Assignment Writing Service http://StudyHub.vip/Addressing-Global-Warming 👈

1. Addressing Global Warming
Alton C. Thompson
The term “global warming,” as used today, refers to a trend in an increase of the global mean
temperature, as illustrated by the graph below (source), which depicts change between 1880 and
2018 for Earth:
Dahr Jamail is an example of a
person who has been doing
some excellent reporting on the
research findings of climate
scientists. Mr. Jamail’s writings
on what he prefers to term
“climate disruption” have been
collected into this archive.
The current essay differs from
the writings of Mr. Jamail in
that—given that the occurrence
now of global warming is a
problem—the question arises:
What might be done to address the problem?
I begin here with an outline of possible courses of action, and then discuss the points in that
outline.
Here, then, is my outline of possible actions:
A. Publicizing the facts that:
1. Global warming is occurring.
2. It is occurring because of human activitie (i.e., it is anthropogenic).
3. It is likely to cause the extinction, soon, of about 1,000,000 species (of about 8.7
million species in the world)!
4. It’s possible that 2050 will mark the “beginning of the end” for our species!
(With some sources arguing that our end could come much sooner!)

2. B. Other relevant actions:
1. Removing “greenhouse” gases from the atmosphere.
2. Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
a. Develop, and begin to use, alternate energy sources (to fossil fuels).
b. Decrease per capita use of energy
1) Reduce the involuntary use of energy.
2) Reduce the “voluntary” use of energy.
C. Reduce the world’s population size.
Now, for some commentary:
Publicizing Facts About Global Warming
That global warming is occurring at present is not being publicized well. Robert Parry, e.g., has
commented on the “media silence” that exists regarding global warming:
What has become most striking about the growing evidence that climate change is a clear
and present danger indeed an emerging existential threat is the simultaneous failure of the
U.S. news media to deal seriously with the issue, another sign of how the Right can
intimidate the mainstream into going silent.
We have seen this pattern before, as the Right sets the media agenda by bullying those who
threaten its ideological interests. Before the Iraq War, anyone who dared raise questions
about the Bush administration’s justifications could expect to be marginalized or worse. Just
ask Phil Donahue, Scott Ritter and the Dixie Chicks.
And this by Jonathan Marshall on“media denialism” in 2017:
An annual climate report issued this month by the World Meteorological Organization
confirms that average global temperatures and global sea levels continued their inexorable
rise in 2016, setting new records. Global sea ice dropped to an “unprecedented” extent.
Extreme weather conditions, probably aggravated by climate disruption, displaced hundreds
of thousands of people, left millions hungry, and caused “severe economic damage.”
Yet in the midst of such frightening changes, and a national presidential campaign with
enormous consequences for U.S. climate policy, the four major broadcast networks — ABC,
CBS, NBC, and Fox News Sunday — significantly decreased their coverage of climate
issues on evening and Sunday news programs, according to a new analysis by Media

3. Matters. Television programs like these are the major source of news for 57 percent of adult
Americans.
If one wants information about the global warming that’s occurring, and its consequences, one
must go the internet: I suspect that the situation here Milwaukee is rather typical: When, a
couple of years ago, I asked the lead meteorologist at one of the local television stations why I
never heard “global warming” mentioned on that channel, the answer I got was:
The management here forbids us to do so. (!)
Given that we can’t expect the media in this country to inform the public about global warming,
publicizing facts about global warming is one avenue open to citizens who are both
knowledgeable about global warming, and are in a position that enables them to “spread the
word” about global warming.
Actions Directed at Global Warming Per Se
Actions to Remove Greenhouse Gases from the Atmosphere
1. Geoengineering represents one possibility; here’s a discussion of some ideas.
2. Because deforestation is a cause of global warming, reforestation activities would help
remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This article points out that reforestation
efforts can reduce some of the problems associated with global warming because:
a. Trees absorb carbon.
b. Trees can protect coastal areas.
c. Trees provide shade.
d. Trees are the anchors for plant and animal biodiversity.
3. The “Pleistocene Park” project of Nikita and Sergey Zimov in Siberia would also seem to
belong in this category; they are engaged in “resurrecting an Ice Age biome.”
Actions to Reduce the Emission of Greenhouse Gases
1. Develop alternate (to fossil fuels) energy sources (such as wind and solar), and liquid
fuels from plants (e.g., ethanol).
2. Reduce involuntary energy usage. Land-use patterns in our society encourage people to
live at locations away from where they work. Because of that fact:

4. a. Many are forced to own automobiles (because, e.g., of inadequacies in the public
transportation system), and thereby become somewhat responsible for the
greenhouse gas emissions involved in manufacturing, and transporting, one’s
automobile.
b. Driving one’s automobile involves fossil fuel usage (even if it’s an electric one!)
and, therefore, the emission of greenhouse gases.
c. An example of a solution to this problem would be the creation of “company town
eco-villages,” discussed in this paper: A Road to Survival? An advantage of this
idea is that it could simultaneously address (to a degree, at least) some of our
social problems.
3. Reduce “voluntary” energy usage.
a. We have become a consumer society. Given that the consumption of goods
requires their prior production, and that production involves the emission of
greenhouse gases, the fact that consumption is so highly valued in our society is a
major factor causing global warming. This has misdirected many as to how to
find meaning in one’s life; in fact, there are at least two reasons for downplaying
the importance of consumer
1) Scientific evidence that demonstrates that by doing good one will feel
good, whereas acquiring more and more “stuff” does not lead to increased
happiness.
2) Our being a consumer society is likely to lead to disaster. As Eugene
Linden presciently wrote 40 years ago (in Affluence and Discontent: The
Anatomy of Consumer Societies, p. 178):
The consumer society continues to roll along despite the diminishing
luster of its myths. What this suggests is that we will continue on our
present [downward!] course, and that the probability of one or another
of our proposed [in the book] disasters will rapidly increase until some
small event [the election of “sadopopulist” Donald Trump as
President?!] triggers the apocalypse of the consumer society.
That is, decades ago Linden made a prediction that closely matches that
made in A.4. above!

5. Given the threat that consumption presents to our species (among numerous
others!), actions taken to reduce voluntary consumption, and live simply, would—
if successful—quite possibly play an important role in averting disaster.
Reducing the Size of the World’s Population
If the world population were, say, 1,000,000—instead of its actual 7.8 billion—human activities
would have little impact on Earth System. However, with the sorts of activities that humans are
engaging in (e.g., the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation), combined with their numbers, the
numbers factor does have relevance.
Although it would be desirable to reduce the world’s population substantially, this is unlikely to
occur—unless there is an unleashing of thermo-nuclear weapons!
My own judgment is that the odds of our addressing the problem of global warming in a
significant way, and soon, are close to zero (0): WhyWe Are Doomed! As one with five
grandchildren, however, I don’t want to believe that we are doomed!
If, however, the problem of global warming is attacked on a variety of fronts, with both private
parties and governments involved, it’s at least conceivable that our species will be “saved” from
extinction!