The Threat of Global Warming

Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Factors Tangled in Driving Global Warming
3. Perils of Global Warming Issue
3.1. Climate Change
3.2. Food Problems
3.3. Global Insecurity
3.4. Economic Issues
3.5. Health Concerns
4. Climate Change Leading to International Politics
5. Solutions and Supplements to Global Warming
5.1. Geo-Engineering
5.2. Carbon Capture and Mining
5.3. Afforestation
5.4. Research
5.5. Increasing Energy Efficiency
5.6. Carbon Taxation
5.7. Introduction of International Forums
5.8. Reduction in Black Carbon
6. Conclusion

Well-known think-tanks expect an increase in the population of climate refugees to 250 million
by the next 30 years. Many of them believe that by 2025, two-thirds of the human population
might be living in water-stressed countries. On the other hand, storms and weather calamities
have become more frequent and severe. The entire above-mentioned permeate directly from
Global Warming. This issue poses a serious threat to the existence of humankind, but if reduced
and controlled, we can ensure a safer and better world than the one that is supposed to be
handed over to our future generations. Many theories have sought to be formulated, offering for
different ways and methodologies to reduce global warming. However, many out of them are
presently ambiguous and not tested on scale.
According to ‘The Economist’, the human population might rise to a whopping 9 billion in the
next 50 years. Overpopulation has ever since created problems for the sustainability of our
ecosystem. Global warming is unswervingly connected to the emissions of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases. These gases retain the solar heat in our atmosphere, therefore raising
the temperatures on the Earth’s surface. This concept is known to us as Global Warming. Addition
of these gases by the excessive use of fossil fuels has increased the carbon content in our
stratosphere. Industries and power plants have too prepended their share in the rise of global
warming. It is far more alarming that the disproportionate carbon content produced by the rich
annually to meet their commercial incentives has made the poor populace suffer immensely.
Take an example of Bangladesh, where a 1-meter rise in water table due to the melting of glaciers
may displace around 20 million of the indigenous populace.

Potential hazards are waiting around the corner for humankind. Many of them seem to be
inevitable if we continue to elevate carbon content in the air at current pace. Firstly, Climate
change is the biggest consequence this world will face. Extreme temperatures provoke severe
storms by creating a low-pressure area that cause weather-related calamities. Storms have
become frequent and severe than ever before. In America, there storming events have
quadrupled since 1970. Scorching temperatures have also instigated the melting of ice caps and
snow glaciers, consequently increasing the sea level. This will imperil the people living on
coastlines. Secondly, melting of ice caps may deplete the water resources. Droughts will deem
detrimental for the food crops, as a result, fostering food and resource scarcity. Once the
resources start to deplete, tension can escalate among nations. In the future, global trends in
international politics might depend upon resources that are closely related to weather
conditions. Many political scientists have forecasted water scarcity as a potential war trigger in
the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent region.

Global Warming issue may seem to play a vital role in weather and food-related calamities, but
depletion of crops and water resources might spark a race for tackling water and food scarcity.
Countries that depend on agriculture and harvesting will have to face a hard time. Economies
and GDP shall have a direct or indirect effect from climate change. America alone is expected to
have a 5% fall in GDP due to global warming in the next 10 years. The phenomenon of global
warming constitutes the entrapping of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Extreme
temperatures and toxic gases found in the atmosphere collectively harbor smog and difficult
breathing conditions. Smog, alone, has made millions suffer from asthma, lung and heart diseases
yearly. The tragedy is that global warming effects are irreversible and global rise in temperature
has the devastating aftermath. There is a need to supplement these natural disasters with an
intent to deliver a better future to our younger generations.
International forums over this issue have been quite active and that can be perceived by the Paris
Agreement held in 2015 in presence of the world leaders. Mr. Trump has however rejected the
American involvement in confronting global warming. America’s foreign office says that Mr.
Trump does not believe in the global warming issue. He claims this to be a hoax and an unreal
problem. The foreign office also states that Mr. Trump has termed this issue as mere expensive
form of tax and a money making industry. Donald Trump’s statement is a cover for those who
are not willing to acknowledge their responsibilities and close their eyes to a serious issue by
putting the world’s existence at stake. Whatever others may say, America’s supreme leader is
presently not interested in Paris Agreement despite America’s annoying meddling behavior
towards other world affairs claiming it to be the ‘World’s Police’. A majority of European
countries including Britain, Germany and France have shown keen interest in the fight against
global warming. World leaders need to understand that climate change can have disturbing
effects, not just on one country, but this is a global threat indeed. They need to stick their heads
together as to find a way to reduce carbon emissions and regulate carbon generation within their
regions.

