E
eldisher07
Guest
What can we do to halt global warming?
Global warming is a problem which affects us all. No individual nation is exempt from the effects
of the warming of the earth’s atmosphere. An example of the devastating effects of global
warming is the recent rise in the intensity of hurricanes. A 2005 study by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology has posited a statistical link between the strength of hurricanes and
global warming. The study utilised data collected over five years on hurricanes occurring in the
Atlantic and on typhoons in the Pacific. It concluded that ‘the accumulated power of hurricanes
has more than doubled in the past 30 years’. A rise of one degree in the average ocean surface
temperature can potentially dramatically increase the ferocity of hurricanes.
The main causes of global warming are:
??Carbon and Carbon Dioxide from coal, natural gas and oil. Carbon Dioxide is the principal
greenhouse gas. The main sources of Carbon Dioxide emissions are from Carbon Dioxide
emissions from cars, trucks, aircraft, powerplants and buildings.
??Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas. Levels of atmospheric methane
have risen 145 per cent in the last 100 years.
??The use of fertilisers in agricultural production and the use of catalytic converters on cars
produces Nitrous Oxide, a substance which is produced naturally by oceans and rainforests.
??Deforestation. After carbon emissions, deforestation is the second most important factor in
the production of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.
??Congestion. Cars sitting in traffic jams waste fuel which is released into the atmosphere.
It appears that governments across the globe may have to introduce measures to reduce both
individual and business emissions of carbon. In addition, developing countries should be encouraged by the governments of developed nations to adopt cleaner technologies.
At the national level, governments may introduce penalties to those individuals who buy large,
inefficient cars, for example. ‘Driving a car accounts for about 40 per cent of the average person’s greenhouse gas emissions.’ The alternative is to produce cars which run on fuels other
than petrol, for example, bioethanol. A combination of 85 per cent bioethanol and 15 per cent
petrol reduces CO2 emissions by 80 per cent, and such a car has now been produced by Saab.
Incentives to buyers, for example, congestion charge exemption, can encourage individuals to
purchase low carbon emission cars.
In fact, in London and California, it is considered trendy to drive ‘hybrid’ cars; cars which ‘combine the power of a petrol engine with the efficiency of an electric motor’. Another means of tackling carbon emissions is for governments to introduce rigid emissions laws, which make certain levels of carbon dioxide emissions illegal.
Future developments in car production, which aim to cut carbon emissions entirely, may come via the development of ‘fuel cell’ vehicles, which work by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. It is considered that if we all switched to fuel cell cars, the level of CO2 emissions could drop to almost nothing in a few decades. In addition, businesses should be encouraged to make long-term investments in low carbon technology.
Governments should also invest in public transport, which would reduce individual car usage,
and encourage buyers to invest in smaller, more energy efficient cars. Reducing the level of
short-haul flights would also aid in the reduction of global warming, as these are the least energy
efficient.
Another major source of greenhouse emissions is home heating and investment needs to be made to develop alternative forms of heating in homes. However, we can all contribute to reducing global warming. Turning down heating and insulating the home, together with the use of more energy efficient appliances, can help reduce global warming.
Scientists are warning that there are no speedy solutions to the problem. It is estimated that the
problem of global warming will not be solved within the near future. Instead, governments
must ensure that precautionary measures are taken to safeguard the very real future effects of
existing global warming. The problem will not be stabilised immediately and, instead, we must
take both individual and collective responsibility for what is, after all, a very real problem
which will affect all humans living on our planet.
Sources
The New Executive Times, 5 August 2005.
www.ecobridge.org
‘Heat: How global warming is changing our world’, The Guardian, 30 June 2005.
Discussion questions
1. Do governments in the developed world have a responsibility to aid developing countries in
the use of cleaner technologies?
2. How can the developed world protect those in the developing world from the potentially
devastating effects of global warming?
Global warming is a problem which affects us all. No individual nation is exempt from the effects
of the warming of the earth’s atmosphere. An example of the devastating effects of global
warming is the recent rise in the intensity of hurricanes. A 2005 study by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology has posited a statistical link between the strength of hurricanes and
global warming. The study utilised data collected over five years on hurricanes occurring in the
Atlantic and on typhoons in the Pacific. It concluded that ‘the accumulated power of hurricanes
has more than doubled in the past 30 years’. A rise of one degree in the average ocean surface
temperature can potentially dramatically increase the ferocity of hurricanes.
The main causes of global warming are:
??Carbon and Carbon Dioxide from coal, natural gas and oil. Carbon Dioxide is the principal
greenhouse gas. The main sources of Carbon Dioxide emissions are from Carbon Dioxide
emissions from cars, trucks, aircraft, powerplants and buildings.
??Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas. Levels of atmospheric methane
have risen 145 per cent in the last 100 years.
??The use of fertilisers in agricultural production and the use of catalytic converters on cars
produces Nitrous Oxide, a substance which is produced naturally by oceans and rainforests.
??Deforestation. After carbon emissions, deforestation is the second most important factor in
the production of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.
??Congestion. Cars sitting in traffic jams waste fuel which is released into the atmosphere.
It appears that governments across the globe may have to introduce measures to reduce both
individual and business emissions of carbon. In addition, developing countries should be encouraged by the governments of developed nations to adopt cleaner technologies.
At the national level, governments may introduce penalties to those individuals who buy large,
inefficient cars, for example. ‘Driving a car accounts for about 40 per cent of the average person’s greenhouse gas emissions.’ The alternative is to produce cars which run on fuels other
than petrol, for example, bioethanol. A combination of 85 per cent bioethanol and 15 per cent
petrol reduces CO2 emissions by 80 per cent, and such a car has now been produced by Saab.
Incentives to buyers, for example, congestion charge exemption, can encourage individuals to
purchase low carbon emission cars.
In fact, in London and California, it is considered trendy to drive ‘hybrid’ cars; cars which ‘combine the power of a petrol engine with the efficiency of an electric motor’. Another means of tackling carbon emissions is for governments to introduce rigid emissions laws, which make certain levels of carbon dioxide emissions illegal.
Future developments in car production, which aim to cut carbon emissions entirely, may come via the development of ‘fuel cell’ vehicles, which work by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. It is considered that if we all switched to fuel cell cars, the level of CO2 emissions could drop to almost nothing in a few decades. In addition, businesses should be encouraged to make long-term investments in low carbon technology.
Governments should also invest in public transport, which would reduce individual car usage,
and encourage buyers to invest in smaller, more energy efficient cars. Reducing the level of
short-haul flights would also aid in the reduction of global warming, as these are the least energy
efficient.
Another major source of greenhouse emissions is home heating and investment needs to be made to develop alternative forms of heating in homes. However, we can all contribute to reducing global warming. Turning down heating and insulating the home, together with the use of more energy efficient appliances, can help reduce global warming.
Scientists are warning that there are no speedy solutions to the problem. It is estimated that the
problem of global warming will not be solved within the near future. Instead, governments
must ensure that precautionary measures are taken to safeguard the very real future effects of
existing global warming. The problem will not be stabilised immediately and, instead, we must
take both individual and collective responsibility for what is, after all, a very real problem
which will affect all humans living on our planet.
Sources
The New Executive Times, 5 August 2005.
www.ecobridge.org
‘Heat: How global warming is changing our world’, The Guardian, 30 June 2005.
Discussion questions
1. Do governments in the developed world have a responsibility to aid developing countries in
the use of cleaner technologies?
2. How can the developed world protect those in the developing world from the potentially
devastating effects of global warming?