On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations group that since 1990 has been issuing increasingly grim warnings about the consequences of a warming planet, released its most powerful and sobering assessment so far. Even now, it said, ice caps are melting, droughts and floods are getting worse, coral reefs are dying. And without swift and decisive action to limit greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and other sources, the world will almost surely face centuries of climbing temperatures, rising seas, species loss and dwindling agricultural yields. The damage will be particularly acute in coastal communities and in low-lying poor countries — like Bangladesh — that are least able to protect themselves.
The report’s conclusions mirrored those of a much shorter but no less disturbing report issued two weeks ago by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest scientific society. Like the panel, the association declared that the world is already feeling the effects of global warming, that the ultimate consequences could be catastrophic, and that the window for effective action is swiftly closing.
The intergovernmental panel’s report (a companion report later this month will discuss what governments should do) could carry considerable weight with delegates to next year’s climate change summit meeting in Paris, at which the members of the United Nations will again try, after years of futility, to fashion a new global climate treaty. And together, the two reports could build public support for President Obama’s efforts to use his executive authority to limit greenhouse gases, most recently with a plan issued on Friday to reduce methane emissions from landfills, agricultural operations and oil and gas production and distribution.
The methane strategy is one of several weapons in Mr. Obama’s broader Climate Action Plan, announced last year, that seeks to reduce emissions by circumventing an obstructionist Congress by aggressively using his executive authority under the Clean Air Act and other statutes. The most important of these are two rules from the Environmental Protection Agency — one already proposed, another in the works — that would regulate emissions from new and existing coal-fired power plants, the largest source of industrial carbon pollution. He has also promised to increase energy efficiency in appliances and buildings, and double renewable energy capacity on public lands by 2020.
The
methane abatement plan is a welcome addition to that arsenal. Methane, a
product of animal wastes and of decomposing material in landfills, and
the main component in natural gas, contributes only about 9 percent of
America’s greenhouse gas emissions. And natural gas, as a fuel, is much
cleaner than coal.
But methane is a powerful atmospheric pollutant, 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and thus a major driver of global warming.
But methane is a powerful atmospheric pollutant, 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and thus a major driver of global warming.
The burden for fulfilling the president’s promise will fall on the E.P.A., which is charged with developing regulations to plug methane leaks in pipelines and in oil and gas production systems. Given everything we now know, public and congressional acceptance of these initiatives should be close to automatic. But, of course, it is not. Senator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans, seeks to block the coal regulations. Industry groups are complaining in advance about methane regulations.
Some of this may be attributable to public misunderstanding. A poll last year found that one-third of Americans believed that scientists disagreed on whether global warming was happening. These studies suggest virtually no disagreement. The hope among advocates is that the latest show of scientific solidarity will clear up any confusion about the causes and consequences of climate change and the need for action.
(NYT Editorial March 31, 2014)
I really don't understand how people believe that global warming is a hoax. My uncle is a strong believer of that theory. He doesn't believe it one bit. With all the science and evidence there is, you would think that people would begin to open their eyes. It truly makes me sad that we have destroyed everything. There is no denying the clear changes like melting ice caps and worsening disasters. I watched "Chasing Ice" and being able to really SEE the changes makes a huge difference. It is a very powerful documentary.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, the author of this opinion piece states that public misunderstanding is the key driver of opposition to heavy handed regulations. Yet, on the other hand, President Obama's excessive use of power and executive orders seems to be lauded as a means of bypassing an "obstructionist" Congress. If the goal is to get people to understand the effects of certain industries on global warming, the last thing which will make people understand is the use of questionable authority which bypasses the system of checks and balances. While one may consider progress, others may question the true motives. One example is the Keystone XL pipeline, where it's construction is being hindered by the president. One may see this as a means of President Obama stopping the unclean oil sand production. Another may see that Warren Buffet, a contributor of Obama's, owns a rail system which would carry the product and gain business if the XL project was scrapped. People don't oppose the concept of global warming in itself, they just have a problem when they 1) don't see the consequences directly and 2) lose jobs and money while some politicians, movie-makers, and scientists who have large carbon footprints line their own pockets. People see the issue and consider the opposition as the bad guys (including the working class who just want to be employed and vote for representatives who ensure that). My point is that it's up to the scientists to get the point across. If it's not getting across, they're doing something wrong. Force rarely works.
ReplyDeleteI always believed that climate change was happening. This article proves it. Obama should use his executive power to limit the amount of gases coming from new and existing coal powered power plants. Sustainability is the answer to climate change and evidence including this article has shown that if we don't act climate change poses a significant risk to wildlife and human life. The evidence is as clear as day. We need to act now in order to circumvent the results of climate change. I don't understand people who claim that climate change is not real. When people start dying or when a significant change in our climate starts to happen then perhaps they will begin to believe climate change is real.
