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essay on climate change and sustainable development
essay on climate change and sustainable development
essay on climate change and sustainable development
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ARGUMENT:
This essay focuses on the need to frame climate change as an issue of sustainable development, and to elucidate the effects this has on climate governance. Framing climate change as a primarily environmental issue at a global level denies its complexities (Tosam and Mbih 2015: 788). The recognition of sustainable development and climate change as inextricably linked has become accepted as the most successful avenue for climate governance (Kharas and Zhang 2014: 29). This is achieved through the integration of economic, social and environmental issues with the aim of creating sustainable growth to meet current generational needs and protect resources for future generations (Bruntland Report 1987). By framing climate change as an issue
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Elaborate on how sustainable development is a superior discourse to recognize the complexities and challenges of climate change.
Paragraph 3-4: Explain why framing climate change as an issue of sustainable development has several positive impacts on the governance of climate change. Sustainable development recognizes the multiplicity of actors affected by and effecting climate change, creating a space for these factors to play a role in governance, particularly policies of mitigation and
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They identify negative impacts on human health, political instability and development that reach beyond environmental governance capacities, but they argue these have been amplified by political ineptitude. These authors contend that, to ensure sustainable development, Africa must achieve good governance, it must return to traditional values, and it must prioritise rural development and emancipate women. They conclude therefore that Africa must adopt a holistic approach, addressing climate change within the umbrella of sustainable development. The article’s focus on Africa is both a strength and a limitation. Its strength lies in the use of quantifiable data to demonstrate the effects of climate change on all aspects of society. Because it is a case study, however, the article does not contain an articulated theoretical framework, and does not engage with theoretical debate and key governance issues, such as the North-South divide, as outlined in Grist and Bulkely and Newell (see below). What makes this article useful however is the detailed discussion of how climate change effects are so endemic to society that they cannot be treated as separate from sustainable development or framed simply as an environmental issue. The article is therefore key to my argument that governance of climate change must be achieved using the discourse of sustainable development, with Africa as an important
The two essays by Michael Pollan and Curtis white talk about climate change in regards to the relationship between the environment and human beings. Although the two essays share the same topic, they take the subject and engage the readers in totally different points of views. Pollan’s essay talks about global and ecological responsibility being a personal virtue while Curtis discusses the socio-economic or political issues underlying sustainability (Pollan; White). These two essays are very different in terms of voice; however these pieces of writing are both important for people all over the world to read. Climate change and environmental disasters are a real issue. Just this year, there have been more storms, cyclones, earthquakes and typhoons all over the world. One cannot look at the state of many developing counties where the majority of the population is exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This issue on developing a viable solution for the problem of anthropogenic gases and global warming is long from being found. Not only this, many people do not want to hear about this issue since they do not think it is real. Unless people have tangible proof that their cars, thermostats and aerosol cans are contributing to climate change, they are not going to give up their lifestyles. By synthesizing the two essays, one can see that there is a need for change and that it is not an issue which should be dealt with in terms of ecological factors or even personal virtue. The social, economic and political factors affecting this problem and the move towards real sustainability should also be a topic that will raise awareness.
In the article “Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math”, written by Bill Mckibben, he firstly opens up by saying that back in 2012, according to the statistics, we surpassed the global record high for climate temperature in our nation, destroying other previous records. Despite the research and the displaying of data, nobody is doing anything to adress the following issue. Mckibben outlines three distinctive numbers that outline the following issue., 2 degrees celsius, 565 gigations, and 2795 gigtons, which he uses to validitate and support his argument. Firstly, the ongoing problem of climate change in society is fundamentally a matter of individual moral responsibility that is inspired by the insight individuals are intentionally harming the environment. Secondly there is yet to be an effective collective state response to the issue of global warming, despite approaching two full decades of ongoing and reoccuring negotiations and the very near universal participation by states in the UNFCCC. Thirdly, because this issue has been put on hold for longer than it was innitially expected, greenhouse gases are being emitted into our atmosphere, polluting our environment. The South-North issue and an ongoing debate comes into effect as all the greenhouse gases that are created and used in the Northern hemisphere are being emmited into the southern hemisphere. Hence, my thesis is; despite the fact that global warming and climate change has been an ongoing problem globally for years, humanity has failed to resolve thiis issue as it quickly begins to escalate.
Climate change exists within two distinct paradigms, a scientific discussion and a social context. Whilst both need to be considered equally, they have primarily opposed each other until this point; the science has been too complex and the social aspect too volatile. Consequently, the only way to reach an aligned resolution to climate change is to address the lack of scientific understanding and separate climate change from a political boxing match.
As we human beings have entered the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch dominated by humanity. The relentless pressure we have put on our planet has increased daily at a speedy pace, which has resulted in an unprecedented destabilization of climate change. What’s worse, our disagreement with climate change has left the planet in an even more dangerous crisis. The economic imbalance between the developed countries and the developing countries, lack of the awareness of sustainable development and are the two main obstacles stand on the way. In order to solve these problems respectively, we should take actions towards sharing and exchange of natural resources between rich and poor and regard climate change as a common first priority, and promoting the realization of the responsibility for sustainable development as a precaution for the future climate change.
