Gabriel Romero

WRTG 3030

Commentary

Our Technology and Global Warming

Introduction

There are many key points made on the topic of global warming and climate

change, and how we as humans are likely accelerating these processes. With the aging

technology we use in our mainstream transportation methods and also with the energy

sources we use on a day to day basis in our homes and work spaces, the majority of

people (including myself) believe that we are not only continuing to further damage our

planet, but doing so at an alarming rate. Many of the key points and correlations relating

to climate change and global warming are not only astounding, but also borderline

frightening. This commentary discusses multiple findings on where we are currently

headed in terms of global warming, where we need to be, and what we need to do to

get there. Many references to scientific research are used. Unpopular opinions and

realistic challenges we face on the topic of global warming and climate change will also

be discussed.

The Research

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organization

focused on educating the public on climate change and its effects on society. They have

put together a lengthy report titled, “Global Warming of 1.5℃”. Throughout the report,

many key points are linked back to the importance of why it is so important to stay

under or at the global warming goal of 1.5 °C. In other words, this report talks about the
goal of not allowing the average, relative global temperatures to rise above what they

were estimated to be during the pre-industrial age and why this goal is so important.

The industrial era has been known to be a period of time that goes hand in hand

with the global rise of temperatures. Although this era was groundbreaking for

technological advancements, many of those technologies are still used today as the

backbone of our energy and transportation systems. We as a human race would not

realize the negative effects it would have on us until much later.

As stated by the IPCC in their report, “For many regions, an increase in global

mean temperature by 1.5°C or 2°C implies substantial increases in the occurrence

and/or intensity of some extreme events.” This implies the increase of the average rate

of occurrence for events like droughts, floods, heat waves, cold fronts, and so on. The

effects of global warming and climate change do not only imply that the hotter days will

be hotter, it implies that all peak weather occurrences will increase in magnitude and

severity.

Furthermore, research suggests that these implications created in our weather

system will quickly affect the way we live our lives in more ways than one, and in more

ways than we might expect. Even though it may not be easy to understand how the

pollutants we release into our atmosphere can have an effect on things like our diet,

these air pollutants can have, “...harmful effects for public health, ecosystems, and

agricultural productivity” according to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Main Issues
 If we are to prevent further damaging of our planet, one of the biggest problems

talked about in today’s world is addressing the issues with the notorious greenhouse

gas emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are so harmful that the longer we wait to

reduce these emissions, the more likely it becomes that we will not be able to save us

from ourselves. Over the next few generations, how well we are able to limit these

emissions will ultimately decide our climate’s fate. Having a chance at avoiding

devastating effects for years to come entails that the global emissions of carbon dioxide

be reduced to zero as quickly as possible.

Many believe the impact we as humans have already had on the global system

are very real. We have managed to increase the frequency/intensity of heatwaves,

precipitation events, and drought. According to the EPA, “Eight of the top 10 warmest

years on record have occurred since 1998” and, “Nationwide, nine of the top 10 years

for extreme one-day precipitation events have occurred since 1990”. Yes, there is no

definite way of proving if we as humans are directly responsible for such events,

however, the correlations are hard to ignore or dispute. The tendencies that our climate

tends to take on during periods of which emissions are at dangerous levels are worth

giving attention.For example, if all CO2 emissions were to suddenly be reduced to zero

by tomorrow, we would still be feeling the effects for years to come. As expressed by

NASA, “...even the 0.6–0.9 degrees of global warming we have observed in the past

century is not the full amount of warming we can expect from the greenhouse gases we

have already emitted. Even if all emissions were to stop today, the Earth’s average

surface temperature would climb another 0.6 degrees or so over the next several

decades before temperatures stopped rising.” This further establishes that we do not yet
understand the physical consequences we as a whole will face from our outdated

technology.

One small amount of hope however, is that another possibility to help eliminate

the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions is the methods of carbon dioxide

removal. More and more research is being done for these methods and as we make

progress in research and engineering, carbon dioxide removal may be crucial and

necessary since it is no easy challenge to eliminate all CO2 emissions as quickly as

researchers would like.

Although the research being done on removing carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere is relatively new, advancements are being made. Technologies like

physical absorption and membrane technology (which I will not dive into) are already

being well researched.

