Climate Change

The world’s climate is changing for the worse. It is not the way it used to be in matters of quality, heat concentration, and carbon concentrations scientists and scholars claim it was in past. Indeed, due to natural and anthropogenic factors, the world has experienced some adverse episodes of climatic disruptions caused by its consequent deterioration. Even though the number of Americans who hold the opinion that climate change is a serious challenge has dropped from 69% in June to only 63% today, facts from global consolidated studies indicate that the problems persist. Ultimately, the cause to overcome and divert the current trends of climate change to better them for future generations is calling for the combined effort of all nations. Climate change is a major threat to universal habitat and economies that requires consolidated endeavors from all countries to overcome it.

Current Specific Evidence about Climate Change

For those who may or may not believe, or for those who hold that climate change is not as serious as it may seem to be, recent continuous research by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) proposes its results. NASA provides evidence of several distinct situations that confirm that climatic changes exist, are ongoing, and their effects have started to become apparent. A newspaper article titled “Climate Change a Partisan Issue in U. S. Poll Says”, claiming that only 6 of 10 Republicans and 8 of 10 Democrats view climate change as a serious problem, suggests that policy makers need to be aware of the changes to believe in their reality. NASA’s research asserts that evidences of climate change include a rise in sea levels, increase in global temperatures, shrinking ice sheets, and warming oceans. Other signs comprise declining Arctic sea ice, extreme disasters, glacial retreats, decreased snow cover, and ocean acidification.

Due to the increased carbon emissions produced by companies, locomotives, home use, and consequent deforestation, global temperatures have been on the rise. NASA’s research coupled with other studies conducted by various scholars proposes that Earth has been warming since 1880. Moreover, the world’s hottest years have occurred since the 1970s. The increase in worldwide temperatures has influenced sparks of heatwaves which are the results of prolonged durations of abnormally high temperatures, especially, at nights. The research suggests that annually, heatwaves cause more deaths than earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightings, together. Recent devastations from heatwaves include the 2010 Russian heatwave and the May 2015 Indian heatwave.

Additionally, the increased global temperatures have contributed to warming of oceans. NASA claims that since 1969, the top 700 meters of the ocean levels have warmed by 0.302 degrees by Fahrenheit. Climatic changes are further experienced in areas with ice covers. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are reducing in mass. Data obtained from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment concludes that between 2002 and 2006, Greenland lost approximately 36 to 60 cubic miles (150 to 250 cubic kilometers) of ice. Antarctica, in its turn, lost 36 cubic miles (152 cubic kilometers). Climate changes and global warming have been further associated with declining Artic ice and retreating glaciers in Africa, Alaska, Alps, Himalayas, Rockies, and the Andes. Glacier melting has influenced a reduction in snow cover.

As a result, climatic changes and global warming affect some of the extreme weather events witnessed in recent years. The world has experienced a number of disasters and awkward weather occurrences resulting from climatic changes. Some of theme include the strongest hurricane recorded in the Northern Hemisphere, Hurricane Patricia, hail resulting in “river of sand” in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, and the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. These events, some of them being catastrophic while others are not so dangerous, provide empirical evidence proving that they occur due to the changes in climate.

Finally, however not limited to, climatic changes have contributed to ocean acidification. Scholars note that since the initiation of the Industrial revolution, the ocean’s surface has increased its acidity by 30%. This phenomenon is caused by anthropogenic factors including dumping of waste material in the oceans which leads to the destruction of marine life.

Possible Policies to Alleviate Climate Change

Having come to the realization that indeed climatic changes are continuously affecting the Earth, the human race, and the environment, policy makers, researchers, activists, and think-tanks have sought to find probable solutions to the predicaments. Among the recent endeavors was the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference – the twenty-first Conference of Parties (COP21) and the eleventh session of COP serving as the summit Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). The 2015 Climate Change Conference aimed at discussing ways forward to counter the growing menace that is global warming, in economical and environmentally friendly manners sustainable for current and future generations.

During his speech at the COP21 conference, the United States President, Barrack Obama claimed, “No nation is immune” (Mufson, 2015). This is to testify that climatic changes do not distinguish wealthy or poor, small or large nations. Further, his remarks signify that the battle to counter global warming is one that requires worldwide cooperation. Among the policies offered by the US President to combat this menace is challenging some of the world’s largest greenhouse emitters to cut down their emission levels. Additionally, Obama, in his governmental quest to develop new policies to alleviate climate change attended “Mission Innovation” – an initiative of Bill Gates aimed at creation of ‘clean energy technology.’ Finally, Obama’s government sought to address emerging nation’s role in climatic change alleviation and its consequent influence on their economies. The US government contributed $51.2 of $248 million to Least Developed Countries Fund. Undoubtedly, all nations have to work towards cutting their carbon emissions, developing environmental preservation, and awareness creation to ensure progress towards climate change alleviation.