Climate change can be defined as the analysis of weather trends in various areas of the world. Pollution in the form of harmful gases has entered our atmosphere at a rapid rate, contributing to drastic changes in weather. Historically, a significant shift in the world's temperature would take over a century. However, based on recent reports in the past few decades (and even century), our weather has been changing drastically in a matter of minutes. In order to propose solutions to the issue at hand, we looked into the main causes of these significant changes in weather and the impacts being felt by humanity.
Although there are various factors involving the causes of climate change, deforestation and greenhouse gases are the most known players. During the emergence of the Industrial Revolution, human activity due to mass production contributed an enormous amount of greenhouse gases and at a rate never before seen. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere allow for greater heat retention, which directly causes surface temperatures to rise at an equally rapid rate. Additionally, deforestation has changed the way land is utilized, often completely altering its habitat.
In order to fully understand the scope of climate change, it is crucial to analyze the second and third order effects, as well. We noticed that the more rapid the rate at which the change is occurring, the more rapid the response is from other factors shifting in order to account for the change. Creating a STEEP analysis will allow us to not only find the impacts in environmental changes, but also potential solutions.
Social: How is climate change affecting emotions? Whose emotions are being affected disproportionately?
Technology: Is climate change forcing technological advancements? Is an increase in technology good or bad for our climate?
Environmental: What changes is our planet experiencing? Due to these changes, what will our world look like in the next 10, 15 or 50 years?
Economic: How is climate change going to affect different industries and jobs? Which areas of the world are experiencing economic turmoil accelerated by climate change?
Political: What role does politics play in climate change? How are geopolitics shaped by countries having to deal with the negative consequences of climate change?
Changes in our atmosphere and the physical world we live in for the worse causes many people to experience negative thoughts. These emotions are being felt across many groups of people, more severely with younger people. Not only are people emotionally affected after experiencing the horrors of climate change first hand, many of us learn of our peers being affected from afar and struggle with the idea that it may be humanity's fault. A common theme has arisen when talking about climate change and that is that it is too late and too big of a problem to tackle, so we choose to just ignore it until we are legitimately forced to deal with it. This way of thinking is extremely detrimental and will prove to be so if we are unable to cooperate and assemble at the level necessary because we all need a safe and healthy environment to be able to produce in, regardless of our opinions or beliefs.
Unfortunately, when there is a problem, our solution thus far has been to just throw money at it. In the case of climate change, trillions of dollars have been put into funding to solve the issue. People are calling for a fourth industrial revolution because robots could quite possibly be humans saving grace for global warming. As discussed by other groups, robots and the emergence of AI are becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives. Examples of such include the nurse robot or Sophia as seen on TV with Jimmy Fallon (to the left) . But what relation do robots have with climate change? More broadly, what relationship are robots going to have in the workforce and how will society position itself to work with robots in the most efficient way possible? These are questions which must be answered, and must be done by taking into consideration all second and third order effects.
Automation in the United States continues to advance with each passing day, and such advancements both hinder and advance the rate of climate change. We hold a heavy reliance on technological advancements not only as a means to make life easier for ourselves, but also to put us ahead of the race to be the most developed nation. Right now, we are shifting into an all-electric economy, and the demand has skyrocketed for more of these changes. While some advancements aid in slowing down climate change—such as patrol bots in Singapore, farming robots, and robots that measure the ocean’s temperatures and water levels, and many more—on the production side however, many problems are being ignored. Governments juggle between convenience and spending, and whichever quickly produces these electric cars and robots to satisfy the demand is what the government will toss their funds towards, regardless of whether it is a clean and sustainable way of producing such technology. There is a plethora of options for renewable energy to be used in creating this technology, but when money becomes the deciding factor, the government is likely to turn away to something more “affordable.” Meeting demand is of the utmost importance, but can we uphold the demand as we continually deteriorate the health of the world?
Coal is the leading form of energy used when creating new forms of technology, and it is causing an incredibly large amount of carbon dioxide to emit into the air. We run a risk of continuous advancements that would only bring changes in the short-term, but harshly degrade the benefits we reap in the long-run. Factories have yet to shift from this mode of production—all the while “cleaner” forms of energy could rather easily replace the use of coal. Nuclear energy is a great example of this; it is the cleanest form of energy, but what comes with it is the fear of exposure to the nuclear waste. Wind power, even, is a cleaner form of production—but much more energy and effort is needed when shifting to this mode. The bottom line to the advancements in technology is whether we want to make life more convenient or allocate more funds into ensuring that our lifetime could continue past a measly 7.75 years.
