Global warming argument essay

¶ … global warming is accepted or not and its effects as well, significant changes in the climate of the planet have happened with at a more rapid pace than in the past. Global warming is mainly seen by the scientific community as a global process in which "glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. it's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives" (National Geographic, 2010). These gases, the greenhouse gases, have reached a peak at this point that is the highest in the last 650,000 years.

As the debate continues whether these are phenomena caused by men or natural ones, global warming effects are more and more visible. Climate change leads already to severe changes in geophysical, biological and socio-economic systems. Some of the most severe impacts of climate change due to global warming are to be found especially in countries with weak economies and political systems that are also in affected areas. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report shows, the most evident effects are on the local, regional and even global food supply, infrastructure, health, water resources, coastal systems, ecosystems, global biogeochemical cycles, ice sheets and modes of oceanic and atmospheric circulation. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2007) as agriculture is the main source of income and survival in many of the world's countries, a rise in the mean temperature creates systemic imbalances due to the low adaptation capabilities of local producers. As famine is at a high level anyways, global warming will increase it as the food supply will suffer in ways that are still difficult to predict. These adaptation costs would also require a strong political will that would recognize that for protecting its citizens on the medium and long-term, significant investments are to be made. Both human and societies as a whole need not only time to adapt to these new conditions but also resources that, in the countries most hit by global warming, do not exist.

Resources would barely exist in a world without global warming and this will be visible also in the health sector. Millions are at this point affected by malnutrition and little or low quality water reserves due to a rise in temperatures. A larger number of deaths, "diseases and injury due to extreme weather events; increased burden of diarrhoeal diseases; increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone in urban areas related to climate change; and the altered spatial distribution of some infectious diseases" are to be seen frequently in the poor areas of the world. (Pachauri, 2007)

Other effects go deeper in the core of societies and results in socio-political shifts. Populism or radicalization of instable governments often leads to an increase in the negative effects of global warming. In countries extreme poverty and malnutrition create large masses of people that are easy to manipulate and lead into unconstructive directions. Also, lack of basic resources leads to migration of large populations seeking water or fertile land. Ethnic conflicts, especially in Africa, are easy to appear in such conditions.

One of the most severe and visible effects of global warming is that of coastal flooding and erosion. As sea level are on the rise, many millions will suffer more and more aggressive floods and entire coastal cities and industries will disappear unless significant investment is made in dam systems. Another socio-geographical effect is large fires due to high temperatures and winds that create disasters all over the planet. Also, freshwater systems in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, America, North America, Polar regions "showed an overall net negative impact of climate change on water resources and freshwater ecosystems." (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.2007)

Global warming effects also reach more developed countries with effects not necessarily connected with the food supply or health issues, but climate change. The increase of severe weather phenomena in the last 10 years is quite visible, although no direct match can be made at this point as not enough data has been collected. As an in example of global warming effects on weather conditions in a country that in theory is more adaptable than others the Katrina Hurricane offers a strong basis on the global warming debate. Heating up of ocean surface water creates proper conditions for the formation of stronger and longer lasting hurricanes. (Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 2010)

All these that have a profound effect on the lives of billions are being fought in various ways by national, regional or international organizations. As the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997 states, signatory countries have to implement and collaborate with all the other signatories towards reducing the effects of global warming. Countries have to promote sustainable forms of agriculture, research and use renewable sources of energy, energy efficiency in industrial sectors or reduce gas emitting industries. (United Nations, 1997)