Running Head: GLOBAL SOCIETAL ISSUE
Global Societal Issue
Ricky Marlow
GEN 499
Professor Mayhew
August 27, 2020
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GLOBAL SOCIETAL ISSUE
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Global Societal Issue
Did you notice a change in weather today? If not, you have heard or experienced violent
storms across the coastal towns in the U.S. and across the world. What about the hurricanes we
see in movies? They are now in our midst because climate change is real and destructive. There
is little or no hope as the United Nations Environmental Program predicts that if the global
temperature continues, millions of species and some countries bordering the oceans and seas will
disappear (2020). The prediction is happening quicker than expected because countries like
Indonesia, Tuvalu, and Kiribati are gradually being covered by water. Extensive research is
required to identify the extent to which climate change is impacting life and strategies for
mitigating the acceleration of this problem. It is a significant ethical issue that pushes people to
confront numerous questions on environmental stewardship and sustainability issues as moral
agents. Climate change has drastic impacts that need collective mitigation measures.
Tol, J.S. R. (2018). The economic impacts of climate change. Review of Environmental
Economic and Policy, 12(1).
Tol reviews the economic significance of climate change and the implications of results
(2018). The author based his argument on a literature review, which suggests that the twenty-first
century's global economy will not experience drastic impacts of climate change. However, the
long-run consequences will be unbearable thereafter, especially in less developed countries
(LDC). The challenge will affect the global economy and trap more people in poverty, which
increases vulnerability to climate change. Although the impacts are already felt in areas like
water sources, scarcity of natural resources causing violent conflicts, and poor agriculture
productivity, they are expected to aggravate. This article contributes to the overall topic of
climate change by assessing its economic significance.
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Tol might have concentrated on future impacts at the expense of the ones that the global
community is experiencing (2018). The author recommends the development of policies to
protect lives at the highest risk of climate change. The measure includes protecting coastal
people and marine life, facilitating productivity in agriculture in LDC, and control of infectious
diseases such as malaria. These measures are short-term and not very useful because they do not
address climate change's root cause.
Javeline, D, Hellmann, J. J, McLachlan, S. J, Sax, F. D & Schwartz, W. M. (2015).
Expert opinion on extinction risk and climate change adaptation for biodiversity.
Javeline and colleagues surveyed experts in the fields of environmental conservation,
ecology, biology, and related disciplines to verify the possibility of species extinction as a result
of climate change. The researchers recruited a sample size of 15,479 using a census approach
(Javeline et al., 2015). However, 2,329 qualified and participated in the survey. 9.5% confirmed
that average species are at risk of extinction due to climate change in the next century. 53% of
the respondents said that non-microbial organisms would be extinct by 2050, while 20% asserted
that the rate of extinction would be higher than 20% (Javeline et al., 2015). The researchers
concluded that scientists are not debating if species extinction is real, but on how it is evident due
to climate change. The researchers recommended adaptation strategies for addressing the risk of
extinction. However, they do not narrow down on any specific strategy because none is ideal as a
remedy in all ecosystems since they are diverse.
Nirimisa, R. M & Narimisa, R. M. (2018). Climate change and global warming overview:
Assessing climate change and global warming in local scale.
Nirimisa and Narimisa conducted long-term series research to identify climate change in
Iran by assessing daily precipitation temperature, rain, and cyclonic climate from 1966-2016
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(2016). The authors used the Kriging interpolation method in cells of land cover. They found out
that the day and night temperatures have increased gradually throughout the study. The rate of
freezing days, cold-frost indexes, and cold nights has been reducing slowly (Nirimisa &
Narimisa, 2018). Another observation that the researchers found is that the duration of cold
waves has been decreasing. The more pronounced observation was an increase in temperature.
Most months assumed incremental trends with the cold months experience the highest increase
in temperature. The observation was also made in a high run-off in winter that was reduced
during other seasons. This is the variable that shaped the conclusions of Nirimisa and Narimisa
that climate change. It has resulted in the melting of ice in the Karoon area and excessive water
consumption in irrigation at Mashhad plain.
Hayes, K, Blashki, G, Wiseman, J, Burke, S & Reifels, L. (2018). Climate change and
mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. International Journal of Mental Health
Systems, 12(28)
Hayes and colleagues conducted a literature review to assess risks, priority actions, and
impacts of climate change on health (2018). The authors agree with Tol that climate change has
destructive impacts by narrowing down to the problem's health consequences. From their review
of the literature, Hayes et al. found out that climate change increases the risks of chronic and
acute respiratory complications and vector and water-borne diseases (2018). The problem
accelerates global mortality and morbidity rates. Other impacts include an acute shortage of food
that results in malnutrition, UV exposure that causes malignant melanoma and renal diseases
from dehydration.
The risks of climate change take another dimension in mental health. Hayes et al. also
found out that exposure to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heat waves, forest fires,
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and storms triggers post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), anxiety disorders, major depressive
disorders, and recovery fatigue among many other mental complications (2018). The authors
recommend mitigation and adaptive measures for addressing the health risks of climate change.
The fight against the problem requires efforts from individuals, local and state, and global
support.
Palomo, I. (2017). Climate change impacts on ecosystem services in high mountain areas:
A literature review. Journal of Mountain Research and Development, 37(2): 179-187
Palomo carried out qualitative research in 2016, assessing the impacts of climate change
on the environment. The focus of this research was on high mountain areas. It involved a review
of 251 articles that address the problem of climate change in mountainous regions like Tibet,
South America, Scotland, Africa, and the European Alps (Palomo, 2017). The results indicated
that climate change has negative impacts on nature by destabilizing ecosystems. It limits the
availability, distribution, and access to natural resources, including food and water. The retreat of
the glacier was numerously identified as a threat to nature. For example, it increases the risks of
rockfalls and flooding from the glacial lake that endangers biodiversity's sustainability. Climate
change was also found to reduce the aesthetic value of nature. For example, Kilimanjaro has lost
85% of ice cover, and it is expected to melt completely before the end of a century (Palomo,
2017). Like Hayes et al., Palomo recommends adaptation and mitigation measures for addressing
the adverse risks of climate change to mountainous communities. The author proposes further
research to establish appropriate education and awareness campaigns to equip individuals to take
action against climate change.
Conclusions
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Climate change has drastic impacts that need collective mitigation measures. Various
authors assess the scope of the problem by exploring its diverse impacts. They include retarding
economic growth, degrading the value of the natural environment, and increasing health risks.
Addressing climate change needs societal efforts that start from individuals, agencies, and the
global community.
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References
Hayes, K, Blashki, G, Wiseman, J, Burke, S & Reifels, L. (2018). Climate change and mental
health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. International Journal of Mental Health
Systems, 12(28). Retrieved from
https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6
Javeline, D, Hellmann, J. J, McLachlan, S. J, Sax, F. D & Schwartz, W. M. (2015). Expert
opinion on extinction risk and climate change adaptation for biodiversity. Retrieved from
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/348/6234/571.full.pdf
Nirimisa, R. M & Narimisa, R. M. (2018). Climate change and global warming overview:
Assessing climate change and global warming in local scale. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324747830_Climate_Change_and_Global_War
ming
Palomo, I. (2017). Climate change impacts on ecosystem services in high mountain areas: A
literature review. Journal of Mountain Research and Development, 37(2): 179-187.
Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00110.
Tol, J.S. R. (2018). The economic impacts of climate change. Review of Environmental
Economic and Policy, 12(1). Retrieved from
https://academic.oup.com/reep/article/12/1/4/4804315
United Nation Environmental Program. (2020). Facts about the climate emergency. Retrieved
from https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/climate-change/facts-about-climateemergency
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