Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities, mainly through the energy and transport sectors. When fossil fuels are burned, they produce carbon (IV) oxide (CO2), which is the leading contributor to global warming (Ge & Friedrich, 2020). The most frustrating aspect of the climate change problem is that earlier intervention could have prevented it, but there is a reluctance to follow the route. Every passing year of little action implies that the emission cuts which lower global warming can continue becoming steeper. The energy sector bears the most significant blame, with a 73% contribution to human-caused global warming (Ge & Friedrich, 2020). Therefore, humans are the most responsible for this situation, and some steps need to be taken to help alleviate the adverse effects of global warming.
It is not easy for humanity to effectively address global warming and climate change because they are the root causes. One of the main reasons this is not possible is the conflicting interests of social science and economics (Hunt & Colander, 2016). For example, humans depend on energy to perform daily activities. Thus, stopping the production of energy will cause a stalemate in many people’s lives (Bradshaw, 2014). There are the tools and approaches to put sanctions on unclean energy production slowly, but governments are reluctant to adopt this strategy because it will paralyze many sectors. One way is to restrict the burning of fossil fuels and encourage clean energy sources, such as wind power (Bradshaw, 2014). Therefore, it is challenging for humans to tackle global warming and climate change successfully.
Moreover, it is not possible for humanity to avoid the tragedy of climate commons. The main reason is the self-centered exploitation of resources, including open lands (Battersby, 2017). There is a need for people to prioritize the common good as opposed to selfish ambitions. However, humans must now identify the necessity of abandoning this situation when it comes to overgrazing. There is no known technical answer which can help from the overpopulation misery, which has been the leading cause of global warming and climate change. The freedom for humans to perform any activities is leading to more climate disasters. It is time to regulate human actions, such as the burning of fossil fuels and energy production, which have been the leading causes of global warming through the emission of CO2.
References
Battersby, S. (2017). News feature: Can humankind escape the tragedy of the Commons? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(1), 7–10.
Bradshaw, M. (2014). Global energy dilemmas: Energy security, globalization, and climate change. Polity Press.
Ge, M., & Friedrich, J. (2020). 4 charts explain greenhouse gas emissions by countries and sectors. World Resources Institute.
Hunt, E. & Colander, D. (2016). Social science: An introduction to the study of society (15th ed.). Routledge.