Global warming, pollution, and the Kyoto Protocol debate

Pollution

Environmental issues have long been at the forefront of American life. Global Warming and pollution are the issues that have shaped environmental policy in America and throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to discuss global warming and pollution.

Global Warming and Pollution

One of the most well-known and controversial programs created to reduce global warming and pollution is the Kyoto Treaty. The treaty was developed in Japan in 1997 and involved the cooperation of several different nations including America. The various nations agreed to reduce the amount of pollution caused by harmful emissions. In recent years, America's involvement in the treaty has been reduced. In 2001, President George W. Bush withdrew from negotiations from the Kyoto Protocol. According to an article found in Harvard International Review,

Bush had been in office only a matter of weeks when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's restatement of Bush's commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions touched off a storm of criticism from conservative Republicans. By mid-March, the White House could only calm the storm by releasing a letter from the president to a prominent congressional foe of carbon emissions reductions renouncing his campaign pledge....the Kyoto Protocol was "dead, as far as the President is concerned." At a subsequent press appearance, Bush reaffirmed the position taken by his national security adviser, ill-advisedly using the word "dea d" himself to describe the Kyoto Protocol. In a breathtakingly short time, these clumsily executed moves reversed years of assiduous and successful Clinton administration work to keep climate change out of the political spotlight. Instead, global warming was forced to the front of the president's international and domestic agenda by the heavy criticism generated by the administration's actions."(Wirth 2002)

According to the Kyoto's official environmental website, Global warning is the process by which global air temperatures rise at a rate that is higher than normal. (Global Warming in Brief) More specifically global warning is a result of the greenhouse effect," which is essential to life as we know it on planet Earth. Electromagnetic energy coming from the sun is absorbed by the Earth, which radiates some of this energy outward as infrared energy (heat). Some of this infrared energy escapes into space, but much of it is absorbed by "greenhouse gases" in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) and is radiated back to the Earth as heat energy. The greenhouse effect, then, is a warming of the Earth's surface that makes it hospitable to life. Without the greenhouse effect, the surface of the Earth would be a frigid -100 [degrees] F. Alternatively, a "runaway" greenhouse effect, like that found on the planet Venus, would result in a surface temperature of 900 [degrees] F. Or more." (Rubba et al.)

According to the site, global air temperatures have risen by.45 Celsius over the past 100 years. Although there has been an increase in global air temperature, the site also reports that air temperatures have cooled over the last eighteen years.

In addition, an article entitled "Global Warming and Ozone Layer Depletion: STS Issues for Social Studies Classrooms" explains that the impact of Global warming may prove detrimental in the future. The article asserts that continued global warming will result in "melting polar ice along with thermal expansion of the oceans could raise the sea level, flooding coastal cities, and many agricultural landscapes could dry out, becoming deserts (Rubba et al.)." The article also explains that many believe that global warming is a result of industrial activity. The authors assert that the emissions that are produced from factories, vehicles and other sources result in the acceleration of the greenhouse effect.

Prevention

As you can see global warming and pollution are major environmental issues. The prevention of these two phenomenon will be pain staking and difficult to achieve. The difficulty lies in the fact that many of the sources of pollution aid in the development and maintenance of world economies. For instance, there must be manufacturing plants to create products such as cars and industrial supplies. This makes it difficult to control the amount of emissions.

One of the tactics that has been used in recent years has focused on reducing fuel emissions from cars. Car manufactures have developed hybrid vehicles that operate using electricity and gas. These vehicle get much more gas mileage per gallon of gas and therefore releases less fuel into the air. These vehicles have been extremely popular and may eventually prove effective in reducing harmful pollutants.

According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory prevention begins with assessment. The laboratory explains that there must be standards that set a standard for pollution that can be present in the air. (How can we prevent the damaging effects of air pollution?) Setting such standards could ensure a reduction in the amount of pollution that is in the air. In addition, fuel emissions for vehicles must be carefully monitored and government agencies should work to ensure that they meet safe and acceptable standards to reduce pollution. (How can we prevent the damaging effects of air pollution?)

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper is to discuss global warming and pollution.

We found that global warming occurs because of an accelerated green house effect. We found that pollution occurs because of harmful emissions caused by fossil fuels and industrialization. Our investigation found that pollution can result in serious health problems including lung cancer. We also found that pollution can stunt lung growth in children and irritate existing conditions. Finally, we asserted that preventative measures must be taken to reduce air pollution. Preventative measures can take place with the development of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles.