Brief Guide to Climate Change – Foreign Policy Youth Collaborative

What is it?

As we brave through the ongoing pandemic, another threat which has lurked in the shadows for centuries shows its face: climate change. From the North Pole to the South Pole, our earth’s climate is becoming more hazardous and changing for the worse. Human activity has increased carbon emissions, leading to an exponential rise in temperatures, and the results are becoming more and more apparent in our daily lives. Ignorance is no longer an option because the longer that we wait for action, the more catastrophic effects that climate change will bring.

Climate change refers to both the shifts of climates of a location’s weather and the overall weather of our planet, whether that change is brought upon by rainfall or temperature fluctuations. Changes in climate are not restricted to the rise or fall in temperatures, but they can also take place in the form of extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising sea levels, and a variety of other negative impacts. The earth’s climate is invariably changing, but a dangerous pattern of rising temperatures has become apparent throughout the last century. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the world is about one degree Celsius warmer than before widespread industrialisation began. Signs of climate change date back to the 1900s, when ice ages and paleoclimate were first identified and the natural greenhouse effect – the natural process that heats the surface of the earth – was identified. From then on, the existence of climate change was denied. The term “global warming” would not appear in a peer-reviewed academic journal until 1975, and famous NASA scientist James Hansen would not testify to the claim that climate change was real until twenty years later. Denial of the possibility of climate change brought us to where we are today, a century later with the threat of climate change still looming over us.

In late September of 2020, the iconic Metronome digital clock, a distinguished Manhattan building in New York’s Union Square, was transformed into an installation of the ‘Climate Clock’, joining another previous display in Berlin (2019) and an upcoming display in Paris (2021). The clock itself displays two numbers: one in red shows a countdown until the deadline for taking action to keep warming under the 1.5 Celsius mark, and the other in green which tracks the amount of energy the world uses that comes from renewable sources. Ever so often, the clock flashed the unsettling message “Earth has a deadline”, but there is no lie to the truth they speak. Climate change is an immediate danger to the earth, and the faster we come to realize this, the better chances we have of recovery and restoration.

The global effect

Climate change has the potential to be disastrous to the international community, with the inhabitants of both developing and developed nations at risk. Global effects have already been seen, with warming oceans, rapidly rising sea levels, and melting ice. It is necessary that all countries recognize climate change as a severe threat to the current state of humanity, as many of the outcomes are highly dependent on how well countries implement sustainability into their citizens’ lifestyles.

However, numerous scientists are well aware of what the future may look like due to this critical issue. Rising temperatures are inevitable and will lead to drastic global impacts on agriculture and food security. Although the growing season may lengthen, changes in weather patterns will result in either excesses of precipitation or heavy droughts and heat waves depending on the region. The absence of water in areas that are already suffering from drought, such as that of Australia, will lead to reduced crop and livestock yields due to no plausible ways for irrigation. While it is commonly believed that increases in precipitation due to climate change will allow for greater access to water, this is far from true. In fact, this will only end in severe floods as it is unlikely many areas have natural containers to hold such high quantities of water for an extended time. Bangladesh and other countries with numerous coastal populations that are reliant on sealife as a food source will suffer greatly due to rising sea levels and ocean warming. Multiple species have already migrated, and more are predicted to.

The onset of droughts will have severe effects on health not only within their population, but globally. Several infectious diseases such as meningitis have been found primarily in dry regions such as Sub Saharan and West Africa; with areas across the world becoming more arid, it is highly likely that these diseases will become more common. On the other hand, in places suffering from floods and excessive rainfall, the presence of mosquitoes will increase greatly, as will malaria and dengue. Access to water and food may be obstructed due to heavy flooding and natural disasters. California’s recent wildfires were an example of the way in which climate change has and will lead to disaster. NBC reported that around 30 have lost their lives since only August 2020; without strict measures taken, events like these will continue to take place in many other parts of the world as well.

Even low inhabited areas such as the Arctic have gained the potential to cause multiple global effects due to climate change. Frozen microbes have been detected in the permafrost, a layer of ice which simply preserves the organisms found within. The melting of the permafrost could result in the transmission of viruses and bacteria diseases. Although some scientists are divided on whether this constitutes a significant threat, most utilize the 2016 events regarding the anthrax disease as support in declaring it as one. Scientists have theorized that the reason behind the spread was the corpse of an infected reindeer, frozen in the permafrost. After being thawed in a heatwave that year, the disease would have transported itself throughout various water bodies and soil in the area. Ultimately, other reindeers likely passed it onto the local populations, leading to the hospitalization of many and death of one. NASA has stated that the Arctic may be fully melted before the mid-century; while the occurrences within this faraway region are often ignored by the general population, the ability of the Arctic to have such disastrous impacts on global health cannot be overlooked. Nations who have done so must recognize that their citizens are at high risk. As well as disease outbreaks, climate change in the Arctic will trigger multiple conflicts. Since it is used so frequently for shipping across waters by multiple nations, the melting ice will allow increased access to the region and method of transportation, creating tension between countries who utilize it over rightful sovereignty.

