Race and Ethnic Relations

Race and Ethnic Relations:

Giddens suggests that the central problem in this piece is climate change that is brought by the emission of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. One of the major factors that have contributed to the problem is that the three dominant energy sources across the globe i.e. gas, oil, and coal produce huge amounts of greenhouse gases. The pollution of the atmosphere through industrialization processes, which are major characteristics of today's society, has also contributed to the problem of climate change. Industrial revolution was primarily fueled by the scientific and technological advances that turned coal into a vibrant source of energy. These advancements resulted in the change from burning wood as a basic source of fuel to increased dependence on coal. The change into use of coal as a major energy source resulted in an entirely new way of life that is based on machine production.

The problem of global warming or climate change contributed to another major concern regarding energy security. Some of the controversies on peak oil are intense as issues surrounding global warming with the debates regarding the two issues resembling each other. Actually, the technologies needed to lessen the vulnerability of people to energy shortfalls and emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are similar. While the emergence of coal as a prime energy source replaced the use of wood, oil has never substituted coal but only challenged its dominance. Some of the attempts to address concerns on energy shortfalls have been centered on climate change policy and the need to control the emission of greenhouse gases.

As a major concern in the entire world, global warming is considered as a social problem that continues to affect the lives of the whole human population. While global warming affects the environment, it's a social problem because it has a huge impact on human populations worldwide. The impact of the global warming problem on populations and the environment is largely because of the lifestyles that people have adopted in the wake of industrial revolution. The social problem will continue to affect both the current and future generations because its effects are progressive instead of abrupt (Giddens, p. 555).

As previously mentioned, the major contributing factor to the problem of global warming or climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. This problem has been exacerbated by the lifestyles that people have adopted since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the seventeenth century. The social problem is largely because the three dominant energy sources across the globe especially coal are major producers of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The effects of global warming continue to affect all societies worldwide because of the increased dependence on these sources of energy.

As a major social problem in the entire world, the issue of global warming can be addressed by collective efforts from individuals, societies, and governments. For individuals, addressing the problem of climate change requires huge changes in the way they live. These changes include switching to efficient energy sources like hydroelectric, wave, thermal power, wind, and solar energies. Changes in individual's lifestyles are of key significance in tackling climate change especially if they are geared towards minimizing extravagant habits of using energy.