We only have a short time until the earth reaches a temperature that would prove to be catastrophic to millions of people and would cause permanent damages and changes to the natural world. This number of 1.5 degrees Celsius was internationally agreed upon in 2015, but it has largely been ignored by world leaders since then. If the Earth reaches this level of warming, millions of people will be exposed to climate-related risks and millions of people will be forced into extreme poverty. Risks to human health, livelihoods, food security, human security, water supply and economic growth will all increase. People will experience extreme heatwaves and droughts. Water stress will increase and availability of food will decrease, causing unnecessary pain and suffering. However, humans are not the only ones affected. There will be loss of many species and extinction, including aquatic life, as the oceans become increasingly toxic.
Aside from technology, countries need to begin to put money where their mouth is. It has become a habit to speak but not act on the issue. Despite the past six years of ignoring their prior agreement, world leaders came together in 2021 to the United Nations Climate Change Conference and pledged to save the earth. This conference’s main goal was to create solutions to combat climate change, and multiple agreements were reached. 100 countries agreed to end deforestation by 2030, pledging billions of dollars toward the cause. Methane emissions are to be cut by 30% by the end of the decade, with 41 million tons of methane gas eliminated between 2023 and 2035. There was even a partnership reached between the U.S. and the UAE to catalyze public and private investment in climate-supported agriculture and food system innovation. These agreements and partnerships must be followed thru upon and world leaders must take responsibility in order to save our earth. We no longer have the time to sit on our hands and wait for other countries to save us. Everyone must do their part and stop seeking to gain an edge in negotiations.
Unfortunately, pledges and action are starkly different. "Dishonored pledges are a recipe for disaster," says President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge that one exists. As most of the world's leaders gather in Scotland for the upcoming weeks, the focus remains as to who will pay and how much--pretty standard considering your average negotiations. However, these negotiations must be treated as anything but standard, as the well being of humanity and the earth we inhabit is in extreme danger. Trust between the negotiators is essential in order to reach a deal which is equally beneficial for both parties, however, the trust between the nations most responsible for accelerating climate change and less-developed nations is on thin ice. Twelve years ago, in 2009, the developed countries most responsible for climate change pledged $100 billion per year by 2020. As you could imagine, the commitment has not come to fruition. Leaders such as President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera of Malawi said, "The money pledged is not a donation, but a cleaning fee."
July’s global climate report illustrated that July 2021 has been the hottest month ever recorded, “In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. Globally we have heard promises from our politicians, we have heard promises from society after society but there is no stopping climate change. In today’s world, the majority of people look up to authoritative figures, celebrities, and basically anyone else frequently in the media. How can we make progress when people are looking up those who have this to say about climate change: “We don’t really worry about climate change because it’s too overwhelming and we’re already in too deep. It’s like if you owe your bookie $1,000, you’re like, ‘OK, I’ve got to pay this dude back.’ But if you owe your bookie $1 million dollars, you’re like, ‘I guess I’m just going to die.’” (Comedian Colin Jost)
Many others, like Colin Jost, are convinced that climate change isn’t as big of an issue. Forget the global opinion, the United States is just as divided on the issue. Countries forget that in the present day, due to the rapid rise in temperature, ice caps are melting and sea levels are rising. If we look at the impacts within the next century, or even if a few years, heavily populated states and cities like Miami, Atlantic City, New York City, and many others will most likely be underwater by 2050, if not sooner. These cities are hubs for jobs and huge populations of people. This could cause a huge infliction of movers into the Midwest and unemployment could be at an all time high. Take a step back and consider all the Small Island Developing States (Maldives, Kiribati, Vanuatu, etc) who will also be underwater within the next few decades as well. It should be no surprise that due to climate change, there has been an increase in natural disasters.
