Deforestation, coastal destruction, extreme weather events are just some of the costly irreversible effects of climate change. This terrifying crisis that we are currently facing demands drastic change to save humanity and the degradation of the environment.
Human activity has resulted in the increase of atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by more than thirty percent since pre-industrial times. This has resulted in many countries being vulnerable to wild fires, flooding and high pollution levels. In recent years, Greenland and The Arctic have experienced rapid glacier melting which has caused rising sea levels and costly damage to coastal towns. Certain organisations behaviour – such as factories and their role in pollution – has caused costs to society to those who not directly involved. An example of this is low lying coastal countries such as the Maldives, whose vulnerability is increasing due to the rising sea levels. The highest point in the Maldives is 8 feet above sea level and with sea level rising on average of 0.09m to 0.37m combined with increased erosion and storms, the Maldivian citizens are increasingly under threat of displacement resulting in a global crisis as there is not enough space for environmental refugees. Unfortunately, those who pay the highest price from the results of climate change are those who have been least responsible.
One solution currently instated is the tax imposed by the government on a good which harms the interest of the community. Despite some evidence of this tax being effective, these minor changes are insufficient in preventing the impending disaster for all living things. As the government imposes the tax many issues can arise. The monetary value of cost to society is difficult if not impossible to measure. The government can fail to get the tax right as they lack the information needed to accurately set the tax. The government can also act in ways not in public interest, instead in ways to boost election votes. As a result, the needs of the government may be inconsistent with the needs of society. Overall the taxes in place currently fail to reduce the human contribution towards climate change therefore radical change is required.
Climate change is resulting in destruction of habitats in events such as wildfires in Canada. As our consumer habits continue to become more luxurious, due to individuals becoming richer, our wasteful culture will get increasingly more problematic. In 2017 there were 71,000 wildfires compared to 66,000 in 2016. As more wildfires burn through our forest habitats our resources are wasted causing inefficiency. This is a wasteful, ineffective use of scarce resources which is unsustainable for future generations, prompting the need for change.
An alternative to a tax is a more market-based approach with the idea of bargaining to internalise the issue into the market. A traditionalist would argue this approach is more successful however I believe this solution is not enough to help our global struggle. Capitalism drives social and environmental injustice creating further issues. For bargaining to be successful and enable both parties to be better off the market needs to be developed. This is an issue for developing countries where markets and institutions are often underdeveloped so they lack the resources and information to bargain successfully. Further failure is caused as negotiations are difficult as both parties need to agree on an end result.
Those who believe in free markets would argue scarcity and pollution will encourage innovation and growth therefore discovering substitutes and developing technology. However, with the present level of red tape in markets, new technologies and production methods are unable to be developed. Entrepreneurs are limited in their product development so the state of the climatic condition will remain. Global cooperation is also needed to effectively reduce emissions and whilst influential countries such as America and China fail to cooperate in agreements like The Paris agreement the future environmental state is under threat.
As a planet we have the means to stop and tools available to save our environment for future generations however we need more action as minor solutions are insufficient. Fossil fuels need to remain in the ground replaced by cleaner renewable energy sources. For example, China is leading the way in the clean energy boom with big dams and solar panel farms. China produces two-thirds of the world’s solar panels with the Huanghe farm being the biggest in the world with four million solar panels on site. If governments act now we believe we can have a hundred percent renewable energy access for all by 2050.
Rich industrialised countries need to change whilst developing countries need to clean up how they industrialise resulting in reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The window for change is small so action needs to be taken now. Overconsumption is a big issue for society today and the levels of waste are increasingly rising. As a result, we need to radically change our consumption habits. Overconsumption of scarce resources such as natural resources, energy and water is unsustainable resulting in irreversible effects on the environment. We now consume too much of the earth’s resources such that we are near to overstepping the earth’s capacity. With our scarce resources and level of growth some say resources will be depleted by 2100. Therefore, conservation of our resources is needed. Our levels of waste are at exceptionally high levels such that in 2016 they reached a staggering 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste. This releases pollution through landfills leading to more greenhouse emissions and enhancing the climate change impacts. In order to prevent further environmental degradation companies and households need to dramatically reduce waste levels by recycling and consuming less.
Direct action is needed – the current solutions in place are not enough. Now is the time for fundamental change – we can stop this together.