Friday, December 22, 2017

Who is to be blame, the human appetite or the global corporation for climate change?

Climate change is happening to the Earth
In fact, climate change is happening currently during our daily activity. When you travel with aircraft going abroad or domestic, we actually experience the climate change. We see the planet getting warmer and warmer, and we realize the ice sheets in the northern pole is melting. We also agreed that our utilization of fossil fuels increasing the temperature of the planet. But, still most of us do nothing!

Climate change was firstly experienced in around 70s and 80s and it has been one of the biggest threat ever since. And it will be predicted that if the earth’s temperature constantly rises the climate change will be experienced significantly by the future young generations. This issue currently become global problem which most of people must put their concern on it. As we know that the climate change could alter our planet significantly throughout its effects including flooding, drought, increasing of sea level, and many more.

Who are behind the happening of climate change?
Many environmentalists and scientists have shown us about the increasing level of global temperature and they also provide us with the natural evidence throughout the weather and environmental damage. Both of them agreed that the increasing level of the planet is caused by the presence of greenhouse gasses preventing the heat energy from the Sun. But scientifically speaking, one of the greenhouse gasses, which is the carbon dioxide, is needed for the plants to do photosynthesis. It means, to prevent the warming, we just need to replant the trees. But, that is not the problem!

Methane which is classified as greenhouse gasses has been elevating in the last decades. Statistically speaking, the methane gas has increased significantly from around 1,000 ppb in 1950 to almost 2,000 ppb in 2015 (part per billion). Unlike carbon dioxide, methane gas is very abundant but it is quite difficult to capture and store because its gaseous state in normal conditions either for temperature and pressure. So, why methane?

As previously mentioned early, this relative abundance gas in Earth is natural and lots of microorganisms and organisms have been producing it. Livestock is one of the biggest organisms in the planet that produce the methane gas in high numbers. Due to our demand in eating meat as the source of protein, livestock animals’ numbers are increasing implying to the higher level of methane. So, basically, it is merely on our appetite to consume lots, lots of meat.

But, methane as natural gas is also abundant in the planet, and this gas is utilized for electricity. Many nations throughout their petroleum companies and industries have been exploiting this gas for certain uses. Economically speaking, this gas is gold for certain nations. As a result, exploration and mining are occurred around the world causing the methane gas which is trapped inside the surface leaks to the atmosphere. This adds and makes the quantities of the methane in the atmosphere elevating. And, oil and gas companies around the world realize this issue.

It is still debatable!
Whether the global corporation in exploring the earth or the high rates of meat consumption affects the planet by increasing the temperature. But, the seven billion people in the world is in dilemma because we do not know either to choose short-term or long-term solution. Apparently, in stopping the global corporation will solve the problem in short-term as people will not use the gas in significant numbers. However, this solution will not be accepted easily by societies particularly who live in developed countries because most of them lies on the electricity.

Unlike developed countries, people in developing or underdeveloped countries will not easily give up their life only for saving the planet. Psychologically speaking, they think firstly for emerging their family from poverty not some sort of action particularly stopping eating meat which in the future affects the health of their family. So, generally, to solve the climate crisis is far more complicated than we think.

To be concluded, instead of arguing which one is the reason of causing the climate change, it is better for us as human being to be actively reduce the activity which can affect the environment such as planting the trees. And at the same time, the government addresses the climate crisis by providing renewable energy such as solar and wind energy.

Team APSCHOLARSHIPS: Master Students

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