Sociology Essays Examples

Is the Treat of Global Warming Real?

Nowadays almost everybody knows what global warming means. This term became so common in our lives that not knowing about such a threat is mauve ton. Almost every natural disaster can be related to the environmental problems caused by human beings. However, despite receiving so much attention, there is so little work done about this issue. The governments of developed countries continue to show their best in efforts of combating human activity consequences that cause global warming, but at the same time they are governed by national interests that demand development on the account of ecology. That is why it is not clear how the world can be saved from the global warming and, frankly speaking, whether it needs to be saved.
After the Earth Summit the scientists around the globe were divided into three camps. The first group believed that “the planet was warming due to coal and gas emissions” (Harf and Lombardi 127). This camp was completely sure that increasing temperature is the result of human activity. Representatives of the second group had doubts about the above-mentioned point of view because they considered that the cause of temperature increase was not clearly defined yet. The third camp of scientists pointed out that no one knew for sure whether global warming was taking place or not, and thus if it was, no one can knew the reason why. They put into question every research about global warming and did not support the laboratory experiments of this issue, emphasizing that even “when warming was present, it did not occur at the same time as a rise in greenhouse gases” (Harf and Lombardi 127).
Despite some misunderstandings and controversies among scientists, global warming became a matter of concern of the world community. The leaders of many nations started calling upon some actions that can help prevent total disaster that may happen with the nature if humanity continues this way. For this reason, special commissions at the international organizations were created to draft the texts of a few environmental treaties that would have binding force for all the parties thereto. One of the most famous treaties of that kind is the Kyoto Protocol. It was aimed at lessening of carbon dioxide’s emissions and could lead to “reaching goals established at the earlier Earth Summit” (Harf and Lombardi 127). The industrial countries were not interested in keeping the required level of emissions because it would decrease their economic growth and development. That is why the USA refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. When it entered into force, it had already lost its actuality and should have been revised to meet new realities.
According to researches held after 2005 it was established that global warming leads to warming temperatures, heavy rains, heat waves, stronger storms, droughts, sea level rise and decreased biodiversity. However, now the existence of such a phenomenon as global warming is reaffirmed and recognized by the numerous scientists in different countries, there are still opponents or critics of it. There are lots of voices for and against “government expenditures for combating the climate phenomena”(Harf and Lombardi 128). Others support the idea that the more money is spent now for prevention of a catastrophe, the less its consequences will be in the future. Some people blame global warming alarmists for their being paranoid.
Among those who decided to withstand the false alarm are media sources, journalists and other Internet activists. For example, Paul McRae in his book gives a point or counterpoint for every statement made by global warming activists. Reading this book, it appears that the threat of climate change is so much exaggerated that it is hardly believable. The author mostly compares the alarmists’ claims with the historic records and proves that they are based on nothing that has solid grounds.
However, there is no smoke without fire. Scientific organizations and research and development centers make strong statements about the existence and treat of climate change or global warming. Their records show that there is no mistake in assumptions that our planet is warming. According to their research, “human society will function under a new set of climate conditions taking shape” (Harf and Lombardi 128). As Arctic sea ice and glaciers melting or vanishing of the spring snow cover in the Northern hemisphere, while other temperature indicators (air, land, sea-surface temperatures and so on) are rising, the world inevitably faces transformations it has never experienced before.
The debate now is mostly centered over the question whether global warming takes place or not, however it is also important to determine the humans’ role in it. It can be happening due to consumption preoccupation of today’s society and its focus on the production and development by all means, but it can also be a result of evolution or historical changes that regularly happened with our planet before we started keeping records. And yet we have two options: we can join YES movement and fight against everything that can make our planet warmer or join NO movement and try to persuade everybody to be reasonable and get rid of mass hysteria and delusions.

Works Cited

Harf, James E., Lombardi, Mark Owen. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Global Issues. 7th ed. Maryville University, 2012. Print.