Author: meanderso

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Moving Forward with Collaboration: Climate Change

Ellerbeck, S. (2023, January 30). Counting the Cost of Natural Disasters – and Other Climate Crisis Stories You Need to Read This Week. weforum.org, World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/climate-crisis-environment-biggest-news-30-january/. 

Climate change has continued to impact the world, causing extreme weather patterns, natural disasters, and rising sea levels. Despite these challenges, there has been some positive news on the environmental front in recent months, with the European Union announcing its goal to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and countries such as China and the United States committing to reducing their carbon emissions. However, the World Economic Forum states that much more needs to be done to address the climate crisis. The transition to a low-carbon economy will require significant investment and collaboration between various stakeholders. The World Economic Forum believes that taking decisive action now will not only help mitigate the effects of climate change but also create new economic opportunities and help secure a more sustainable future for all.

I agree with the article that the transition must be done in a way that is just and equitable, ensuring that the benefits are shared by all, and not just by a select few. I think that governments, businesses, and individuals must also be the ones to take action in order to reduce carbon emissions and transition to renewable energy sources. Overall, I believe that this is a great article to begin the 2023 year as many countries commit themselves to long-term goals to prevent further carbon emissions. Especially seeing the example in India, which is shifting its car market to electronic vehicles, has been very exciting. It comes to show that a little devotion to one action may be able to positively influence other countries for the better.



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The Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals Initiative

Unknown. (2022, September 8). WMO: Climate Change in Africa Can Destabilize ‘Countries and Entire Regions’ | UN News. United Nations, United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126221. 

The United Nations announced on September 21, 2022, that it is launching a new initiative aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The initiative, called the Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs for short), aims to accelerate progress towards the 17 SDGs. The decade-long initiative will be led by the UN Secretary-General and involve governments, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders. The initiative will focus on key areas such as reducing poverty, improving health and education, and promoting gender equality and sustainable development. Climate change seems to have a direct correlation of the destabilizing cycle, so the UN aims to identify new and innovative solutions to the challenges faced. It will work to increase public awareness and engagement on the SDGs and their importance in creating a sustainable future for all countries. 

The dramatic shift in weather patterns has greatly impacted developing countries who struggle to stabilize their economies. This brings up the important subject that climate change must also be addressed by its economic effects, not just the environmental ones. For most people, surviving each day is prioritized over the health of the planet in future years. In order for all nations to come together to cooperate on the solution for climate change, we must also brainstorm short-term solutions regarding national stability and the economy. That is why I am in support of the UN’s work of initiating the SDGs.



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How Climate Change Has Impacted Polar Bears

Bush, E. (2022, November 14). Polar Bears, Pushed on Land by Climate Change, Get Their Own Radar. NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/polar-bears-pushed-land-climate-change-get-radar-rcna56761. 

The article highlights the issue of polar bears being forced to move onto land due to the loss of sea ice in the Arctic caused by climate change. These polar bears are said to be spending more than 43 days on land as compared to their previous average. This shift is putting polar bears at risk as they may come into conflict with humans and face other challenges in their new habitat. It has been noted that conservation efforts are needed to help protect polar bears and their habitat. One possible effort is through the exploration of radar technology in order to create a polar bear alert system. The hope for this new technology is to provide people with insight to polar bears’ whereabouts in order to reduce confrontation (although these animals are only responsible for 5% of North America’s bear attacks).

I believe that this is crucial for North America as it ensures the safety of both the polar bears and the human population living in close proximity to them. Just like Europe, North America is experiencing immediate effects caused from climate change yet solutions still seem to be bleak. However, the new radar technology is a great temporary solution that will help us adapt to the shifting environment. I am especially thankful for the research team that has advocated the safety of both parties rather than sending armed hunters to get rid of the bear threat.



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Climate Change Impacts Around the World

McGrath, M. (2023, January 10). Climate Change: Europe and Polar Regions Bear Brunt of Warming in 2022. BBC News, BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64213575. 