ReplyDeleteEarth does not have one set climate, we know this as a scientific fact. Having existed for 4.5 billion years the earths climate is constantly changing, rotating through ice ages. Scientist now know climate change is a natural cycle in our plants life. However, these natural changes are not to be mistaken for the effects of greenhouse gases. By emitting massive amounts of toxins in the air our atmosphere is rapidly deteriorating. This causes an increase in temperature, harmful sun rays, and an abundance of other harmful effects we have already begun to experience. Is it true that climate change is a natural course of earths life? Yes, however our carbon footprint is burning a hole threw our atmosphere that can bring an end to all living creatures. For those who do not believe in global warming and the effect of pollution go to your nearest city, at night and look at the sky, that green, or purple hue you see is pollution and it shouldn't be there.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that there is a climate change; because some countries experienced major floods, the melting of the ice caps, droughts, drying up of the coral reef and look how bad and drawn out the past winter was these are all signs of climate change and global warming. I think why a lot of people do not take “climate change” serious is because it hasn’t been affecting anyone directly. For example causing major deaths, sicknesses and job loss. I think that it is interesting to know that Obama is taking the initiative to come with a Methane plan that could reduce methane emissions from landfills, agricultural operations. Since methane contributes to about 9% of greenhouse gas emissions and is also worst that Carbon Dioxide.
ReplyDeleteThis article did a good job of illuminating a problem that many people have when it comes to understanding global warming. From this, I gather that a third of people think that global warming is not agreed upon by the scientific community, thus shedding doubt on the entire notion of global warming. This article points out that scientists are relatively unanimous in their belief that global warming is occurring at a rapid rate. There is need for tremendous intervention from the president and average people alike. If nothing is done or if nothing big is done, the world will face rapid changes, and loss of species and land. People need to start taking this seriously, before it's too late.
ReplyDelete-George De Feis
After years of hearing debates from teachers, friends, and family I have come to the conclusion that even if you don't believe in global warming you cannot deny the enviable realization that our planet is going through changes. Now the causes of these changes everybody can almost agree is a result of our careless carbon footprint. I have always believed in order for this to be in control our government has to set rules in place to prevent us from exceeding amounts of harmful pollutants we release into the atmosphere. Just how speeding in a vehicle is dangerous to yourself and other, we still continue to do it until we are regulated by state troopers. If Obama's broader Climate Action Plan is put into action it will force citizen to not only realize global warming is factual but to also reconsider and reduce their carbon footprint. And other members of the government who oppose this bill will soon be critiqued by the rest of the public.
ReplyDeleteIt still amazes me that people can deny global warming and climate change in general. It is equally shocking to hear about the overwhelming report issued by Intergovernmental's Panel on Climate Change and its findings. The massive list of environmental losses to our world will be undeniably devastating. If the UN does not make all possible efforts to produce a new global climate treaty the loss of each day, month and year is something man will regret... but it might just be too late. If the countries associated with the UN, and others, continue to deny the FACTS of global warming, and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions it would be like looking at danger in the face and turning a blind eye.
ReplyDeleteThe initiative by President Obama's Broader Climate Action Plan could definitely make a change and an impact on the issue at hand, and its success could be encouraging to other nations who would also seek to reap the same benefits. I was intrigued to learn that methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is a primary driver of global warming. I think given this factual information more countries need to use this, and similar facts, as a driving force to develop a blueprint towards a new global climate treaty. No matter what type of country we live in, rich or poor, the effects of global warming and climate change in general will impact the lives of us all if a change isn't made ASAP.
-Sharda Naitram
This is such a pressing issue but people still refuse to acknowledge it because it is not something that is "visible" the the naked eye. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" does not exist for no reason. Unless something is in the public eye literally right in front of their noses people do not worry about it. They always think that the government will fix the problem, but even the government doesn't care about things that are right under their noses. At least a small effort is being made to clear up some of the methane gases, but in the long run its such a miniscule effort that it's not going to make a big difference if larger changes are not made. I don't understand why people live in this planet but the planet is the last of their concern. Since a drastic change has not happened in the weather because of global warming people just do not care. Society seems to have this "I'll believe it when I see it mindset" and by then it is too late. The government only cares about trying to fix problems that are beyond fixing instead of just preventing them from happening when all the signs have been there for years. I don't understand why people live in such denial and do so little for our earth, when our earth does so much for society.
