CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH ? FROM A ECO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH – FROM A ECO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
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Home Page > News and Society > Environment > CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH – FROM A ECO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH – FROM A ECO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Posted: Aug 20, 2010 |Comments: 1
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH – FROM A ECO-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
INTRODUCTION
The Industrial Revolution began in the mid 19 th century. At that time people could have hardly imagined the historic transformations which it would bring not only to human civilization but also to the planet as a whole. The urbanization and the industrialization of the world was the initial effect. But later on a more serious threat took shape in disruption of the global ecosystem at a pace which it had never witnessed before. Hence today we have climate summits where the world tries to come to a consensus as to the best possible way in which to do away with the ill-effects of the Industrial Revolution without losing out on it’s benefits. But there is a discrepancy here. This is because even after nearly 150 years the benefits of the Industrial Revolution has not spread throughout the globe equitably. Thus we have the division between the developed and developing countries. And here is where the problem lies. For the developed countries are unwilling to accept their greater responsibility in causing the present climate problem. They are thus denying a historical fact. On the other hand the present climate change problem poses a graver threat to the developing countries. This is because many of these countries are still primarily agricultural in nature. Irrigation systems in many areas are not properly developed or completely absent. Hence these areas have to still rely on the rain gods for meeting their daily subsistence requirements. So clearly the responsibility for reducing global emissions is not the same for everyone. But this is where the politics comes into play. Vested interests who will continue to benefit from the maintenance of the status quo are adamantly opposed to any change in the present scenario. They also have a large clout within governments. But this situation is untenable. It cannot last long. By the time we come to realize the gravity of the problem it might be just too late. What is required is a broader outlook, one that looks beyond narrow short-term considerations. The present rate of climate change is clearly an aberration in the history of the world. Yes there have been violent and sudden cataclysms before. Ice ages have occurred since the birth of the planet itself. The only new variables are humans. No matter what our other differences we should be united on this issue. Copenhagen Summit did not achieve much. Kyoto Protocol was not recognized by US. 10 years after it set limits on international carbon emissions greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are still increasing. A lot needs to be done.
THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
The average temperature on Earth has already warmed by close to 1 degree Celsius since the beginning of the industrial period. In the words of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) a consensus document produced by over 2000 scientists representing every country in the United Nations:”Warming of the climate system is unequivocal”. Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, ranged between 200 and 300 parts per million (ppm) for 800,000 years, but shot up to about 387 ppm over the past 150 years, mainly because of the burning of fossil fuels and to a lesser extent due to agriculture and changing land use. The visible effects of climate change are already upon us. Like higher average air and ocean temperatures , widespread melting of snow and ice and rising sea level. Cold days, cold nights and frosts have become less frequent while heat waves are more common. Globally precipitation has increased even as Australia, Central Asia, the Mediterranean basin, the Sahel, the western United States and many other regions have seen more frequent and more intense droughts. Heavy rainfall and floods have become more common, and the damage from- and probably the intensity of- storms and cyclones have increased.
LINKS BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
There is a strong correlation between economic development and climate change. If we do not tackle this problem now then climate change will reverse development progress and compromise the well being of current and future generations. We have to choose a mode of development which is less dependent on greenhouse gases if we are to reduce global warming. Country development decisions lock the world into a particular carbon intensity and determine future warming. There is a strong inertia in the climate system, in the built environment and in the behaviour of individuals and institutions which requires immediate and urgent action. The window of opportunity to choose the right policies to deal with climate change and promote development is closing. Increasing people’s opportunities and material well-being without undermining the sustainability of development is still the main challenge for large swaths of the world, as a severe financial and economic crisis wreaks havoc across the globe. Failing to safeguard the environment eventually threatens economic and social achievements. Climate change is an externality. Climate is a public good: those who fail to pay for it cannot be excluded from enjoying it’s benefits and one person’s enjoyment of the climate does not diminish the capacity of others to enjoy it too. Markets do not automatically provide the right type and quantity of public goods, because in the absence of public policy there are limited or no returns to private investors for doing so: in this case markets for relevant goods and services (energy, land use ,innovation etc) do not reflect the consequences of different consumption and investment choices for the climate. Thus, climate change is an example of market failure invoving externalities and public goods. Much economic activity involves the emission of greenhouse gases. Full costs of these emissions are not immediately or never borne by the emitter. They face little or no incentive to reduce emission. They do not have to compensate those who have to suffer because of them. However the risks and uncertainties around the costs and benefits of climate policy are large. Hence these must be taken into account. For example there are uncertainties associated with future rates of economic growth, with the volume of emissions that will follow, with the increase in temperature resulting from emissions, with the impact of these temperature increases and so on. Similarly there are uncertainties associated with the economic response to policy measures, and hence about how much it will cost to reduce emissions. Thus the choices are difficult to make.
THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Real climate solutions need a socio-political revolution and deals between the world’s big powers. We have to create a politics of the long term to handle climate change in political systems where we are used to short-term thinking. Consensus must be built between political parties around climate change and energy policy. Geo-politics plays an important role in international climate change negotiations. Partisan politics must give way to a more broader outlook. Climate politics is a numbers game. It’s about who will make the most allowances. Yet no one is willing to take the lead in this. Everyone is passing the buck. This is highly irresponsible. Political statements will not reduce emissions. They have to be followed up by action. Through climate aid rich countries help poor countries to develop low-carbon economies and adapt to unavoidable climate change. But this aid is often tied to foreign policy issues. The developed countries want to scrutinize the climate actions of the developing countries. But the latter led by India and China vehemently oppose any such move. Whatever their other differences these two Asian giants are united on the climate forum. The most important thing lacking in climate politics is trust. In Copenhagen, this issue of “transparency” was a key deal breaker. As long as this trust is not developed no progress can be made.
SOLUTIONS
Humans need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, for instance through technological solutions such as coastal defences and changes in consumption habits. Here adaptation means adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment. Various types of adaptation can be distinguished, including anticipatory and reactive adaptation, private and public adaptation, and autonomous and planned adaptation. Humans are already adapting to climate change, and further adaptation efforts will be necessary during the coming decades. However adaptation alone is not expected to be able to cope with all projected effects since the options diminish and costs increase with rising temperatures. Some examples of adaptation processes already taking place-: climate change is taken into account in coastal defence projects in the Maldives and Netherlands, prevention of glacial lake outburst flooding in Nepal, water management strategies in Australia, and government responses to heat waves in some European countries. An emphasis on sustainable development can help human societies reduce their vulnerability to climate change. Sustainable use of an ecosystem refers to the human use of an ecosystem so that it may yield a continuous benefit to present generation while maintaining it’s potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. A proper development path must be chosen to reduce our vulnerability to climate change and increase the capacity of populations to adapt. Technological development also plays an important role. As more efficient technologies are developed which rely less on fossil fuels total emission will also be substantially reduced. For this increased investment is needed in R&D in this area. Renewable sources of energy must also be harnessed properly. Awareness about climate change must be spread. A mix of the strategies of emission reduction, adaptation and technological development will be the most effective. Incentives for emission reduction would increase if the benefits of avoided climate change are taken into account and a “carbon price” is established for each unit of greenhouse gas emission. Policies can provide a real or implicit “price of carbon”, through taxes, regulations or emission trading schemes: the higher the “carbon price” the greater the incentive for producers and consumers to invest in products, technologies and processes which emit less greenhouse gases. Revenues from carbon taxes and emission permits must be used to promote low carbon technologies. There should be a change in lifestyles and consumption patterns. The effects of all these will not be immediate .For this we all have to wait for a long period.
CONCLUSION
Today many people believe that the severe threat posed by climate change has been exaggerated. There is some truth in this proposition. It’s not as if tomorrow we are going to witness massive tsunamis and the complete submersion of our seas under the sea level. This is a long term process. But that does not give us any reason for complacency. This is because the very fact that nothing catastrophic has yet occurred means that we still have time in our hands. This we have to utilize properly. And we must not only think about the survival of the human race but also of the animal and plant world. Climate change also effects them. In the global ecosystem each and every living being is interlinked and dependent on one another. We have to maintain this link to ensure our own development. Even after the huge progress made in human civilization this link has not been broken. Forests are the lungs of the earth. Their existence is important for the proper functioning of the global ecosystem. Hence forest conservation must receive the highest priority.
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I am Anirban Sen. I have graduated in Economics and done Masters in South and Southeast Asian Studies. I am interested in current socio-economic and political issues especially international ones.
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1. Manya 24/08/2010
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copied one-to-one from “The economics of climate change” by Nicholas H. Stern, p. 27 (PLAGIAT): Markets do not automatically provide the right type and quantity of public goods, because in the absence of public policy there are limited or no returns to private investors for doing so: in this case markets for relevant goods and services (energy, land use ,innovation etc) do not reflect the consequences of different consumption and investment choices for the climate. Thus, climate change is an example of market failure invoving externalities and public goods.
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I am Anirban Sen. I have graduated in Economics and done Masters in South and Southeast Asian Studies. I am interested in current socio-economic and political issues especially international ones.