Logistically, issues regarding national security are bound to arise due to climate change. Lack of resources will lead to numerous conflicts and humanitarian crises, forcing populations into neighbouring countries to seek refuge. Rising sea levels will threaten thousands of citizens in countries most at risk, including the Netherlands and Guyana. Those who are able to will most likely relocate to safer locations; those who cannot will be forced to suffer. Conflict will happen both domestically and international, as both individuals and nations will fight over diminished resources.

Seeing the drastic effects that are in store for the future and have begun to take place in the present, it is of utmost importance that countries engage in collaborative efforts to combat climate change. There is no time left to spare in stopping a world such as this from becoming our reality.

The domestic effect

While the repercussions of contributors to climate change are globally pervasive, we cannot forget their disproportionate applicability to the less fortunate, particularly communities of color.

In the United States, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to live near facilities which produce potentially life-threatening toxins. In fact, 68 percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, compared to 56 percent of white people. As a result, they breathe in 40 percent more polluted air than white communities, according to a study conducted by the NAACP.

They are also more likely to live in areas highly susceptible to floods, which are going to increase in severity as climate change continues to hasten. For example, the 2005 floods caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans devastated areas which were overwhelmingly non-white. Though African Americans and other minorities accounted for just 45 percent of the metropolitan population, they made up 58 percent of those whose neighborhoods were flooded. Of the people who had lived in the city’s flooded areas, 80 percent were non-white.

Latinos, along with low-income African Americans, are also being hit the hardest by heat waves and droughts, which get worse with each passing year. Most jobs in sectors that will be first and most severely harmed by these effects of climate change, such as agriculture and tourism, are overwhelmingly occupied by minorities.

For example in California, Latinos comprise 77 percent of California’s agricultural workforce. As climate change reduces the amount of water available to farmers, adjustments must be made accordingly. This results in a reduction in demand for labor. So in the event of an economic downturn caused by climate change, the majority of this job displacement falls first and foremost upon the shoulders of Latino farm laborers.

Additionally, many Native American lands contain large coal reserves, whose toxic effects on plant and animal habitats disrupt long-held lifestyles. And rising global temperatures have also played a role in wreaking havoc on the ecosystems Native communities have relied on for years. As permafrost thaws and sea levels rise, traditional fishing methods are no longer applicable, leading to rampant food insecurity.

The disruption of these traditions now provides a dangerous precedent for Native populations’ self-sustainability in the future. Many of these communities rely on traditional knowledge passed down from generation to generation to know when to plant crops, where to fish, what plants to use for which purpose, etc. But the rapidly shifting global climate means that much of the knowledge these people have come to depend upon through years and years of cultivation will suffer in terms of validity.

Importantly, low-income minorities already spend a greater portion of their income on basic necessities like food, water, and power than anyone else. The poorest households spend more than twice as much on electricity and food as a proportion of their income than the richest ones. As climate change worsens, the prices of these essentials increase, hitting these communities the hardest.

These factors, when combined with the unfortunate reality that health insurance and medical treatment remain inaccessible to most people in these communities, mean that the already intensely negative impacts of climate change are only amplified in severity for many people of color who are already struggling to make ends meet. Policymakers need to call special attention to these circumstances and address them accordingly to ensure that climate change policy is effective for everyone in an equitable manner.

How governments can help

So what steps should the governments take to combat climate change? Well, the renewable energy industry is growing at a rapid pace around the world, governments need to jump on this opportunity in order to ensure its stability and a green future for our planet. The first thing that they can do is directly invest into the industry, currently wind and solar energies have become able to sustain themselves without the need for government subsidies due to the maturity of the industry and new breakthrough technologies. This allows governments a unique spot to help the growth in other ways, they can do this through funding research and infrastructure. In 2019 the US spent 20 billion on fossil fuel subsidies and only 7 billion on the renewable energy industry, however if we were able to move this money from fossil fuels to green energies we would be able to see massive differences.

Many studies have shown that removing subsidies on oil or natural gas will have minimal effects on pollution, this is true, but that is because removing subsidies for oil will lead more people to use coal and because it’s cheaper to reduce energy use than to substitute for other fuels. However if governments like the US would give the money spent on fossil fuels to renewable energies we would be able to eliminate this possible issue because governments would be further encouraging emerging green energies and with those new green energies people wouldn’t need to switch over to coal. We cannot stop at simply cutting oil, gas, or coal subsidies because if we want to make a difference we need to support renewables in order to ensure proper conversion to green energy.