The article describes how the world experienced its warmest year so far in 2022. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service collected data and states that the year beat the previous warmest year in 2016 by a significant margin, and impacted most of the European nations such as Spain, France, Italy, and the UK. This is extremely dangerous because the data suggests that the temperatures are almost exceeding the 1.5 C threshold, promised at the Paris climate agreement. Countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Slovenia have also been impacted as they are experiencing their highest amount of wildfires which occurred during the past summer. The increase in global temperature is a result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. 

It is no shock that the world is finally experiencing physical evidence of global warming with Europe being hit especially hard due to having the greatest surface air temperatures. This is not only affecting the quality of life and the danger to our planet’s future, but also the history of mankind. Europe is known to hold some of the most prized artworks and architecture such as the Colosseum. I fear that the heat may damage artworks because of the ​​thermal tensions, moisture reductions, and chemical reactions that occur when exposed to heat. Although this may be minor in the grand scheme of global warming, it just comes to show how the impacts of global warming affect all aspects of humanity’s future.



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Climate Change in China

World Bank Group. (2022, October 12). China’s Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy and Climate Resilience Needs Shifts in Resources and Technologies. worldbank.org, World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/10/12/china-s-transition-to-a-low-carbon-economy-and-climate-resilience-needs-shifts-in-resources-and-technologies. 

China is struggling to face climate change as it challenges the possibility for prosperity in the future. In the World Bank’s press release on October 12, 2022, leaders explained the significance for China to transition to a low-carbon economy and improve its climate resilience. If the country does not take initiative quickly, China’s GDP is expected to drop by about 1.4 percent by the year 2030. They proposed that China focus their energy on creating and innovating new resources and technologies in order to reduce carbon emissions. Due to high costs, the government will have to intervene and demand policies and regulatory reforms along with taxes in order to accomplish its mission.

Personally, I believe that it is very important for China to start taking action when dealing with climate change. In recent years, China has experienced a boom in its economy due to their cheap production capabilities; however, this is also dangerous because there are only loose regulations around carbon emissions. In order to encourage a positive outlook on change, I think that enforcing either a carbon tax or a cap and trade program would be very effective as they promote technological innovations.



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Social Media’s Impact in Climate Change Opinions

Archie, A. (2022, June 24). Factual Climate Change Reporting Can Influence Americans Positively, but Not for Long. NPR, NPR. Retrieved August 21, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1107239912/climate-change-science-environment-global-warming-study-report. 

The problem of receiving enough support to take action on climate change seems to be held within the role of the news media. A recent study was performed by Thomas Wood, Brendan Nyhan, and Ethan Porter, professors at The Ohio State University, Dartmouth College, and George Washington University. This study proved that the public will often show support when given factual articles about climate change, however, that information is almost never retained as the amounts of consumer-based articles overpower the factual articles.

I find this information very relevant to climate change as we need the support of the public in order to make a change to the current standard of living. In order to make a difference, people cannot be easily fooled into arguing for the wrong position when it comes to scientific facts about our environment and climate change. The article helped me realize that climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed on all fronts. While the government attempts to enforce the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, the news media also needs to be held accountable for making sure the public unites rather than argues about the actuality of our current, fragile state within our environment. 

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Inflation Reduction Act

Vaidyanathan, G. (2022, August 16). Scientists Welcome ‘Enormous’ Us Climate Bill – but Call for Stronger Action. Nature News, Nature Publishing Group. Retrieved August 21, 2022. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02223-8. 

United States President Joe Biden finally signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on August 16, 2022. The Act states that $369 billion will be committed to helping decrease the effects of climate change over the next decade. Within this Act, Biden promised to decrease emission rates by 30% of the rate recorded back in 2005. By including this Act, the United States has raised the expectations for other countries who agreed to help reduce climate change in 2015. America plays a deep influence on other nations, so it is expected that we uphold our side of the agreement.

