Greenhouse gas emissions and the long-term impacts of climate change

Environmental Change

Introduction Climate change is occurring as the result of burning fossil fuels, which result in the emission of greenhouse gases that trap heat into the atmosphere. This heat has a number of different impacts, but on a global scale the climate is changing and will continue to affect humanity for hundreds of years. Mechanics The mechanics of climate change were likened early on to a greenhouse. The greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are emitted as the result of a number of different activities, the burning of fossil fuels among them. Hertzberg & Schreuder (2016) note that a wide range of data has been used to reach the conclusion that climate change is the result of the burning of fossil fuels – and that this climate disruption is anthropogenic in nature, meaning caused by human activity. This works because increasing these gases in the atmosphere creates an atmosphere that traps more heat into the planet. This heat then not only increases the surface temperature, but creates a number of other outcomes. Permafrost melts, releasing methane. Ice caps melt, increasing how much solar radiation the Earth absorbs. In general, most impacts of increasing the temperature create a positive feedback loop where the temperature only increases more. The result of this is changes in weather patterns, including increased temperatures, changes in precipitation levels, and changes to normal storm patterns. Human societies have evolve din the past 10,000 years based on particular climate paradigms, so a whole sale change in the climate paradigm should have substantial impacts on the human population. Solomon et al (2009) note that for the most part the impacts of climate change are irreversible. This does not mean literally irreversible, but rather that humanity, given current technology, will be unable to reverse climate change and its impacts within any reasonable lifetime that we can imagine. IF the climate snaps back to a default position, this will occur at some point hundreds if not thousands of years in the future. At issue is the fact that climate change will continue long after humans cease emitting carbons – something that is more likely to happen when we run out of carbons to emit, rather than any other way. Gillett et al (2010) note that warming will continue at least through the year 3000 , resulting in the collapse of the Western Antarctic ice sheet, resulting in sea levels rising several meters. So the impacts of climate change are likely to last not only beyond the lifetimes of anyone born today but well beyond that even.

Means of Dealing with Climate Change One of the main means by which human society has attempted to deal with climate change is the so-called carbon tax, which is essentially a tradeable levy on the burning of carbon. Carbon tax systems are generally set up in terms of levies, where carbon producers are faced with levies, but there is also a system of credits available, such as for planting trees that absorb carbon. Carbon taxes are viewed as a means of making the consumption of fossil fuels more expensive vis-a-via alternatives. Economically speaking, what this means is that the full cost of fossil fuels is not normal built into the price of fossil fuels. Only the cost of bringing those fossil fuels to market is included, so adding a tax helps to bring about a situation where the price you actually pay for your fossil fuels more accurately reflects the cost of those fuels to the planet. In practice, this cost is still usually lower than highlighted, but it is better. The intent of the carbon tax is to reduce carbon consumption by making it so expensive that other alternatives make more sense. There are few other regulations on carbon consumption beyond the carbon tax concept. There are taxes on gasoline in most places, but these taxes are aimed at filling government coffers, not at reducing climate change. The reality is that a lot of the discourse around climate change ends up being high-minded, and the means by which government seeks to encourage the use of non-carbon intensive energy are typically focused on taxation, rather than on regulations to actually curb carbon intensity. I find that the emphasis on programs that seek to influence behavior indirectly are inefficient and that a more productive approach would to be focus on direct behavior. Things like banning carbon in certain circumstances where it is simply not necessary would be a good start. A further recommendation would be to adopt tax incentives (rebate) that encourage the use of renewable energy sources, as those will often replace the consumption of fossil fuels. A more aggressive approach will require banning the use of fossil fuels in certain circumstances. The reality is that this approach is not pragmatic, and will not really happen, but for things like airplanes, there really is no alternative – there is no way to make those anything other than an environmental disaster. So dramatic measures will need to be taken in order to have the desired impact. Studies show that until then, at least carbon taxes that increase the cost of carbon consumption can be effective in playing a role in the diminishment of carbon intensity, by making carbon substitutes more economically viable.