Running Head: CLIMATE CHANGE 1
Running Head: CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate Change, Carbon Monoxide and Public Policy
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Climate change is a phenomenon that has been developing where we have observed changes in the weather patterns around the globe ranging from prolonged droughts to massive floods. There have been controversies arising from the link between carbon dioxide emission and climate change when it comes to public policy. This paper discusses the reason behind these controversies citing relevant literary materials.
According to Solomon et al., (2009) the concentration of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased over the 20th century. This rise in carbon dioxide levels has led also led to rising in the atmospheric temperature due to the formation of a “blanket” on the earth’s atmosphere that traps the heat energy leaving the earth’s surface (Leiserowitz, 2005).
However, some people believe that climate change is a hoax created by anti-fossil fuel propagators. Sandt (2015) argues that there has been no significant temperature rise in the atmosphere for the past 17 years. He further notes that most charts that portray the temperature rise do not go beyond the year 2000 due to inconsistencies.
Such ideas, as presented by Sandt, are the ones that cause controversies when coming up with policies to reduce carbon emissions. Implementation of these policies become challenging as the public and policymakers may not be willing to make a shift to “green energy” if they believe that the fossil fuels do not affect them or the environment.
In conclusion, it is clear that there is a problem in coming up with solutions to climate change due to the different ideas people hold about climate change. There should be clear information on the extent of the effects of the excessive release of carbon dioxide. There should be a clear explanation on the discrepancies on the charts showing the progress of climate change as a result of the release of carbon monoxide.
References
Solomon, S., Plattner, G. K., Knutti, R., & Friedlingstein, P. (2009). Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 106(6), 1704-1709.
Leiserowitz, A. A. (2005). American risk perceptions: Is climate change dangerous?. Risk Analysis: An International Journal, 25(6), 1433-1442.
https://www.ourmidland.com/opinion/editorials/article/Global-warming-attributed-to-CO2-emissions-a-hoax-6916658.php Global warming attributed to CO2 emissions a hoax. Bill Sandt Updated 5:15 am EDT, Sunday, June 28, 2015