Political Economy of Global Environmental Problems:
With the increasing globalization measures, there are various environmental problems that have continued to affect the entire world. These global environmental problems have affected almost every society in the world because of their impact on the earth's natural processes. Some of these environmental problems include climate change, acid rain, water pollution, depletion of the Ozone layer, destruction of rain forest, overpopulation, and sustainable development. One of the most common features in all the global environmental problems is the fact that each has causes, various impacts, and a solution.
Climate Change:
This is one of the major and widely known environmental problems that are largely caused by human activities that emit greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. Based on recent analysis by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it's estimated that the average surface temperature has increased by 0.6 degrees Celsius. The increase in the global average surface temperature has already shown adverse impacts during the 20th Century. Some of its major consequences include the increase in the global average sea level and the frequent and intensified droughts in various parts in Asia and Africa. Furthermore, in many mid and high latitudes of continents in the Northern Hemisphere, the precipitation level has continued to increase by approximately 1% every decade ("Global Environmental Problems," n.d.).
Global climate change has been enhanced by the increased emissions of various greenhouses gases, particularly carbon dioxide. The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere happens when various products are burned including wood, wood products, fossil fuels, and solid waste. The other greenhouse gas contributing to climate change is methane which is emitted through the manufacture and transportation of oil, coal, and natural gas. This substance is also emitted when there is decomposition of organic wastes in solid waste landfills and livestock raising. The third major greenhouse gas resulting in global warming is nitrous oxide that is emitted through combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste and industrial and agricultural activities.
The significant effects of human health brought by climate change are widely recognized because these changes disrupt weather patterns and disturb the natural processes and systems that support life. However, the impacts of climate change will significantly affect people groups that are least able to adapt i.e. vulnerable sections in the society like children and the poor. Some of the various measures that have been taken to combat the effects and reduce global climate change include the establishment of the Climate convention and the Kyoto protocol.
Kyoto Protocol:
The Kyoto Protocol is a global agreement associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The main objective of the protocol is to unite countries in order to lessen global warming and deal with the impacts of the unavoidable increase in temperature in the pre-industrialization period. As compared to provisions in the UNFCCC which urged industrialized countries to stabilize the emission of greenhouse gases, the protocol commits these countries to do so because it's legally binding ("Kyoto Protocol, n.d.).
In order to ensure that these countries are held accountable for the amount of greenhouse gases there emit to the atmosphere, the protocol contains various mechanisms. These mechanisms are geared towards encouraging green investment and assisting ratified countries to meet their emission goals in a cost-effective means. These mechanisms include registry systems, compliance systems, recording of transactions, adaptation, and reporting. Moreover, the protocol establishes specific emission lessening targets for every industrialized nation excluding developing countries. Some of the strategies that these countries are encouraged to implement include establishing restrictions on their biggest polluters, management of transportation systems, and effective use of...
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