Global Climate Change Case Study Analysis

One atmospheric phenomenon that enables the Earth to sustain life is known as the "greenhouse effect." However, vital this effect is for human life, it may also be what eventually causes the next ice age, bringing all life to an end. About half of all solar radiation reaches the earth's surface. The other half, is either returned back in the form of heat, or is used for such things as photosynthesis, changed to heat energy, then sent back into the atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide hold onto heat, in turn, warming the earth's surface. Without this, the earth's temperature would drop dramatically, and life here on Earth would not be sustained. The greenhouse effect seems like a good thing; however, the problem is that man has increased these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing the balance of energy, incoming and outgoing, to become disturbed.

Background Global warming can be defined as the increase in average temperature of the Earth's near surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. (Wikipedia, 2007) Global warming is closely correlated with the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This increase in global temperature will eventually have extreme repercussions on the earth.
Greenhouse gases are the gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere which hold heat, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally, while others result from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. (Wikipedia, 2007) By man made means, these greenhouse gases have become excessive in our atmosphere. This will cause the earth to over heat, which will lead to problems that will lead to the end of the Northern Hemisphere.

Key Problems With the increase of global warming, Earth can expect consequences such as flooding in costal areas due to melting glaciers causing the sea level to rise, an increase in storms, droughts and heat waves, changes in precipitation and even an increase in tropical diseases. The human race can prevent all these situations from occurring, but it needs to be done quickly.

Alternatives With such a major worldwide problem as excessive global warming, only so much can be done to put it to an end. Four of the best solutions would be Making a Market for Climate Protection, Adaptation and Innovation, The Manhattan Project Approach, and International Agreements. (Watersheds – Of Greenhouses and Freezers) The first approach, Making a market for Climate Protection, works on a building a regulatory system, with a bottom-up perspective. This approach incorporates the liberty of individuals and instead of using the government authority to create laws or rules, it educates the world on the global warming problem and its solutions. The second solution, Adaptation and Innovation, provides motivation for industries to provide help with solving the problem of global warming. For example, allowing a certain industry to continue using the same amount of emissions, if they will agree to pay Bolivia to save a portion of their rainforest, in order to balance out the carbon in the atmosphere. (Watersheds 4, 2006) The third approach to the problem, The Manhattan Project, the problem is seem as man made, which can only be mended by human means as well. Humans will have to make sacrifices such as smaller cars such as hybrids, smaller homes, and recycling and conservation will have to become routine. However, initiatives will have to be given for humans to perform these acts willingly. Taxes on products such as carbon should be rated, causing humans to purchase smaller homes, in the hopes of spending less to insulate their homes, and to also purchase smaller cars. Subsidies will be provided to those who recycle. All these actions will preserve trees and forests, hence, slowing down global warming incrementally. The fourth approach to solving this problem, International Agreements, focuses on using the global community to solve the problem. For the first step, the community must make a commitment to work together to solve the problem. Second, the community must keep the end in mind. No matter how long or monotonous the process must seem, they must keep in mind a positive outcome. They must keep in mind that all nations are participating in this; remembering this, will make any sacrifices that need to be made, more acceptable.

Proposed Solutions

Of the above mentioned solutions, the approaches that seem most effective are International Agreements and The Manhattan Project. These two approaches seem to go hand in hand. The Manhattan Project approach gives the human race the desire to help out with this global warming issue, and with International Agreements, all nations will pull together to make the Manhattan Project successful. Although the Making a Market for Climate Protection approach would be successful, this is something that has already been tried. Most people are aware of the effects of global warming; however, nothing is done about it and the Earth is still faced with the same problem. With the Manhattan Project, this not only educates people of the problem, it gives them the initiative to help solve it. Although humans will have to make huge sacrifices in order for the Manhattan Project to work, with the right subsidies and economic changes, people would be willing to change their lifestyles to better the earth. This would be the approach which proves to be the most successful. And with the creation of some international agreements, everybody will win in the end.

Recommendations Excessive global warming is a problem that will face the earth until the human race pulls together to solve. In order to completely solve this problem, complete omission of any greenhouse gas releasing products and actions would be required. However, this would be almost impossible. The best and most realistic way to solve this problem, would take the entire human race pulling together and contributing to the resolving of this worldwide issue. Making changes such as smaller cars and homes, would potentially resolve this global warming issue bit by bit