The economic impacts of climate change are profound, and the more we wait to enact change, the more costs increase exponentially. As a base number, the Swiss Re Institute estimates that by 2050, the world’s GDP will decrease by 18%, which equals $23 trillion. This number is divided up into different sectors of the economy, with agriculture, infrastructure, human health, tourism, businesses, and poor communities taking the majority of the damages. Agriculture is the most impacted sector, as rising temperatures and rising water levels have been decimating crops. For each degree Celsius temperatures increase, there will be a 5 to 15 percent decrease in crop production. Infrastructure, for the same reason as agriculture, is also taking a beating. $5 trillion will need to be spent within the next few years to repair infrastructure, and that number will increase the more we ignore the climate. Tourism is another sector impacted. Increasing temperatures affect both summer and winter vacation sports in different ways. Summer sports are affected because as temperatures increase, waters become toxic. The heat allows for toxic algae to grow in the waters which makes nearly all coastal areas unsafe. As for the winter, snow and ice will not have cold enough temperatures to form, leaving 30% of all tourism revenue off the board. Businesses are unable to escape from the financial responsibilities of climate change, as the 215 biggest global companies stand to lose over $1 trillion within the next 10 years. This number is probably a lowball, as many companies decided not to report their potential losses. Human health is the final, and most important sector to be impacted. By 2030, it is estimated that 130 million people will be in extreme poverty due to climate change. To go further, 150,000 people die per year due to climate-related reasons, and by 2090, 10 thousand Americans will die due to new or past diseases resurfacing from the melting of glaciers. The losses from climate-related deaths is projected to be higher than $140 billion dollars by 2090.
As we can see, climate change will affect everyone on the planet. However, it is important to start to take action on a state and country level before moving towards a more global level. As shown in the past few years, the United States is more divided than ever. Unfortunately, climate change is another political issue the country is divided on. While creating a Binary Scenario chart, it is clear that the United States is Democrats vs. Republicans. Both parties have always made it a mission to push the other party to be unsuccessful in their endeavors, even if it is to benefit the greater good.
Generally speaking, many Republicans believe that climate change is a hoax or not to be a massive issue, while Democrats exaggerate the issue of climate change to gain political power. Recently, the Green New Deal, proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the Democratic party, was deemed unconstitutional by a majority conservative Supreme Court. The Green New Deal intended to create a clean United States by 2030, by bringing down greenhouse gas emissions to a net-zero. It also intended to create 20 million new jobs and help revive the economy. Although the cost of the Green New Deal was extraordinary, it was shocking to see the Senate voted 57-0 against the bill and 43 out of 47 Democrats voted "present" in order to not take a formal position.
Based on these results, it is clear that the parties use certain issues as a slogan for votes, but when the time comes for action, they often push these issues to the side. It is unfortunate, because bipartisan solutions could drastically change the course of climate change in a positive way. One of the most recent bipartisan bills passed was called the Growing Climate Solutions Act which encourages farmers to stay sustainable, reduce greenhouse gases, and increase reforestation through incentives. If farmers do so, it would decrease up to 37% of emissions, which could benefit many different bird species. Although this is just one example, if we are to see more bipartisan bills being passed, we could decrease emissions and decrease the impacts the United States has had on increasing climate change because everyone has to face the consequences of climate change. Being the second largest country to pollute the air, we must lead and take action now to slow down climate change because it is crucial in order for us to thrive as a species.
Overall, how we as a society approach solving climate issues must change and accountability must be upheld. In order to maximize efficiency, we must work together to tackle this issue rather than attempting to bargain in order to gain an edge in negotiations. Climate change is so ingrained in our daily lives that it's often overlooked, however, the warning signs are now abundantly clear for those who seek to acknowledge them.
To Be Discussed:
Jobs To Be Done
Secure stable funding. The money which was supposed to arrive to developing nations in 2020 is set to arrive in 2023 now. Who's to say that won't be pushed back to 2025? We must find a solution which incentivizes profit maximizing firms and public entities to contribute adequately according to the damages they are responsible for.
Open the eyes of all. Many of us are aware of climate change not because of an event or incident that has occurred in our own lives, but rather because we have learned of one from a far. Thus, this has created a false narrative of every man for themselves, and that one man's struggles has no effect on me. We must make it abundantly clear that climate change requires the same if not more attention than many of the issues we face. For example, the pandemic has highlighted our failure to prioritize the immediacy of climate change, as the world mobilized over $14.6 trillion to fight the spread, which towers over the measly $100 billion promised to developing nations. The difference is we are starting to flirt with the possibility of irreversibility, a daunting reality none of us wish to face.
Methane. CO2 emissions, rising sea levels, and rising atmospheric temperatures are frequently discussed in relation to climate change, however, COP26 has highlighted more areas for improvement. President Biden pledged a pact to cut methane emissions by 30% by the end of the decade. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon and doesn’t last as long in the atmosphere before it breaks down, making it a critical target for combating climate change quickly while simultaneously minimizing other greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN's Global Methane Assessment, the world could cut methane emissions by 45% this decade. This would avoid nearly 0.3 degrees Celsius of warming by 2045 and help limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal of the Paris climate accord.
