Human Induced Climate Change and how it affects the Future

Human Induced Climate Change and how it affects the Future

Possible Solutions

The issue regarding climate change is quite complex; where to some extent it has been referred to as a super wicked problem. This is because most of the policies that are being implemented to actualize its eradication do not seem to work. Given this perspective, what can nations and individuals do in order to reverse or slow the effects emanating from climate change? Some solutions to this problem are challenging but feasible at the same time. They include:

  1. Foregoing Fossil Fuels

This will entail eradicating the burning of oil, coal and eventually natural gas. The fossil fuels will be replaced with renewable energy. This is likely to bring about significant public health benefits. Water and air pollution that comes from natural gas and coal plants usually result to neurological damage, cancer, breathing problems and heart attacks will be reduced by foregoing the fossil fuels (Burch 62). This would mean a reduction in the number of lost workdays and premature mortality.

Despite the benefits that would accrue as a result of foregoing fossil fuels, there is also a limitation to this solution. Most of the developed nations literally wear, play, work, eat and sleep on commodities developed from fossilized sunshine. It will be quite difficult to change such attributes, and there might be arguments that renewable energy would not be sufficient to run the economy as fossil fuels do.

  1. Stopping Deforestation

Deforestation is among the major causes of global warming. This is because it accounts for around 10% of heat-trapping emissions around the world. This is equivalent to emissions emanating from 600 million average United States cars annually (Burch 167). As a result, reducing aspects of deforestation will help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses that are emitted to the atmosphere since the trees will absorb the carbon stored in the soil. Trees also play a remarkable role in absorbing some of the greenhouse gasses that are emitted from various sources.

However, there is also a limitation that comes with stopping deforestation. The world population is increasing every day, and hence it becomes necessary to cut trees at some point to free up land for human settlement, agriculture, enabling grazing and wood products. Deforestation also creates employment in the lumber and construction industry (Burch 71). Need for arable land is increasing too as countries aim to ensure food security in light of increasing populations. Such aspects create a dilemma when it comes to solving the problem of climate change by stopping deforestation.

 

Work Cited

Burch, Sarah L. Understanding Climate Change: Science, Policy, And Practice. University Of Toronto Press, 2014,.

 
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