Global Warming

In the beginning of the 18th century, Industrial revolution started. Machines we

re run on coal and used in mass production. The way of living changed, and peopl
e started getting money and goods at cheaper prices as a result. Everyone was ha
ppy. As people started earning, more of them could now have better medical facil
ities and by 1800, the world population went up to 1 billion. But after some tim
e, a physicist Thomas Fourier came up with this term called Greenhouse Gas. He s
aid that the temperature of the earth can be augmented as the use of coal increa
sed.This had resulted in the heat in the form of light to penetrate the earth's
atmosphere,as the carbon dioxide hence released due to coal usage was doing some
thing called trapped radiation. Getting late ahead, invention of automobile took
place, but it was found that the fuel used was further augmenting this temperat
ure increase of the earth. The population had now grew to 2 billion and the usag
e of fossil fuels for various purposes increased.
Now after the leaders realised that Co2 was indeed resulting in global warming,
the first UN environment conference, in Stockholm took place. Climate change ha
rdly registered on the agenda, and it centred mostly on issues such as chemical
pollution, atomic bomb testing and whaling. The United Nations Environment Progr
amme (UNEP) was formed as a result. But later, world leaders came together with
KYOTO PROTOCOL. The Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fi
ght global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere t
o a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the clima
te system. It was based on the Common But differentiated responsibilities. Remem
ber the time I said you about Industrial Revolution? The aim of this CBDR was to
allow a greater carbon space to the emerging economies who also had to fight po
verty by boosting their manufacturing sector, as the developed nations had alrea
dy used a larger carbon space during Industrial Revolution. This Kyoto Protocol
was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and entered into force in 2005.
While this came into force, IPCC Report 2001 found "new and stronger evidence" t
hat humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases are the main cause of the warming s
een in the second half of the 20th Century, which later was confirmed to be 90%
responsible for the increased emissions.
Till now we saw how since the 18th century, evidences around the world have been
confirming that the world's temperature is changing. The question arises, why d
o we even care if the temperature rises? How is it going to affect us? There is
a scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, and that human activiti
es are the primary driver.We have heard about the global warming song and dance:
rising temperatures, melting ice caps and rising sea levels in the near future.
But Earth's changing climate is already wreaking havoc in some very weird ways.
While it's melting glaciers and creating more intense hurricanes, global warmin
g also seems to be heating up forest fires, which leaves a vulnerable rural and
tribal population, who are mostly dependent on forest for their food, fuel, medi
cine and what not. Rising seas and more extreme weather have the potential to da
mage irreplaceable sites. Floods attributed to global warming have already damag
ed a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai, which was once the capital of a Thai kingdom.
A primary cause of a warmer planet's carbon dioxide emissions is having effects
that reach into space with a bizarre twist. Air in the atmosphere's outermost la
yer is very thin, but air molecules still create drag that slows down satellites
, requiring engineers to periodically boost them back into their proper orbits.
Researchers have also found that many of the animals have moved to greater eleva
tions, possibly due to changes in their habitat caused by global warming. Not on
ly this, the rise in global temperature and hence the water bodies has seen a de
crease in the number of phytoplankton, which has lead to the increase of unwante
d populations under these bodies.
Some of the most uncommon and never thought of affects is the untimely sneezes a
nd increased rates of asthma patient. Yes, you got it right, the global warming
is to be blamed for this to some extent. As global warming brings an earlier sta
rt to spring, the early bird might not just get the worm. It might also get its
genes passed on to the next generation. Because plants bloom earlier in the year
, animals that wait until their usual time to migrate might miss out on all the
food. We certainly don't want more animals and birds getting extinct do we?
So, what's actually happening? What are the steps being taken? Recently we saw t
he conclusion COP21 in Paris, a UNFCCC convention. The countries have come up wi
th this long term goal of to make sure that the increase in temperature of the e
arth stays well below 2 degree centigrades.To achieve that goal, governments all
around have pledged to stop the rise in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions,
and also target to limit the carbon emissions so that the period after 2050 may
see man made emissions reduced enough to a level that is affordable and absorba
ble for both the oceans and forests.
Until recently, each country came up with this Intended Nationally Determined Co
ntributions (INDC) keeping in mind the common but differentiated responsibility.
But the fact that there is no penalty on the countries who miss the target draw
s suspicion. A legally binding agreement with penalties to the overshoots should
be the need of the hour if we truly are determined about the climate change iss
ue.
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the developed nations to make sure subs
equent technology transfer takes place to the developing nations so that they ha
ve it with them to make sure the INDC's are achieved. The agreement also agreed
upon the wealthier nations contributing a major amount of the funds and leading
the way instead of abiding to the concept of "moving forward along", as someone
needs to lead the way in this struggle against climate change.
The question also remains intact, are these deals really worth it? NGOs all over
the world don't seem happy.They welcome its aim to limit temperature rise to 1.
5C if possible, a tightening of the previous 2C threshold for dangerous global w
arming. It sends a clear message that fossil fuels are on the way out, they say
although more action is needed to make the goal a reality. Environmental migrant
are forced to migrate from or flee their home region due to sudden or long-term
changes to their local environment, due to problems such as increased desertifi
cation, droughts and floods. Talks about them are yet to be incorporated.
Clearly, the way countries have been moving forward since the Kyoto Protocol to
the recent COP21, our future generation seems to be a benefitter. But isn't it o
ur responsibility as a citizen of the WORLD and not only as a citizen of our res
pective countries to contribute our bit?
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nvironmentally safe appliance.