Personal Response - Stopping climate change and global warming

“There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we take strong action now.”

I personally agree with this statement very strongly, due to the fact that I am fully aware of the danger our world is facing and that something is needed to be done immediately before we all face the terrible result together.

The world is heating up. The North and South poles are melting, sea levels are getting higher, floods and earthquakes and god know what else are waiting to get us? And we are just going to give up on the Earth, saying that it is ‘too late’ to reverse what we’ve done to our once green and beautiful planet? If that’s what we’re going to say, we’re saying that we would stay lying on the ground after tripping over instead of getting up and being on our way. Because why get up and walk when you know you’re going to fall again at some point?

I'm afraid that we cannot reverse time, nor the damage we’ve done, but there are lots of things we can do other than sitting on our bums crying out ‘pointless!’ like little babies crying over their broken toys. We broke it, we’re responsible for it. Now let’s get up and start changing the world. One is the least number in the world, but hundreds and thousands and millions of ones can make a huge difference.

Da Seul, IB1

News Report - Solutions to Global Warming

Our planet is becoming increasingly affected by global warming, which is the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans. While the earth has also been subject to fluctuating periods of hot and cold weather, current evidence strongly suggests that human activity is causing global warming and that if this activity persists, it will result in permanent, negative changes to the Earth’s climate. Scientists predict that the Earth’s temperature may rise anywhere between 2.5 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the question about what to do remains controversial.

One solution may be the use of geoengineering, also known as climate engineering. There are already a vast number of geoengineering projects, ranging in size from very small to enormous, taking place or planned all over the Earth. For example, researchers at Princeton University have suggested ‘stabilization wedges’ which will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a variety of sources using new technologies. While these wedges show promise, it may take some time for the underlying technologies to be successfully developed. ‘Carbon sequestration’ is another potential solution. In this process, carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuels is captured and then stored underground. This is a relatively simple process as it involves using trees and plants to absorb, or ‘sequester’, the carbon naturally. However, it will involve increasing forest lands and making changes to the way we farm in order to increase the amount of carbon that we are storing. One leader in this type of geoengineering project is USAID, and they are actively promoting carbon sequestration in developing countries.

Even though geoengineering projects are becoming more widespread, there appears to be an apparent lack of understanding about them amongst non-scientists. A recent survey published in the Environmental Research Letters of the Institute indicated that the general public was uncertain as to what geoengineering actually involved; in fact, some respondents felt that the problem of global warming and climate change was being blown out of proportion. Therefore, there is a need for more public awareness of the problem and possible solutions to it. In 2011, the Washington-based Bipartisan published a major report calling countries to move forward on ‘climate remediation’. Without doing this, Professor John Shepherd, chair of the Royal Society’s Working of Geoengineering, believes that current GHG emission cuts and political will are not sufficient to stop global warming.

Personal Response - Are there solutions to climate change and global warming?

“There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we take strong action now.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we are being continually bombarded by news the negative consequences of climate change on the Earth. Some of these reports state that it is already too late to take action; however, like Sir Nicholas Stern, I believe that if we take strong action now, we can mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

There are a number of possible solutions. First of all, it is vital that we significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby allowing solar radiation to naturally enter and leave the atmosphere, leading to a cooler planet. Furthermore, we must greatly decrease the amount of waste, particularly plastics. The production of plastics also results in increased GHG emissions as well as taking thousands of years to bio-degrade. And where do we store all this rubbish? Moreover, rather than indiscriminately cutting down trees, which naturally store carbon in their roots and produce cleaner air, we need to encourage people to plant more trees to absorb harmful carbon deposits. But we must also protect the farmers and help them to farm using more environmentally-friendly techniques. Finally, while individually we have the power to help mitigate the worst effects of climate change, we need to persuade our governments, politicians and businessmen to consider climate change from a larger, global perspective.

To conclude my speech, I would like to say that we should not give up hope in the fight against global warming and climate change; however, we do need to work both individually and collectively to solve the problems. Thank you.

Cycle 14 - 11/01/17 to 19/01/17

Time	Place	Content
D3-P3	ELS2	IB Companion Pg 58-60
D4-P2	Library	Reading time HW - Finish IOC for D6
D6-P7	ELS2	IB Companion Pg 61-62 Reading time

Cycle 13 - 06/12/16 to 10/01/17

Time	Place	Content
D3-P3	ELS2	Exam 2nd drafts
D4-P2	Library	Reading
D6-P7	ELS2	IB Companion Pg 56-57