On a quick side note, other greenhouse gases such as methane and Sulphur

dioxide are also factors that come into play when talking about climate change. To my

surprise, it is noted that even agriculture such as livestock can have a noticeable effect

on greenhouse gases. Stephen Russell from World Resources Institute stated, “Farms

emitted 6 billion tons of GHG’s (greenhouse gases) in 2011, or about 13 percent of total

global emissions. That makes the agricultural sector the world’s second-largest emitter,

after the energy sector (which includes emissions from power generation and

transport).” This shows us that even by changing the way in which we raise our

livestock, the power to prevent catastrophic consequences is well achievable if we take

our situation seriously.

Immediate Action
 It is safe to say that we do not know enough about how to respond to climate

change. As Mercy Corps warns us, “The increased frequency and intensity of extreme

weather events like hurricanes, wildfires and droughts threaten food supplies, drive

people from their homes, separate families and jeopardize livelihoods. And all of these

effects increase the risk of conflict, hunger and poverty.” This creates the necessary

controversy that it is not safe to rely on carbon dioxide removal methods to lower the

global temperatures once they have been raised since the effects of global warming will

already be hurting millions across the globe for years to come. It also further

emphasizes the argument that we need to act immediately, as opposed to afterwards.

To be clear, this is not to say that time spent developing types of recovery technologies

is time that is wasted. The main point to emphasize is that gaps in our understanding of

climate change need to be closed. Funding should be increased for research projects

that help us as a whole better understand climate change and its lasting effects. Finding

solutions to these types of problems should be number one on our list of issues as a

human race.

Going back to the IPPC report, it is generally agreed upon that the “1.5℃ goal”

will likely still have lasting negative effects on our planet. Despite this, it is a goal that

considered practical and achievable as one cannot expect societies across the world to

suddenly drop their current lifestyles for one that is likely dramatically different. Setting

realistic goals gives us hope.

Although current political agreements are simply not enough to reach our goals

of preventing irreversible effects, and very few countries are demonstrating the

possibility of reaching these goals, it is still great to point out what is being done.
 The Paris Agreement is one of the forefront agreements that is leading the

possibility of a successful future. It binds countries across the globe to standards that

keep realistic and achievable goals in sight while being fair to our current economies

(although many are likely to argue that the health of our planet is far more important that

any economy). Furthermore, one great example of a country doing its part in the

agreement is Morocco. Morocco is doing an excellent job of setting the bar high in terms

of action. The country is currently building a giant solar farm located in the Sahara

Desert that is to eliminate thousands of tons of pollution every year. As the World

Economic Forum chimned in, “By 2020, or even sooner, the $9 billion solar power plant

is expected to generate 580 megawatts (MW), enough electricity to power over a million

homes.”

Conclusion

It takes little effort to summarize why global warming and climate change are

such important topics to us as a society. It takes far more effort to be the change that is

needed globally to avoid irreversible consequences. Nonetheless, the first step towards

a lasting future and a healthy planet is to trust in the research that is being done, or do

the research oneself.

Work Cited

“Why We Need to Act Now.” Climate & Clean Air Coalition,

www.ccacoalition.org/en/content/why-we-need-act-now.

“The Paris Agreement.” UNFCCC, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-

agreement/the-paris-agreement.
McCarthy, Joe. “Morocco Has Built a Solar Farm as Big as Paris.” Global Citizen, 2018,

www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/morocco-solar-farm-power-big-as-paris/.

“Global Warming of 1.5 ºC.” Global Warming of 1.5 ºC, Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change, www.ipcc.ch/sr15/.

Russell, Stephen. “Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions.”

Everything You Need to Know About Agricultural Emissions | World Resources Institute,

2014, www.wri.org/blog/2014/05/everything-you-need-know-about-agricultural-

emissions.

“Climate Change Indicators: Weather and Climate.” EPA, Environmental Protection

Agency, 2 Aug. 2016, www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate.

Jezard, Adam. “Morocco Is Building a Giant Thermosolar Farm in the Sahara Desert.”

World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/05/morocco-is-building-a-

solar-farm-as-big-as-paris-in-the-sahara-desert.

“Climate Q&A - If We Immediately Stopped Emitting Greenhouses Gases, Would Global

Warming Stop?” NASA, NASA, earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/climateqa/would-gw-

stop-with-greenhouse-gases/.
Schwartz, Emma. “Quick Facts: How Climate Change Affects People Living in Poverty.”

Mercy Corps, 26 June 2019, www.mercycorps.org/articles/climate-change-affects-

poverty.