We find this very satisfying that Allah has gifted man the ability to ‘survive’ or tend to survive
when confronted with a disaster or catastrophe. Man has lived ever since creation under
challenging conditions and has found ways for his existence. Today, humankind foresees a threat
to its existence in the form of ‘Global Warming’. To avoid a preliminary doomsday, man faces
challenges that question his God-gifted ability to survive under unfavorable conditions. But that
doesn’t mean that one should wait for a miracle to happen. As an old adage, “Man writes his own
destiny”. We are responsible for our own deeds but our future generations must not be held
liable for anyone else’s deeds. If we do nothing, we hand them down the ‘gift of ignorance’.

Global warming acts when greenhouse gases entrap the Sun’s heat within our atmosphere.
Scientists are looking into possible ways for reflecting sunlight before even entering the
atmosphere. There have been experiments conducted, with the introduction of materials into
the stratosphere to reflect away the Sun’s heat. This concept is known as Geo-engineering.
However, this addition of materials into the stratosphere, which do not exist there naturally, can
reveal some serious side effects. Moreover, we should understand that this is a supplement to
handle carbon emissions not a substitute for it. Only excessive experimentation and effective
research methodologies can help us improve this technology.

Some industrial facilities and power stations are now looking to capture the carbon dioxide
produced during their cyclic processes and store it underground. This phenomenon is called
carbon capture. This stored carbon dioxide can also be sold otherwise for fertilizer and other
heavy industries. Addition of renewable energy to the power grids and reduction in combustion
cycle power plants can also help in cutting carbon emissions. Now, the first question that comes
to our mind is that, who shall take the initiative? This procedure is expensive and not proven at
scale. It is said that when the need is great, the science is nascent and commercial incentives are
missing, the task falls to the government and private foundations. But, they are falling short. Aims
for afforestation and extraction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere requires funds. Recently,
Britain became the first country to donate a total of $11.3 million as cash to respective projects
this year, that is a footling to the $15 billion annually spent on all low-carbon technologies
research. This pot needs to increase. As far as the renewable energy projects are concerned,
around 5.5% of the world’s electricity is being produced from renewable sources. Countries need
to understand the need for an environmentally friendly power market. World leaders have
mutually agreed over a target to sustain global temperature by no more than 2oC than the pre-
industrial times. Though, the question is, can we achieve this goal by having almost 5.5%
renewable energy projects? Germany, on the other hand, has spent around $1 trillion on
renewable energy; still over half of their electricity comes from combusting fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, Germany aims to become 80% renewable by 2050. These are the role models that
other developed nations need to act upon. For nations that are not in a financial position to invest
in the renewable energy sector can work on the design of their buildings, infrastructure, and
machinery to increase the energy efficiency that can effectively cut down carbon emissions.
Despite the above-mentioned measures, we still need to find better ways to deal with this threat.
Working on more science would serve as a collective insurance policy against a grave threat.

Another way of controlling and regulating the carbon content produced, industries and
commercial sectors must be taxed. A certain rate must be charged for per/ton generation of
carbon dioxide. In Canada and other countries, this phenomenon is charged under the ‘Cap and
Trade Scheme’. An industrialist is granted a specific amount of credits, which they could use in
terms of carbon production. This way authorities can regulate carbon addition into the
atmosphere. It is said that the gainers appreciate less than what the losers envy. Taxing and
regulating the carbon production will call for enemies and even if the regulation takes place,
there is no guarantee that the carbon emissions will reduce to a safer extent. For the
governments, there is a certain pain for an uncertain gain.

Developing countries need to play a role against global warming as well. It is certain that at now,
they cannot afford the expensive low carbon technologies. However, introduction of efficient
and cheap stoves can help reduce the black carbon that is produced when wood or coal is directly
fueled for household purposes. A wise man can rightly argue that instead of airily working on
expensive low-carbon technologies, one can first focus on cutting down the production of black
carbon. This will largely reduce carbon content in the atmosphere.
The bottom line is that future of our younger generations and their forthcoming generations lie
at stake. We are held responsible to change the current global perspective and create widespread
awareness about this critical issue. This problem will not be solved magically. It is possible by the
acknowledgement of one’s accountabilities and encouraging involvement of countries at an
international forum. Unless policymakers take this issue seriously, the perils of global warming
will ring over us hollower than ever.