“It’s a well-kept secret, but 95 percent of the climate models we are told prove the link between human CO2 emissions and catastrophic global warming have been found, after nearly two decades of temperature stasis, to be in error,” writes Maurice Newman, chief business advisor to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (Dunn). With this bold declaration, Australia thrust itself onto the international stage where it was widely criticized and condemned by the United Nations and environmental supporters worldwide. Already behind the world in climate change legislation, Australia quickly became the face of global warming denial.
Maintenance of positive international relations is not so simple to achieve as the reaction to this statement
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Science is beginning to support global warming, much to the dismay of non-believers like Maurice Newman. According to NASA, global temperatures have risen .8° since 1880 with more than two-thirds of that increase occurring after 1975. To put this in proper perspective, a one to two degree decrease in temperature was enough to plunge the world into the last ice age (Carlowicz). While many governments have implemented programs to slow CO2 emissions, they either fail to adequately decrease emissions or do not go far enough in reducing them. The 2014 World Energy Outlook estimates that at the current rate of increase, greenhouse gases are set to cause a global warming of closer to 3.6° Celsius, well above the 2050 2° Celsius target (2). If Australia has the highest per capita carbon emissions of all developed nations (Medhora and Milman), they cannot wait to change their policy on greenhouse gas emissions. Yet in a never-ending quest for power and economic control, current leadership and career politicians continue to dismiss the need to implement necessary legislation to help reduce global emissions.
Global greenhouse gas reductions were the primary focus of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and so far, one of the most important international treaties for climate change legislation. Signed by 154 industrialized countries, including Australia, all
The majority of scientific evidence suggests that over the last century humans have begun to have a discernible influence on the world's climate, causing it to warm. There is substantial evidence to indicate that significant global warming will occur during the 21st century. The purpose of this paper is to dramatize the impact climate change could have on Australian society if we are unprepared for it. In discussing the future of the planet, climate change, caused by increased abundances of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, has been a serious cause of concern. Several studies have suggested that climate change can lead to mass-fatality disasters, international migration leading to tensions and conflict, resource shortages, infectious disease, terrorism and rising-sea levels and drought causing immense economic nuisances, all of which have the potential to harm Australia’s national security.
In modern America few problems prove to be as fundamentally problematic as the theory of human induced global warming. Its repeated coverage from within the media and political arena are influencing people worldwide, putting those who think differently in an outcast shadow. The truth of the matter is, to not believe in human induced global warming has become politically incorrect and unacceptable in the public eye. The theory of human induced global warming can be defined as the rise in temperature through human pollution of greenhouse gases resulting in catastrophic alterations in the earth 's environment. However, human pollution of greenhouse gases is so minor that it is not a contribution to the
To meet the needs and demands of the ever rising human population, technology continues to advances and yet the bleak outlook for our future generations fails to push for a long term solution for our dying Earth. The excess greenhouse gases is an evident problems for our planet, it causes rapid climate change to adversely impacts Australia, resulting in fast increasing temperatures, jeopardizing the lives of Australians, and devastating the oceans and the ecosystems that rely upon it. Although the entire world is warming up due to climate change, Australia will suffer more severely – ensuing in a growing number of extreme weathers even with the slightest rise in average temperature (Milman, 2015). As this Oceanian country takes the blunt of
I have researched about climate change in Australia and take this as an example for the same situation of other countries. Australia is a unique and diverse country in every way – in culture, populations, climate, geography, and history. It is home to more than one million species of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world, and less than half have been described scientifically. However, Australia is an exceptionally large polluter. It is the highest per person greenhouse gas polluter among all developed countries, the 15th highest overall polluter and our emissions are still rising. Most of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels for energy about 72%. When oil, gas or coal burns,
Countries around the world have agreed that to avoid potentially dangerous climate change, global warming stay below 2 degrees C. This means that every country, including Australia will need to significantly increase their efforts to reduce emissions. Currently, Australia’s per capita emissions are among the highest in the world, however, there has been recent progress in decarbonising its economy. For example, greenhouse gas emissions have remained stable while economy size has almost doubled. (Pathways to deep carbonisation).
