Climate Change and Mitigation (Research Paper Sample)

Climate Change and Mitigation
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Climate Change and Mitigation
Climate is the extensive change in weather conditions such as wind, rainfall, temperature, and humidity over a long period. Various factors such as latitude, water body currents, altitude, and terrain determine the climatic atmosphere of a region. Temperature is a major determinant of the global climate, which is maintained by balancing the absorbed solar radiation and effective redistribution of the energy through various processes such as hydrology, advection, and radiation. Slight changes in the thermal radiation can have a significant impact on the climate. As a result, the energy absorbed and emitted from the Earth should be well balanced in order to maintain the climate. Climate change has been a controversial, global phenomenon over the decades. It can occur due to either natural catastrophes or human interference with nature, both of which have adverse effects on the global climate. Natural climate change has been happening in the past million years, and the changes are too minimal to be noticed. On the contrary, anthropogenic changes have occurred in the past few decades, and their effects have been experienced a great deal globally (Divine, 2013).
Climate change occurs naturally due factors such as variations in the Earth’s atmospheric and surface reflectivity, changes in the amount of solar energy, and the greenhouse effect. The aforementioned factors contribute to temperature changes, which is the greatest contributor of climate change. Anthropogenic climate change occurs due to the human fingerprint on nature, mainly through emission of greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases, which are primarily composed of carbon dioxide and water vapor, keep the Earth’s surface warmer than it ought to be by trapping thermal radiation. The gases have a blanket effect on the atmosphere, increasing the global temperature, a phenomenon known as global warming. Human activities such as industrialization and the use of fossil fuels in the recent decades have contributed to increased emission of greenhouse gases, which have caused rampant climate changes (Hilderman, 2011).
Evidence of Global Warming
I assume the position that global warming is real and is happening by the day as experienced in today’s climate. Climate change is evidenced by variations in the patterns and distribution of precipitation, air temperature, hydrology, glacier mass, and polar sea ice. There have been elevated levels of carbon dioxide globally by 40% because of burning fossil fuels since industrialization begun around 1850. This has caused the global temperatures to increase by 0.8 °C since 1900. The rate of temperature change over the decades is 0.05°C per 100 years and 5°C in the past 100,000 years. Consequently, the increased temperature changes have caused a rise in sea level. In the last century, the level of the sea has increased with 6.7 inches and has continued to rise. The rise in sea level causes rampant floods and erosion. Increased temperatures have also caused shrunken ice sheets in the Antarctic and Greenland. Statistics by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicate that the Antarctic lost 36 cubic miles of ice sheet between 2002 and 2005 while the Greenland lost about 36 to 60 cubic miles between 2002 and 2006 (Jackson, Jenkins, & Shaftel, 2014).
Increased global temperatures have also caused the glaciers and snow to melt in most mountains around the world. The level of glaciers has retreated on the Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, Alps, and other African mountains such as Mt. Kenya. Precipitation patterns have changed globally where the intensity and frequency of snowfall and rainfall have increased. Hurricanes and storms have become more frequent than before leading to great disasters and deaths. Industrialization has also caused increased the amount of greenhouse gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is, in turn, soaked up by the oceans. Consequently, the acidity of the surface waters has increased by 30%, which adversely affects marine wildlife. Global warming has also changed the adaptability of plants and animals, causing them to migrate polewards, which are high elevation areas and more adaptable than the tropics. Increased change in the global ecosystem will cause the eradication of rare plant and animal species in the future.
Mitigation Strategies
Mitigation strategies aim at reducing the rate of release of the toxic gases like methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Reduced energy use and adoption of more efficient forms of energy is one of the ways through which emissions can be reduced. Implementing direct policy measures can be effective in reducing energy consumption. The measures include imposing carbon tax to discourage the use of carbon-emitting fuels. Non-renewable energy sources like fossil fuels, natural gas and oil contribute a great deal to carbon emissions. Thus, introduction of alternative forms of energy such as renewable resources is fundamental in reducing the greenhouse effect that causes climate change. The other mitigation strategy is the use of improved technology for efficient energy production. The use of modern technology including the combined-cycle power plants helps in producing energy efficiently. In turn, such technology helps in stabilizing the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which is significant in curbing climate change (Maslin, 2007).
Proposed Policy Changes
If I were to implement policies geared towards stabilizing global climate, I would aim at reducing the carbon footprint in the world. The greatest contributors of carbon emissions are manufacturing industries and motor vehicles that use fossil fuels. I would impose stringent measures such as heavy penalties on industries emitting high amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. I would also be strict on companies packaging their prod...