaging effects of climate change now by just spending around 1% of the world`s GDP. This shows that there is still time for an effective solution to be performed however if there is no enforcement from the most powerful institutions such as the government have the power to enact policies and make powerful and effective change then by 2050 it would mean that it could cost over 20% of the world`s GDP to even try to slow down the effects of climate change.
Counter argument: However, on the other hand, some may argue that climate change is not as important as it is usually shown to be because there is also the fear among some people that spending money on climate change is in a sense pointless as it is either beyond the point where it can be fixed but alongside this, there is also economic denial which is the idea that climate change is way too expensive to be dealt with. For example, according to Office of Management and Budget reports, federal climate change funding was $13.2 billion across 19 agencies in 2017. This example goes to show the immense amount of money that is spent by countries such as the US towards climate change and by some, it is argued to be a waste of money as even former-president Trump ended up proposing a budget where it cut off nearly $100 million in funding for the EPA`s climate change research and work.
Summary- However, again is it still clear that climate change is a serious issue that we must address with the right attitude in order to be able to save the planet from destruction. As even though it was argued that climate change prevention may not be as important as it may seem like an expensive issue that requires too much money to be solved this is simply untrue as the longer people leave it as an unsolved issue the more expensive it will actually get over-time and the long-term effects of this will be fatal and catastrophic. It`s also clear that this is an issue that can be solved as it`s predicted that every year we don`t take the necessary steps to stop climate change will add another 500 billion US dollars to the cost of climate inaction by 2030. And this example clearly shows that climate change in fact is not a problem that is too expensive to fix as compared to the world`s GDP it would only require about $900 billion to take the correct steps in order to slow down climate change.
Conclusion: The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change
Conclusion: In conclusion, it is clear that climate change is in fact a very important issue and it does matter as it is able to remain relevant, especially during the 21st century, where climate change is increasing at a pace that has not been seen before. And this is extremely damaging to the ecosystems, and the world around us in general. Most importantly this is an issue that needs to be fixed by powerful institutions such as governments all around the world especially countries such as the US, and continents such as Europe which are argued to be the biggest contributors to global carbon dioxide emissions.
Closing Point: Perhaps there should be more education around climate, especially in secondary school in order to show the importance of the issue of climate change from a young age, to emphasize the issue, so future generations understand how to behave in a way that preserves the planet rather than behaving in ways which destroy it.
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