ReplyDeleteThis article was fun to read because it addresses this "debate" amongst scientists on whether global warming exists. Climate change deniers are clinging to the fact that some scientists have proof that the issues we're facing is natural. However, this article explicitly states that "these studies suggest virtually no disagreement." I was quite satisfied after reading that.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately however, this evidence that climate change is real comes as a result from increasing climate change issues. I learned in an animal ethics class that the methane released mostly from the factory farms is cause for one third of the climate change effects we're seeing. That correlates to the article stating that while methane only makes up 9% of the greenhouse gases in the America, it is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Not only is eating meat unhealthy and unethical, but it's also so damaging to the environment. I'm looking forward to President's Obama Climate Action Plan and hopefully seeing it come into effect soon. America is quite influential and if we go green, the rest of the world may follow.
I hope that the new report by the IPCC can convince people that climate change is real. I hope these new reports can clear up the confusion over the supposed disagreement within the scientific community regarding climate change. I'm glad to see that Obama is trying to push for a reduction in methane emissions since the effects of methane emissions can be really damaging to our environment. The only problem is that there are still some government representatives that do not believe in climate change and refuse to believe in climate change. If a person remains steadfast on denying the existence climate change, I'm not sure that the IPCC report will make a difference in their opinion, especially when that person has already made up their mind about the issue before even taking a look at the report. We can go back to the Feb 8 blogpost about motivated reasoning to explain this phenomenon. People will only accept evidence that support their theories and disregard evidence that do not. As a result, we can be sure that climate change deniers in our Congress will try to block that methane abatement plan. That is why it's so hard to get environmental regulations passed in our government. Many of these regulations may intervene with the market economy, and many governmental representatives do not want this to happen. They prioritize the economy over the environment (which in the long run may harm the economy anyway). Many look at the short-term economic benefits of blocking environmental regulations. These are the people that will ignore facts presented by the IPCC report no matter how credible the evidence may be, that will continue to deny the existence of climate change, and will block plans such as the methane abatement plan from coming into fruition. This is why I remain skeptical about whether this newly published report will be able to change the mind of climate change deniers, or whether it will result in more environmental regulations being passed. I wish it were that easy to convince people that climate change is real or to demonstrate to people that investing in our environment can mean investing in economic growth as well. However, there are those who remain stubborn. In addition, even if that methane abatement plan were to pass, all the responsibility is left with the EPA. Half the time the reason these plans never work out as hoped is because the government does not give the EPA enough support or resources to make sure the details of the plan get implemented. Because of this, goals are set that are not ambitious enough. But maybe I'm just being pessimistic about this whole thing.
ReplyDeleteIt has been 254 years since the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1760 that introduced the inventions that set the foundation for modern technology and the consequent environmental burdens that followed. The earth has been around for approximately 4.54 billion years. While natural disasters and phenomenon have influenced climate change and extinction of certain species, the climate change being experienced around the world is a result of the actions of mankind. The environment price of urban cities, heavy machinery, big trucks, airplanes, and power plants (to name a few) is enormous and nature seems to be picking up the tab for pollution. Activists have voiced concerns for many years of the collateral damage of the reckless destruction of the earth’s resources, but issues of climate change are finally at the forefront of international news. The United States is the top ranked nation in the world for releasing the most greenhouse gas emissions – which is not a title to be proud of. As the United Nations ups the pressure on pursuing an international green economy and a transition to green technologies, the US government promises the take matters into their own hands.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama’s Climate Action Plan, released in June 2013, outlines the initiatives, goals, and actions the US is taking in order to reverse climate change and make our world a greener place! While the article in our blog notes the plan to reduce methane emissions in landfills, agricultural operations, and oil/gas production and distribution was released just this week, the Climate Action Plan briefly talks about curbing methane emissions. “Methane currently accounts for roughly 9% of domestic greenhouse gas emissions and has a global warming potential that is more than 20 times greater than carbon dioxide. Notably, since 1990, methane emissions in the US have decreased by 8%” (CAP p 10). The plan mentions the plan for the Department of Agriculture to work with the dairy industry to use methane digesters, and the plans for methane reduction in landfill. It is promising to see the goals in the CAP actually going into action. The Climate Action Plan contributed to the 30% increase in clean energy technologies across all agencies in the 2014 fiscal budget. The budget allots about $7.9 billion dollars in funding to clean energy development, resources, and technologies.
Courtney Baxter
The issue here really is imperfect information. After years of research, studies published by multiple reputable agencies / organizations / etc, a statistically significant portion of the US population (1/3, as cited in this article), are still uninformed or misinformed about the threat of global climate change. This is due in part to failures in our education system, which, often having to battle conservatives and extremists (from both sides) is struggling to get the green light to teach valuable information about global warming to students. This issue is so controversial, but unnecessarily so. The research is there, the facts, the studies, the projections are all there. I may be starting to sound like a broken record, but education and raising awareness is the first key step to moving toward greening our economy and fighting climate change. Without this step, the uniformed masses will see this as some kind of fad / power exercise on the part of the government, instead of a necessary change we must work toward in order to preserve our planet and our species in the long run.
ReplyDelete