In creating this Act, the United States is encouraging the studies of environmental science as it sets our priorities for setting long-term expectations for a better global environment. This encouragement is proven within the Act statement considering $50 million was put aside just for climate change research. However, I am worried about the possible outcomes of this plan considering the public has been promised a drastic change in our current state for a long time. Greta Thunberg’s speech was presented in 2018, and yet this seems to be America’s first real commitment to solving climate change. So, I remain skeptical about the authenticity of the government’s role in protecting our climate since it still seems too good to be true.

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Predictions of Biden’s Climate Bill

Mooney, C., Stevens, H. (2022, July 18). Analysis | the U.S. Plan to Avoid Extreme Climate, Change Is Running out of Time. The Washington Post, WP Company. Retrieved August 15, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/18/climate-change-manchin-mat h/.

President Biden’s plans to cut emission rates in the United States by 50% by the year 2030 is evidently seeming increasingly impossible. Unfortunately, our predicted decline in emissions is simply not enough to satisfy the Biden plan. Senator Manchin argues that the plan needs to be tabled in order to focus on inflation. However, global warming increases at an exponential rate, so the longer that the plan is tabled, the more effort it will take to decrease emissions to a level that is sustainable for decreasing the effects of climate change.

I feel that the article has enlightened me on the current situation of our government. The issue of climate change has always been relevant, in fact, Paris held a climate agreement in 2015 which forced the alliance that every nation would partake in cutting down emissions rates in order to decrease the effects of global warming. However, it is saddening to realize that America’s economy is still prioritized to an extreme extent as compared to the problem of climate change. It seems that economics and environmental science are enemies in the eyes of the government, but I find that they could work cooperatively together (providing jobs while creating sustainable practices) if they just tried.

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Opinions of Climate Change Based on Political Standpoint

Roston, E. (2022, July 25). Why Isn’t There a Mass Movement in the US to Stop Climate Change? Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg. Retrieved August 15, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-25/why-isn-t-there-a-mass-movement-in-the-us-to-stop-climate-change. 

A poll was created by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication that measured how much a person places their priority on climate change based on their political standpoint. Based on the poll, Liberal Democrats placed global warming as one of their top three highest priorities, while Conservative Republicans would often place the issue in last place. Because Americans are individualistic and hold “clean energy” as an abstract ideal, many Americans do not feel the need to take action if the issue doesn’t seem to affect them personally.

I immediately noticed that the article held some biases for the liberal democratic party because of their deliberate choice of words, tone of voice, and attitude. However, I found the article enlightening as I learned that environmental science seemed to be a much more common topic of discussion for liberals rather than conservatives. I find this interesting because we must worry how anything will get accomplished and passed through congress if we still debate about the necessity to fix climate change. Personally, I find that climate change is an issue that will affect our society as a whole, and if people do not become properly educated on the subject now, it will only continue to become more difficult to cooperate with one another in order to solve climate change.

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Debate on Biden’s New Climate Bill

Board, The Editorial. (2022, July 23). Climate Change Is Not Negotiable. The New York Times, The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/23/opinion/biden-climate-change.html.

The issue on how to take action to solve climate change has been constantly argued within the government. President Biden has been struggling to get legal action to commit money and resources to developing a new plan to combat climate change. Biden wanted to commit $300 billion in tax credits and subsidies to build up solar, wind, and electric companies. However, Senator Joe Manchin seems to be against Biden’s decisions to prioritize climate change as inflation continues to increase, even the Supreme Court seemed to stand in the way of positive environmental change as the focus stands on fossil fuels.

Although society has undergone a significant change culturally when dealing with the issue of climate change, it feels like environmental science is still not taken seriously within the older generations. Senator Joe Manchin is 75 years old and the Supreme Court consists of the“generation x” and the “boomer” generation. Therefore, I am discouraged to admit that it does not shock me that the issue of climate change still seems to be up for debate. When I was younger, it felt common for people to assume climate change wasn’t a real issue, but with the amount of overwhelming evidence at this point in time, it saddens me to think that people still believe that climate change does not deserve our highest priority.