At first Australia tried to improve the way we deal with climate change using the media to spread awareness and change the way people view it. However there is one newspaper in
The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human activity is increasing global average surface air temperatures, disrupting weather patterns, and acidifying the ocean (1). Left unchecked, the continued growth of GHG emissions could cause global average temperatures to increase by another 4°C or more by 2100 and by 1.5 to 2 times as much in many midcontinent and far northern locations (1). Although our understanding of the impacts of climate change is increasingly and disturbingly clear, there is still debate about the proper course for U.S. policy—a debate that is very much on display during the current presidential transition. But putting near-term politics aside, the mounting economic and scientific
Global warming, the cause of our ice caps melting and the sea levels rising. The G7 nations have come together to put a stop to these environmental issues by introducing a plan to stop the earth’s temperature rising by 2c. Decarbonising the world’s economy is the only way to stop an increase in the earth’s temperature and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Climate works Australia and the Australian national university are leading the journey to a decarbonised Australia by 2050, with no major
For many years there has been a great debate between scientists who believe that human activity has major negative effects on climate change, and those who argue that climate change is caused by a variety of factors, not just harmful human activity. Those who support that belief that activities such as the burning of fossil fuels could cause disastrous climate changes and global warming and those who believe that research has been skewed to alter the way findings are presented fiercely debate when and how climate change should be addressed by governments. These debates have caused the idea of Global Warming to become not only a scientific concern, but a political concern as well. With both sides having strong convictions with respect to how the issues are addressed, it has allowed events such as “Climate-Gate” come to pass.
Regardless of whether you feel that global warming is caused naturally as a result of time or because of humans being careless with their emissions, it exists, causing a problematic question of how to fix it. Four topics will be addressed in this essay, the first being; “is the significance of a 2°C temperature increase relative to pre-industrial levels?” Secondly; “what it means to decarbonise the global economy.” Thirdly; “how Australia could go about achieving zero carbon emissions.” and lastly; “which sectors of the Australian economy exhibits the greatest potential for greenhouse gas emissions reductions”? To understand how to act upon the problems caused by global warming, there are some words that need to be defined in order to fully
According to an article focused on environmental awareness, “the world’s average surface temperature rose by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit, the fastest rate in any period over the last 1000 years” (Source A). Damage has already been done to the environment but it is not the time to throw our hands up, it is the time for leaders in all sectors to tackle this issue head on. We know that carbon dioxide is the culprit, so now it is imperative to implement the solution and take a hard look at who is producing the most greenhouse gases. Big changes need to take place but they can only be done in steps and not all at once to be effective. In an excerpt from a book about global warming, Mark Maslin brings up the point that many feel the Kyoto Protocol does not go far enough; scientists believe that a 60% cut of greenhouse gas emissions is necessary in order to “prevent major climate change” (Source E). A sixty percent cut of emissions should be what countries work up to achieving but first and foremost, every country needs to agree to the Kyoto Protocol guidelines. The Kyoto Protocol itself should not be viewed as the end in the discussion of greenhouse gas restrictions, but rather the first stepping stone to a much broader and effective
There is an issue on this planet that will define this generation. The issue is climate change. Global warming. A world on the collapse as our oceans are acidified, our air polluted, our forests disappearing, and human rights issues getting worse. It seems that people are not aware of how big climate change actually is. It’s not something that only takes place on the ice caps or in the forests on the far corners of the world. This is an issue that happens here, and now. It’s real. It’s happening.
The current level of greenhouse gases in atmosphere poses an alarming situation globally and for Australia in particular. Australia has the highest per capita carbon emissions in the world. Burning coal for the generation of electricity is the major single source of emissions for Australia (Diesendorf 2014). It has been ranked third among OECD countries and seventh in the world with respect to per capita greenhouse gas emissions due to energy (The Garnaut Climate Change Review 2011). Under the Paris agreement world has agreed to pursue a 1.5 degree centigrade limit to global warming and Australia has committed to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 level by 2030 (The Guardian 2016).
Global warming is a huge concern in society that is only growing bigger because people either are not well informed about it, or they are not concerned about it. Some think that it will just go away and others still believe that it doesn’t exist, even though there is hundreds if not thousands of pieces of evidence that supports otherwise. One of the biggest pieces of evidence that proves global warming is real is the effect that photosynthesis has on global warming.
The issue of global warming should be on the list of our top priorities. Studies show that the average of global temperatures have risen since the Industrial Revolution began. Since the Industrial Revolution, human emissions has quadrupled the frequency of certain heat extremes and many scientists have warned that a failure to bring greenhouse gases under control could eventually lead to a 62-fold increase in extreme heat blasts (Gillis Justin A17). Most of the increase is due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. These activities contribute to a build-up in carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is made of gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen. These gases act as a blanket that covers and gives us warmth, but once these gases such as carbon dioxide absorbs heat, but does not release it back into space in which causes the increase in global temperature. This is called the greenhouse effect because it only traps heat but does not release it.