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Essays on how climate change is a security issue
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Climate change is quickly becoming the largest and most complex challenge facing the world today. A massive hurricane, devastating flood or a colossal earthquake has the potential to eradicate an entire country. As a result, the United States needs to have an action plan in place that establishes protocols for natural disasters that occur domestically and those that occur in nations worldwide. Instead of fighting terrorism, the US military may have to intervene in a water or food war between nations. In Security Studies: An Introduction, the author argues that research done in the 1990s determined that depleting natural resources did not lead to armed conflict. However, the author goes on to state that “if modern societies don’t prepare for what we know is coming then we might indeed get conflict and insecurity if political elites try to violently re-impose control on a rapidly changing world.” Combating climate change is not something that can be tackled unilaterally. Instead, preparing for climate change requires long term and sustainable international cooperation.
The need for a united global front to confront climate change is particularly important in countries like Turkey where the US is a key ally. Given that Turkey is one of the few stable countries in the Middle East, the US has a mutual interest in ensuring that climate change does not have a negative impact on Turkey. Furthermore, because Turkey lies in both Europe and Asia it can provide valuable intelligence to the US on developing situations in China, North Korea and other Asian nations.
Impact of Climate Change on National Security:
In the coming decade, climate change will lead to more storms, droughts and floods that will have serious consequences on ...
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United States. U.S. Army. Strategic Studies Institute. Global Climate Change: National Security Implications. By Carolyn W. Pumphrey. May 2008. Accessed May 3, 2014. http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub862.pdf.
Vagg, Xander. "American Security: the Impact of Climate Change." The american security project 1 (2012): 1-5. Print.
"What Is the Future of Water? | Water in the Future | Water in 2050." Growing Blue Water in 2050 Comments. Accessed May 03, 2014. http://growingblue.com/water-in-2050/.
"Why Turkey suffers earthquake misery." BBC News. BBC, 3 Aug. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. .
Williams, Paul. "Climate Change and Environmental Security." In Security Studies: An Introduction, London: Routledge, 2008.
Already scientists have observed that more than 75% of the recent economic losses are caused by natural hazards which can be attributed to wind storms, floods, droughts and other climate related hazards. In the year 2008, the U.S. state of Iowa was on the front pages of newspapers all around the world. Weeks of heavy rain in the Midwest caused rivers to swell and levees to break. Millions of acres of farmland are now underwater, their plantings most likely destroyed. By March, Iowa had tied its third-highest monthly snowfall in 121 years of record keeping, and then came the rain. April’s st...
By using the information found in this book, I will be able to write about the severity of the ongoing issue of climate change. With all the dangerous effects of climate change Kahrl and Roland-Holst point out on just a single state, it becomes clear that other places around the world are experiencing the same. In fact, since Cali...
It was in this setting that the Nations of the world gathered to discuss the issue of global warming in late November of 1997 (Christianson 254). From the beginning, the United States was viewed as the villain. Undersecretary of State, Stuart Eizenstat, and head of the U.S. delegation, let it be known that no amount of pressure could force the administration to flinch. “We want an agreement, but we are not going to Kyoto at any cost” (qtd. in Christianson 255). Vice President Al Gore added: “We are perfectly prepared to walk away from an agreement that we don’t think will work”.