Governments need to be creating effective policies that curbs climate change, the majority of us think about the Green New Deal or the Paris Climate Accords when thinking about climate change policy, but there are other paths to take that may not always make the front page. Places like Hawaii have taken the steps to ban certain sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate as they are known to hurt marine life. Smaller pieces of policy like this are just as important in protecting our climate. Governments need to pass policies that stop people from using harmful everyday chemicals that we know hurt our environments. Doing this will push people and businesses to move to greener alternatives, because of its ban in Florida and Hawaii CVS is phasing out sunscreens with these 2 chemicals. Most of the key environmental laws that are used today are from before 2000, the most well known environmental acts in the US are the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Safe drinking Water Act which were all passed in the 1970s; in fact the latest piece of key environmental law that is followed today is from 1986. These policies are still instrumental and important however they are creating a safety net that legislators can use to justify not passing new legislation that is more relevant to today’s issues. Governments must continue to pass policies that tackle newer issues rather than continuously relying on older legislation alone.

Countries need to work together in order to hold others responsible and maintain cross-border cooperation. If the world as a whole wants to combat climate change governments need to be transparents with each other on climate issues to ensure proper resolvements. Diplomacy plays an equal part in turning our planet green as policy itself, moving forward sharing information regarding the environment needs to be the standard. If governments set out to combat this issue on their own it will never be solved, rather we need international cooperation and accountability on each country to make guarantee that the globe is moving forward in a way that will make change.

How the individual can help

An issue like climate change appears to be so complex and hard-to-grasp that one would struggle to make any direct impact on the Earth’s climate. You may feel so small and insignificant in comparison to a crisis as large and threatening as climate change; however, there are many simple tasks that one can accomplish to make a dent in the issue at hand. Healing the planet can start with you!

The first way for an individual to make an impact on climate change is to simply speak up about how urgent this issue is. It’s so easy to just talk to your friends and family about the things you’re passionate about. Voice your concerns on social media or directly to those around you to educate anyone who is willing to listen on the dire condition our planet is in. Consider signing petitions and even reaching out to your local authority to see real change. It’s also extremely useful to be more eco-conscious in your lifestyle choices. You could start by considering powering your home with renewable energy, investing in energy-efficient appliances, and driving a fuel-efficient vehicle.

These options may not be economically feasible for everyone in the world, but there are also some ways to save the Earth while also saving your own money! Saving water reduces carbon pollution, as it takes a substantial amount of energy to pump, treat, and heat your water. You can save water by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when not actively using it, and switching to water-efficient fixtures in your home. Another option that would save money is actually eat all of the food you buy, so that you’re buying less of it and letting less go to waste. Roughly 10% of energy use in the United States goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food. Ultimately, approximately 40% of this food ends up headed to the landfill. More specifically, buying less meat will also be eco-friendly; you could even consider going completely vegetarian or vegan. Even if the lifestyle change is only temporary, it’s making a difference. The production of livestock products is one of the most energy-consuming industries. One might even consider growing their own food. If that isn’t something that you’re interested in, look into buying organic and local food whenever possible. It is also recommended that you buy LED light bulbs rather than conventional incandescents. LED light bulbs are better for the planet, as well as cheaper in the long run. Of course, remember to turn off lights when you’re not using them and unplug things from outlets when you don’t need them. Making little changes like these may feel dramatic, but will result in aiding in saving the planet and saving you money!

It’s so important to use your voice nowadays. It is crucial that you’re voting with the planet in mind and speaking up about issues as large and threatening as climate change. If we want to see any dent in climate change, we need to work together; it can’t be defeated alone. Consider making some little life changes and being more conscious of the planet that you live on and how your decisions may affect it. Remember that you’re not alone, and that even you, yes you, can make a difference.

Sources

What is it?

What is climate change? A really simple guide

Global warming and climate change effects: information and facts

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2020/09/25/new-york-citys-latest-attraction-a-climate-clock-that-counts-down-to-doomsday/?sh=22ef1512b1be

The global effect

Climate Change | United Nations

https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/#:~:text=The%20potential%20future%20effects%20of,and%20intensity%20of%20tropical%20storms

International Climate Impacts | Climate Change Impacts

The permafrost pandemic: could the melting Arctic release a deadly disease? – Unearthed

Deadly fires in California have claimed at least 30 lives this year

There are diseases hidden in ice, and they are waking up