Combating+Anthropogenic+Climate+Change

=__**Combating Anthropogenic Climate Change**__=

====**"The blunt truth about the politics of climate change is that no country will want to sacrifice its economy in order to meet this challenge, but all economies know that the only sensible long term way of developing is to do it on a sustainable basis" - Tony Blair**====

What is Anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change?
Anthropogenic, or human induced climate change refers to a gradual change in average weather conditions over periods of time due to various human activities. This may include a change in number of extreme. This can affect one particular region, or it can affect the entire planet. It is often mistaken for the term "Global Warming", which is solely used to describe the a rise in global average temperature over time.

Natural Causes of Climate Change (In the past)

 * Throughout Earth's history, the climate has always experienced various forms of climate changes, including warming periods and ice ages. These changes are affected by both extraterrestrial factors, such as:**
 * 1) - Solar Radiation Discharge from the Sun
 * 2) - Amount of Dust in the Interstellar Medium
 * 3) - The Earth's path of orbit around the Sun

- Ocean Currents - Continental Drift - Volcanic Eruptions - The tilting of the Earth
 * or it can also be affected by factors within the Earth itself, including but not restricted to the following factors:**

Human Causes of Climate Change (Modern)

 * Since the first industrial revolution in the 19th century, fossil fuels have, for very long, been used in enormous amounts to generate electricity. It has helped create many jobs for people, and led to people moving from rural areas to the city. The world's population saw a dramatic increase after that, leading to increased consumption of natural resources and increased amount of waste. Both result in excess greenhouse gases being given off into the atmosphere; climatologists and scientists have been conducting countless numbers of tests, and have concluded that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is closely linked to the planet's temperature.**


 * Some of the human causes of Climate Change in the Modern Society Include:**
 * Emissions of nitrous oxides from farms because of fertilizers for high yield crops
 * Combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity producing toxic gases
 * Large numbers of vehicles, most of which emit greenhouse gases
 * Deforestation: Wood such as timber is required for industrial purposes, such as construction

Post Kyoto Protocol Negotiations - Slowing Down Climate Change



 * The Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force February 2005; the Kyoto Protocol is a protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as UNFCCC. 37 Annex I countries would pledge to reduce their greenhouse gases emissions by about 5.2% of their emission levels in the year 1990. 150 of other participating member states who have also ratified and signed the protocol pledged to have similar reductions in greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, the United States of America, being the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, had not signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol.**




 * The Kyoto Protocol, however, was not enough to significantly slow down climate change. There had to be another treaty designed to cut carbon emissions faster and in larger quantities. Thankfully, in the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 in Denmark, a new agreement was drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa; this agreement was named the Copenhagen Accord. Though many nations took note of the agreement, they did not adopt it, and a debate between all participating member states commenced the next day, resulting in the accord not being passed with all votes. A lot of criticism was received from both government and non government organizations about this new accord, as it does not bind commitments for CO2 reduction. Despite criticism from different parties, at least 138 countries have signed this agreement so far.**


 * This accord has to be worked on more thoroughly; some nations and organizations doubt the success of this agreement, thus all member states in the UN must assess and redraft this accord, in order for it to be accepted by everyone, at the same time completing the objective of reducing emissions. Nations are already preparing for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference. Resolutions concerning must be created, agreed on, and enforced, otherwise the Copenhagen accord will fall apart.**


 * These are some of the websites that I have used recently for my research recently. There are many other great websites on the web, but I did not have a chance to bookmark every single one of them.**
 * Wikipedia site on Climate Change || An excellent article from the free encyclopedia diving into the science of Climate Change ||
 * Wikipedia site on Environmental Policies || An article explaining what Environmental Policies are ||
 * Wikipedia site on Global Warming || Interesting and detailed article about the Global Warming phenomena, one of the main type of Climate Change ||
 * Edugreen site on Causes of Climate Change || A great article explaining in depth the causes of Climate Change, both natural and man made ||
 * climatehotmap Website of Information || This website is great for researching because if gives a description of the many impacts of Climate Change on different parts of the globe, and how they act as warning signs of the feared "Global Warming ||
 * Global Issues Website Directory for Climate Change Articles || This is a directory from the well known Global Issues Website. It contains many articles written about the background of Climate Change, its causes, its impacts and news about what is happening around the world because of it. It also links to other separate but similar groups of topics. ||

= Journal Entries =

=August 16th 2010=

I was researching about post Kyoto Protocol negotiations, and came across a recently drafted agreement called the Copenhagen Accord. If this accord is enforced and put into motion, it will lead to a significant decrease in carbon emissions each year, slowing Climate Change. Countries have committed to reduce up to 45% of their carbon emissions by 2020, including biggest carbon emitter, The People's Republic of China.

=August 12th 2010=

I have been up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain today, and seen an example of the consequences of Climate Change. The Glacier on the top of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has been retreating for over 10 years now.The photos below show overlooking the tributaries coming down from the glaciers up in the mountains and a view of the river that runs down from the glacier. This valley used to hold the glacier; evidence shows this is true, mineral rich melt-water and eroded rocks.

Glaciers all around the world are seeing similar effects from the obvious temperature rise. This is a worrying issue as glaciers account for the biggest reservoir on Earth for **fresh water**, and second to Oceans for sources of total water. If the ice continues to deplete without restoring, then we may see a major water shortage in the future.

**Two of the best websites for research on glaciers include:**

 * **National Snow and Ice Data Center's All About Glaciers** || This website is ideal for students of all ages. It provides links to other interesting and useful websites. ||
 * **Wikipedia Entry on Glaciers** || An excellent entry from the free encyclopedia. It gives a lot of information on the Motion, anatomy, types and formation of glaciers ||



=August 8th 2010=

I was reading CNN on iTouch this morning, and came across an article about the melting of Greenland's ice caps. Apparently, an island of ice roughly about 250 - 260 squared km separated from the Petermann glacier a few days ago. This large mass of floating ice could block the Nares Strait that borders Canada and Greenland.

This island could cause a blockage in the Nares Strait, marked on the diagram as a red X. A blockage in that area may disrupt traveling ships from reaching their destinations, causing all sorts of different problems. According to environmentalists, the melting and breaking of the ice island has ultimately been caused by Global Warming. Despite that, debates have heated up, with skeptics claiming that environmentalists are overreacting. Nevertheless, it is clear that we cannot wait to fully understand the nature of this planet in relation to climate change; all nations must act to combat this issue in all ways possible, including the reduction of carbon emissions and transition into renewable energy solutions. The Kyoto Protocol was a start, but it is not enough to slow down this change.