The authors are trying to investigate how the different frames of climate change affect the opinion of the members of the public on the issue. They aim to use global climate impacts, as well as, frames to determine the perceptions of individuals on the issue of climate change. The authors argue that impact frames that focus on the issue of climate change help to influence public opinion. Furthermore, the use of local frames contributes to increasing people's perception regarding the severity of the problem. Additionally, it contributes to encouraging more individuals to support local policy action in a bid to address the impacts of climate change. On the other hand, providing
In order to assess climate change from a security standpoint it is necessary to consider its potential future implications as well as their magnitude for different states and groups. It is clear that everybody will bear the effects of climate change, although the effects will be uneven and disproportionately distributed. States with less adaptive capacity, which can be determined by levels of “human health and food security, self-reliance, governmental capacity and poverty/development” , intensifies their vulnerability to the effects of climate change. The manifestations of climate change in the future ma...
Gardiner, S.M, (2004) ‘Ethics and Global Climate Change’, Chicago Journals, Vol. 114 ( No. 3), Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/382247 [Accessed 12 March 2014]
Although it is often a topic for contention in politics, global warming over the span of several decades, has led to climate change, which has had an alarming impact globally. Climate change needs to ...
For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence about climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many interest groups with considerable political clout have successfully perpetuated the argument that documented changes in the environment are a product of natural cyclical changes in climate, and are not associated with human activities. However, even the acceptance of this particular brand of reality is no grounds for the disregard of environmental consciousness. Even if one accepts the premise that recent climate change is not resultant of human activity, the rationale behind environmental conservation remains ...
Scientific knowledge required to show the effects and trends of climate seems to be well-developed and valid for use, but the social, economic and political aspects have always caused differences, which have delayed the efforts to solve these issues (Maslin, 2007). While the world is still struggling to find a better and effective way of dealing with these effects, there has been very little efforts made towards this on global scale, with each nation attempting to have its own way of dealing with these issues. Moreover, the controversies over the responsibilities per nation or region have been a drawback towards finding a solution to these problems (Brown & Leipold,
In recent years, climate change has been a controversial topic. Many people, including country leaders argue that the change is real and irreversible, while others claim it is a tactic to envoke fear among people. Climate change is defined as, “a change in the typical or average weather of a region or city” (nasa). Their is remarkable evidence for both sides of the debate which raises the arguable question, is climate change real? In this essay, I will explain both arguments of the topic about the controversy that surrounds climate change. For argumentative paper you must also develop your own position and defend your point of view on this topic. In your intro please provide a clear thesis statement.
IV. Preview – Today, I am going to talk to you about climate change as a problem, the
Climate change has been an extremely controversial topic in recent history and continues to create much debate today. Many questions concerning climate change’s origins and its potential affect on the globe are not fully understood and remain unanswered. What is climate change? Is climate change happening? Is it a natural cycle of the world or are there other catalysts involved such as human activity? What proof is there? What data correlations show climate change is accelerated by humans? How serious is climate change and how will it affect the future of our globe? What are we doing to address climate change? Should we really be concerned about climate change? Questions such as these have made climate change a very serious issue in today’s world and created the ideology of climatism. The issue of climate change has affected many different aspects of our lives and the world we live in. Policymaking, human activism, technologies, emission control, global warming, alternative energy sources and many other things have been greatly affected by the mania of climate change. This research report will present climate change in a light of common sense and rationality that will take a grounded discussion of the science behind climate change, global warming, human activity, and how the ideology of climatism has corrupted and driven the actions to combat climate change.
This research paper is about climate change with the concept of sustainable development, meaning that it will approach the climate change problem with an economical way and try to solve it with the new growth theory. New growth theory argues that innovations, population growth, new technology, and creative destruction are connected to each other and that these connections will solve the climate change problem. The exponential technology growth, improved international private rights and improved use of human capital are some of those key terms what the theory is all about. The most important thing towards the solution is human capital. Improved human capital will lead to a better efficiency of industry and therefore improve the environmental friendliness. Government plays as an important role even though the regulations of market are set in minimum. Government’s job is to create a good business atmosphere with attractive incentives. These incentives and good private property rights will help to achieve this business atmosphere and new innovations will come out. The biggest barrier for plan is the theory itself. An example of this is the neoliberal revolution in Argentina during 1989-1999 when Carlos Menem was the president of the country. His neoliberal and market liberal politics, which are one of the corner stones of new growth theory, achieved big victories in the start of 90s but when the economy started to slow down and the unemployment exploded the problems doubled up. To avoid this kind of market overheating, corporate leaders and politicians had to be liable for their decisions. If those people manage to be liable for markets, the markets will repair themselves and also the pr...
... of extreme weather and melting ice caps are indicators of global warming. Because these things will affect society, there are important decisions that have to be made in the present as well as in the future to secure people’s lives and lifestyles. The world community is aware of this serious issue and do already prepare for projects to slow down global warming, but they still have to improve. If the world leaders stop worrying about this issue, the future generations could be in danger. The future lifestyles will be affected by the decisions made in the present day. Society has much to improve to save energy and to lower greenhouse gas emissions. There are also small things people can do to help. Individuals can live a life without wasting energy or polluting the environment. Without effort, global warming endangers the quality of life for the future generations.