I have not done a post for a
while now. The last one I did was dated October 9, 2015.
I am sorry for the breach in
flow. It was due to a breakdown of the computer I use in doing the posts. It
took me that long to get it fixed. A component needed to fix the fault was
difficult to come by.
But all that is now history. I am
happily back, on track.
By the way if you do not run a
Google account you will not be able to access my posts starting from the week
of January 11. You may open a Google account to sign into Friend Connect to
follow a blog.. This is a notice from Google.
Though out of touch with you during
the time my laptop was at the workshop, I have been following trends in the
environment. The smog in China which was given red alert status was one of
them. There were flash floods in Asia. However the one that topped the bill was
COP21.
COP21 is a conference on climate change held in
Paris, France from November 30, 2015- December 12, 2015. COP means conference
of the parties. 21 is the twenty first yearly meeting. In full, it is the
twenty first yearly meeting of the parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The United Nations is becoming the core rallying
force to get the world in a concerted effort to acknowledge and deal with the
threatening nature of climate change.
The objective of the 2015
conference was for the United Nations (UN) to achieve a binding and universal
agreement on climate from all the nations of the world.
The main goal of the Convention
is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to curtail global temperature rise.
The greenhouse gas emissions
cause temperature rise, and thereby climate change or imbalance in the climate
system.
So in a diagram form one gets
this:
Greenhouse gas emissions
↓
Temperature rise
↓
Climate change
Let us take them one at a time,
as we go through the process of climate change, starting with greenhouse gas
emissions. Climate change affects each and every person on planet Earth,
whether it manifests itself where you are on planet Earth or not, eventually it
is the whole planet that will have to shut down, leaving earthlings to find a
new place to inhabit. The onus lies on each and every earthling to fight
climate change individually and collectively. Shorelines are changing. Coastal
towns are being washed away. Glaciers are melting. Sea levels are rising. If
climate change is not manifesting itself where you are located on Earth, the
tendency is to be complacent.
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
What then is greenhouse gas? A
greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat above the Earth and causes greenhouse
effect. Greenhouse effect is the gradual warming of the air surrounding the
Earth. Some of the greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O),
perfluorocarbons (PFCѕ), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCѕ) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). One of the activities that
result in the emission of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere is the burning of
coal. The top three gas emitters through coal burning, for industrial purposes,
are China, United States of America and India. The three countries together
cause the largest emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Manufacture
of cement releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere too. Coal is used, in
South Africa, for example, to generate electricity for institutions and
individuals. Cement and electricity are things you and I cannot do without in
our civilization. This should give you a hint as to how stuck we are in the
climate change issue. Gases released into the atmosphere through human
activities are the anthropogenic gases e.g. carbon dioxide, methane etc. When
greenhouse gases are trapped in the atmosphere in quantities the atmosphere
cannot contain them, the result is rise in temperature.
TEMPERATURE RISE
Current global temperature is
estimated at 4- 5 plus degrees Celsius. The goal now is to keep global warming
below 2 degrees Celsius, i.e. pre-industrial temperature level. In this context
temperature rise is the global average temperature rise. When 2014 was recorded
as the hottest year ever, it was also noted that greenhouse gas emissions hit a
record high. Many scientific experts believe the industrial activities upon
which modern civilization hinges is the cause of much of the carbon dioxide
released into, and trapped by the atmosphere, hence the temperature rise. Most
climate scientists are of the opinion that the rapid rise in global temperature
is due to the expansion of the greenhouse effect due to human activities. The
effect then of rise in temperature, resulting from human activities is climate
change. However, there are some scientists who are of the view that climate
change is not as a result of human activities, but rather, human activities are
as a result of climate change. These scientists factor solar cycles into the
equation.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change occurs when
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begin to interfere with the balance in the climate
system. A simple Dictionary.com definition of climate change is a long-term
change in the Earth’s climate, especially due to increase in the average
atmospheric temperature. With satellite technology it is being established and
acknowledged that glaciers are shrinking as a result of climate change. The
Arctic ice is melting for the same reason. These are manifestation of climate
change. The very foundations of our home are being rocked by our own doings! A
home we are supposed to preserve. In other parts of the world natural disasters
are occurring as indicators of climate change. Take my country Ghana for example;
some coastal towns in Dangme East, a district in the Greater Accra region have
been forced to relocate due to rising sea level.
In conclusion, the current climate
change, it is believed, originates in the unbridled emission of greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere through human activities. The gases when trapped in the atmosphere
cause increase in global average temperature, resulting in natural disasters in
the natural environment. The rate at which natural disasters are occurring in
our time due to climate change, if not checked, could rob us of our habitation.
This is why the UN is making series of clarion calls to the peoples of the
Earth culminating in COP21.
While having a good time this
Christmas, think on this post reflectively.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference
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