Climatechange

The melting of the polar ice caps, the raising of sea levels, the increased intensity of severe storms and hurricanes and the increasing frequency of wildfires are all scenes that are flashed before the eyes of the viewing public.  The portrayl of these disasters has caused near hysteria.  But despite all the hysteria a message is trying to be presented; the message that climate change is a real, impending reality that needs to be addressed.  The media has a tendency to overdramatize this dynamic change, but does so only with the intention of informing the people of the warnings that the scientific community have repeatedly given to the world.  Many people doubt that climate change is real, preferring to believe that it is a hoax.  Many skeptics produce valid arguments that question the accuracy of the scientific data that has been recently gathered.  Doubt will always exist in matters such as these; however, the environment has long been in a state of change due to human action, and it is time that we address this issue before it gets to a point of irreparable damage.  So now the question is where to begin on such an international issue.  Let's begin by determing a balance between ecomonice policy and environmental protection.

Environmental policy always tends to take a backseat to economic policies and trade disputes.  Many people tend to forget that economic devices are made possible because of our environment.  Therefore it would seem logical that environmental protection would be at the top of list of policies to address. However, the focusing of policy on the environment would take away from policy on economic development.  The implementation of environmental protections would cost money thus damaging developing countries and place a financial burden on those countries that are already developed.  Many businesses are not willing to pay this price.  The price they are paying for these environmental protections is ensuring that future generations have an economy to dispute.  Though the price will be paid now, is there really an satisfaction in knowing that future races have been condemned just for some people to make a few more dollars.  Ultimately, it is in the best interest of all people to protect the environment if not for our own sake, but for the future generations that will inherit what we have altered.

In an ideal world economic development would go hand in hand with enviromental protection, but this world is far from ideal and it is difficult to weigh more heavily on one side without doing damage to the other.  So if one side must be chosen it must be to preserve and protect an environment that has been damaged as a result of our own economic development.  According to James Hansen, in addition to the one percent climate change that has occured over the last thirty years, another one percent change is already in the pipeline because the environment must have time to respond to the change that occurs daily.  This response can take years.  Some increase in climate change will continue because the environment still needs time to respond.  This means that climate change will get worse before it gets better.  Action must begin to happen, otherwise the change will continue to grow in strength further than what we already know will happen.  The first step in the direction of change is the Kyoto Protocol.

THe Kyoto Protocol requires the countries who sign it to commit to a 5% change between the years 2008 and 2012.  This protocol in effect binds the countries to make the changes that they signed up to do.  It forces them to take action.  However, this protocol excludes developing nations.  This is not enough.  This is a global problem that can only be solved if all countries take action and just do their part, whether developing or not.  A policy needs to hold countries accountable for their indivual emissions, not just those who are already developed.  We are all in this together, therefore all countries must be held accountable.  Afterall, its not just those developed country like the United States that will feel the effects. Don't get me wrong, economic development is important, but not when the cost is the earth!

The international community must take a stance on this and therefore enforce this issue.  Leaving it to individual countries will not create the results necessary to make an impact on the global scale.  Currently, countries are not required to reduce emissions.  We cannot rely on individual accountability on an issue as important as this.  Many countries will choose their own interests at the expensive of those working to reverse climate change. The Kyoto Protocol is a good start, but it only affects those countries who are willing to change and are already economically developed.  Perhaps peer pressure will affect those countries whose choose to follow their own agendas.  Some organizations have already begun to reach out to other countries by creating a program that helps countries institute environmental changes. The United Nations Environment Programmme says that, "the objectives of this project are to provide to governments additional tools for promoting climate change awareness at the national level. Support efforts by associations and NGOs to provide accurate and accessible messages of IPCC on climate change to their memberships or target audiences, make the youth more aware of the climate change implications and motivated to take relevant climate friendly actions, and raise awareness of general public on climate change problems with easily understandable graphic materials."

The time has come to take action, not only on an individual level, but on a global scale.  It is time to correct our actions and take responsibility for our actions, not only as countries, but as one global race of man. We should think not of the short term loss of economic costs, but of the opportunity that we are giving to the world of the future to develop as we have.  There will be many chances for economic development in the future, but we have only one world, so it is our job to protect it for those who have yet to experience it.