Climate Change Is the Greatest Issue of Our Time Discussion

I need half page reply post for these 4 original posts. The topic was (You must respond to discussion statement 1 plus either 2 or 3 below. You can take any of the following positions: “agree,” “disagree,” “strongly agree,” or “strongly disagree” and then provide reasoning why you have this opinion.)

All must respond to:

1) Climate change is the greatest issue of our time.

Choose one of the following:

2) Nations contributing the most greenhouse gas pollutants must pay reparations to nations where human impacts are most felt.

3) U.S. immigration laws must be amended to allow for climate refugees.

I need reply for the posts below:

1st post:

1)I strongly agree that climate change is the greatest issue of our time.

According to the text, scientists say that the amount of C02 in the atmosphere has increased by 40% from pre-industrial levels due to human activities (pg. 525). This is really scary to think about because that was not too long ago. Given that we are living in a time when new technology and other consumer goods are being produced rapidly, and globalization is heavily contributing to the increasing air pollution (and lack of regulations continues to be a HUGE problem in developing countries), it is only normal to think about what could possibly happen 100 or 200 years down the line. It is especially becoming a problem because countries like the U.S. are extremely divided on the subject of climate change and global warming. On one side, you have less than 50% of Republicans agreeing that climate change is happening, and on the other you have nearly 90% of Democrats saying that it is. Our country is extremely divided, and due to all political differences they have, they cannot see eye-to-eye on such a pressing matter.

To an extent, I understand that a good deal of climate change is caused by natural procedures (because I do not believe the Earth is a planet that will be around forever, like anything else). In one way or another, this is the path that the Earth was taking even prior to humans contributing to climate change. However, I would say we are definitely “aiding” in contributing to climate change, and doing a detrimental job of it.

2)

I strongly agree that nations that contribute the most to greenhouse gas pollutants must pay reparations because they need to take responsibility for their actions. One big motivational factor for any person, any company, and any country, is to save money. If a country is required to pay for its repercussions of the pollutants they are emitting into the air, they will, in essence, be encouraged to switch to more clean energy sources in order to spend less money, if not for environmental reasons, then for economic reasons. This could, essentially, improve their economy in the long run, while aiding in reducing the level of pollutants they are emitting.

2nd post:

1) Climate change I believe is the greatest issue we face today. Earth is warming at an increasing rate which has adverse effects on weather from droughts, wildfires, heat waves to the melting of polar ice caps. Extreme weather can cause massive harm to the livelihood of future generations as stated in the article if temperatures were to rise 1-2 degrees Celsius by 2050 we would have double the amount of forest fires in the Amazon rainforest as well as deplete the coral reefs which provide 50- 85% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. If we fail to take action now it will be substantially harder in the future.

2) I disagree that nations which contribute the most greenhouse gases should be held accountable and pay reparations to those most effected. Reason being is that such an agreement would unfairly harm developing nations which do not have the means to invest in renewable energy which are less efficient at the moment. Furthermore, it does not seem like a realistic approach as there is skepticism of human contribution to climate change within the U.S., so I would imagine other nations hold the same sentiments

3rd post:

1)I agree with the idea that climate change is the greatest threat right now that we are facing. Based on the text, the carbon dioxide a “greenhouse gas” that has been trapping the heat for a long time. That is why we notice that flooding happens here and there. We all have heard on the news about Florida sea rise; Hurricane Katerina happened, and we noticed the level of damages that it caused in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. There are many polluters in the world; the countries are not taking adequate actions to slow the emission of carbon dioxide. According to Jerry Melillo, the scientist whose point of view is mentioned in the text, “The clock is ticking,” we are running out of time to face the environmentally caused disaster on the planet. Therefore, we can call the environmental change as “greatest issue of our time,”. The wars and conflicts have a lesser effect when they are compared to the environmental change. It is because the environmental change is a global issue that it can threaten continents and the whole world whereas most of the conflicts of our times are mostly at the regional or country level. Thus, environmental change needs further effort for slowing the emission of carbon dioxide around the world. As Dana Nuccitelli puts it, “We cause global warming by increasing the greenhouse effect, and our greenhouse gas emissions just keep accelerating,”. Right now, we are not making progress in slowing the environmental change, but we rather increase the level of carbon emission.

2)The global congregations and conference on tackling environmental have been mostly unsuccessful. One example is the Paris agreement that it was mostly ended up unsuccessful because it could not introduce any rules and regulations of enforcement of their agreements. There was no punishment for the polluters at the end of the conference. Making matter worse, Trump administration totally walked back from a nominal agreement that the United States was one of the main signatories.

Based on the text of this chapter regarding the environmental change from the statements of Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the International Energy Agency, “Warming could be limited to the level if governments make polluters pay for their carbon emission,” this can be a good start if the governments are made to slow the carbon emission and put limitations on it. Hoeven further states, “eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels and increase in energy efficiency and renewable energy”. Such a step can be a welcoming stance in on fossil fuel production and instead of furthering and supporting green technology by investment on renewable energy and helping the idea of electric cars can contribute greatly in slowing the carbon emission. All of these were at the country level from the governments on companies and businesses whiten the countries for slowing the emission process. But who is going to act when the violators are the countries. Currently, two big violators, as stated in the text, are China and the United States. China’s emission is 9 billion metric tons of carbon. I agree that such polluters need to pay fine and reparations for the countries that are being affected by the pollutions that countries like China make.

A proper mechanism should be introduced in the global level and there should be monitoring committees that their specific job should be to oversee the violators of the agreement for combating of environmental change and those who emit more. Then the reparations can be paid for those communities and countries that are going to be affected by the pollutions. One example can be the coastal communities around the world who witness sea level rising and flooding in their areas; the money that is being paid for violating countries can be allocated in flood protections and measures against the environmental change.

4th post:

1)Climate change is the greatest issue of our time.

I strongly agree with the statement. climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.Natural disasters, extreme weather patterns disrupt harvests are caused at 90% because of climate change, it is the earth reactions. Some effects come on suddenly, as when a typhoon of unprecedented force destroys entire communities. Others unfold over time. In many places, temperature changes and sea-level rise are already putting ecosystems under stress and affecting human well-being.

3)U.S. immigration laws must be amended to allow for climate refugees.

Those people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of marked environmental disruption (natural and/or triggered by people) that jeopardized their existence and/or seriously affected the quality of their life’. Seeing this statement from en external US citizen I would say that the law should be amended because their case is a life matter. I have a friend who lived in New York and had to leave because of an earthquake. She lost her house and had nothing left, she needed a new “life”.

But on the other hand, it causes over population in some areas, not enough buildings and structure for every one. It can make increase the prices of houses, making inequalities with who can afford it and who cannot.