Politicization of Climate Change and Polarization - Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Politicization of Climate Change and Polarization. Answer: Introduction: Global warming is the change in the earths climate over a period of time. It is characterized by an increase in temperatures. This has mainly been contributed by the human activities all over the world. These activities mostly involve the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide as well as methane. For example, in the recent studies, it has been predicted that the temperatures on the surface may rise from 0.3? to 1.7? in the lowest place scenarios and 2.6? to 4.8? in the highest scenarios ( McCright et al,155). Several human activities that have led to this periodical change in climate and the effect to polar bears are discussed below. The industrial revolution has been using power machines powered by fossil fuels management. This means that everything we use has used fossil fuel at some point. For instance, when we buy a car, the process of coming up with the car involves machines that use fossil fuels resulting to the production of carbon dioxide and monoxide released into the atmosphere (Cox,184). The cars themselves also release carbon into the air from their exhausts (Crowley,270). In agriculture and from animals, there is the emission of methane. It is ranked second worst after carbon dioxide. Bacteria break down organic matter in less oxygen dominated areas to produce methane. Sometimes, this occurs in the bodies of herbivores, yet the population of this animals is the high hence increased amount of the said gas in the atmosphere. Methane clathrate found in the ice`s crystal structure is also another source of methane. When methane escapes the seabed of the Arctic, it greatly contributes to the increase in global warming. Transportation is also a human activity. The increase in human population has led to increasing in demand for many more cars and products consumption. This leads to using more fuel for transportation and manufacturing. This fuel is then emitted to the atmosphere in form of greenhouse gases which have an adverse effect on the climate. Mining also contributes to climate change. Mining is the extraction of minerals from underground. During this process, methane is trapped underneath. Rearing of cattle also leads to trapping of the methane below the earth as it is also released from the manure. This gas leads to the destroying of the ozone layer hence increased temperatures leading to change of climate. The burning of fossil fuels is an activity that lets carbon out into the atmosphere. The carbon is also from industrial activities that include manufacturing of cement and flaring of the natural gas. These fossil fuels are important to the human because they provide energy used for transportation, cooling of buildings, production of electricity, heating and most industrial activities. Oil and coal are mainly used for these purposes. The dramatic increase in emission of gases is mainly occurring due to activities going on in the developing nations like urbanization and industrialization. China is a very good example. Its industrial activities in order to export goods have led to increased emissions from that country (Jacob et al,51). Deforestation is the cutting down of trees without replacement. Cutting of trees is done to produce wood, build, make timber and papers. Logging of trees is not good for the climate because when it happens, the carbon that was being stored by those trees is released into the air. Once it is in the atmosphere, it intermingles with other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In order to reduce the release of the carbon into the air, activities that are awarded from forest destruction should be avoided. Instead, people need to start preserving the tropical forests so as to maintain the climate change and prevent wiping away of the bio-diversity. Farming includes agricultural activities. These activities provide man with food to eat for survival. Farming also has a positive impact on climate through yielding of carbon in the soil. However, it has negative impacts as well. In this century, chemical fertilizers are being used more. For example, nitrogenous fertilizers that affect the heat of the land on which the crop is planted are used. These nitrogen oxides trap more heat than even carbon oxides. More activities that revolve around farming like the manufacture of the fertilizers, cooling of products management, emissions from tractors, gases from the greenhouses, heating activities and lighting from electricity all contribute to climate change. Climate change has had an adverse effect on polar bears. The polar bears happen to be one of the bio-diversity that has had a great negative impact due to its dependence on sea ice for survival. They live in the Arctic regions of The United States, Norway, Canada, and Russia. Mostly during summer seasons, they happen to be affected due to changes in the oceans forcing them to stay on the mainland or unfavorable polar waters which have led to decline in their numbers. This means that they are facing the risk of extinction from the increasing temperatures twice as fast the world`s average (Harvey,2018). Their dependence on the sea ice makes highly vulnerable to any change in climate. They use the sea environment to travel, mate, hunt, rest and as maternal dens. Their prey, the bearded seals, are also sea ice-dependent. They feed on the seals from which they get the two-thirds of their energy for their use in the early summer and late spring. With the current change in climate, summer comes earlier and winters late hence they are unable to hunt for long making them go without food for a long time. This leads to decline in their bodies and lightweight in the female adult bears. Few cubs are able to survive. This change will make the polar bears food-stressed. The increased temperatures cause contamination and increase exposure to diseases. Sometimes the dens collapse from warm weather. These dens are where the female bears give birth and protect the new-born cubs. Polar bears have a long life expectancy and low rate of reproduction making them to nearly not adapt to new climate changes (Dey et al,94). Polar bears don`t respond the same to the change in sea ice. Other human factors like hunting, activities involving oil and gas, shipping and tourism have led to a reduction in the population of the polar bears. The polar bears currently declining in the population are those of Baffin Bay, Kane Basin, and the Beaufort Sea. Though those stable regardless of the climate change for 12 years up to 2015 are those of Davis Strait, Foxe Basin, Gulf of Boothia, Northern Beaufort Sea, Southern Hudson Bay and Western Hudson Bay. The remaining sea ice should be conserved in order to protect these creatures. This is through reduction of greenhouse gases and stabilization of the sea ice in the Arctic leading to the long survival of the polar bears (Rode et al,2018) In conclusion, it is good for people to be more involved in activities that help protect the biodiversity at large. Just to name a few, for example, if a tree is cut, another one should be planted to replace the other one hence controlling the release of carbon from deforestation. New methods of production and manufacturing and equipment that dont involve releasing of hazardous gases to the environment should be invented. More friendly fertilizers in farming should be utilized. Investment in appliances that are energy efficient should be a major plan in order to reduce emissions. Water wastage should be reduced because too much water is used to treat it, heat or pump the water leading to carbon pollution. The will to preserve climate should be inculcated in everyone so that further damage to the ozone layer that has been affected leading to increased climate change is curbed. Work cited Cox, Peter M., et al. "Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled climate model." Nature 408.6809 (2000): 184-7.Berkshire:Hadley Centre,2000.Print. Crowley, Thomas J. "Causes of climate change over the past 1000 years." Science 289.5477 (2000): 270-277.Oceanography Dept., Texas A M U,web.n.d. Dey, Cody J., et al. "Forecasting the outcome of multiple effects of climate change on northern common eiders." Biological Conservation 220 (2018): 94-103. Ontario: the web.21 March. Harvey, Jeffrey A., et al. "Corrigendum: Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial by Proxy." Neurosurgery (2018).ResearchGate GmbH.Web.25 Nov.2017. Jacob, Daniel J., and Darrell A. Winner. "Effect of climate change on air quality." Atmospheric Environment 43.1 (2009): 51-63. Elsevier Ltd,n.d.Web.Jan.2009. McCright, Aaron M., and Riley E. Dunlap. "The politicization of climate change and polarization in the American public's views of global warming, 20012010." The Sociological Quarterly 52.2 (2011): 155-194.Elsevier B.V. Web.March.2011. Rode, Karyn D., et al. "Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate." Journal of Mammalogy (2018).New York:Oxford University Press,2018.Print.