Hoffman, M. (2013) “Global Climate Change” in The Handbook of Global Climate and Environmental Policy
In recent decades, the contentious issues surrounding climate change and the corresponding effects it likely exerts upon contemporary civilization has developed to become one of the most pressing areas of concern afflicting humanity (Armstrong, 1). Currently, climate change has started to demonstrate its potentially calamitous consequences upon human subsistence practices, and has even begun to alter the very environments that entire societies reside in, theoretically endangering them in both instances (Armstrong, 1). Though the hindrances inherent in climate change are potentially devastating to the preservation of modern society, the problem of climate change itself is not one that is exclusive to the contemporary era. Rather, the harmful
Global warming is a problem that is often overlooked by many and is hindered among other problems that require immediate actions. Over the last 136 years the temperature in earth has increased 1.7°¬¬¬F. Although an increase of 1.7°¬¬¬F over 136 years may not seem like a lot but humans are destroying the earth at a faster rate than ever before. Human omissions are roughly equal to 4 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding across the planet every second leaving future generations of human in jeopardy. With warmer climate comes with catastrophic outcomes like drought, which can destabilize the food sources on earth leaving millions of people hungry. Widespread extinction of most species on earth and the melting of polar ice caps can raise the sea level leaving most of the world’s coastal cities under water. This cannot happen overnight but if humans keep omitting at the current rate the outcome of climate change will become prominent
Planet Earth is under attack by the very entities charged with its protection. Human beings are systematically destroying the planet and are deaf to its, so far, relatively subtle warnings. When temperatures rise by just a fraction of a degree, or yearly precipitation amounts increase by just an inch or two, these changes can be imperceptible. However, when these small changes accumulate after a period of years they can result in natural disasters that are uncommon to certain geographic areas. Ocean temperatures have steadily been on the rise for years. These changing temperatures have the potential to irrevocably change weather patterns for the entire world. In August of 2011, Hurricane Irene gave much of the east coast of the United States a taste of what changes in global weather patterns can do. The hurricane showed many communities how vastly underprepared, and unequipped they are to deal with such a storm, and it served as a wake up call to the human race, to take better care of the planet. A case study of these realizations can be viewed through the prism of severe weather related events at the Humane Society of Ocean City.
Based on the impacts on a coastal location near point Barrow, Alaska which impacts to the ecological, heath, fresh water and societal life. Increasing temperatures in the next 25 years sea thawing permafrost coastal erosion flooding other climate change. Scientist predict that over the next century the temperature increase will be twice as much over the long term norm as it is now. Statewide average annual temperatures could rise from current levels by as 5 to 13 degrees, an average winter temperature could rise by as much as 22 degrees F in certain locations. Climate change is unavoidable, it’s already under way, and the observable effects are likely to increase with time. In the next century, predict changes of 3 to 10 degrees F. small changes in temperature will cause big changes to life on earth. With planning we can minimize the potential harm from coming changes and in some cases even find opportunities. Most planning for future climate change adaption is simply a matter of addressing current effects of weather extremes. The impacts of climate change are diverse, and vulnerabilities differ across regions and sectors.
Throughout history climates have drastically changed. There have been shifts from warm climates to the Ice Ages (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.204). Evidence suggests there have been at least a dozen abrupt climate changes throughout the history of the earth. There are a few suspected reasons for these past climate changes. One reason may be that asteroids hitting the earth and volcanic eruptions caused some of them. A further assumption is that 22-year solar magnetic cycles and 11-year sunspot cycles played a part in the changes. A further possibility is that a regular shifting in the angle of the moon orbiting earth causing changing tides and atmospheric circulation affects the global climate (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.205). Scientific studies suggest that all these played a role in past global warming and cooling periods. Today, however, there is a lot of conflict on whether humans are causing a global warming that could be disastrous to humans and all species of plants and animals on this earth. This paper will first explain the greenhouse effect, then take a look at both sides argument, and, finally, analyze the effect of global warming on world-wide sustainability
Carter, Robert M. "Global Warming: Ten Facts and Ten Myths on Climate Change." Global Research. Global Research, 9 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 June 2014. . Secondary Source
Due to climate changes, we are a “gradual and uncertain rather than immediate and obvious” process, we as humans cannot understand it (Jamieson, 102). In addition, climate change effects have no geographical bounds and because very few people pay attention to events that occur beyond national boundaries, most people are oblivious to its existence. Jamieson makes the point that climate change must be thought rather than sensed, and we as humans are not very good at thinking (Jamieson, 103). On top of that, even if we succeed in thinking that something is a threat, we are less reactive than if we sense that it is a threat. Since we cannot even comprehend climate change's presence in our world right now, it also makes it extremely difficult for us to comprehend how our anthropogenic actions of today will affect future generations all over the world.
...al security, which I believe are the most pressing concern of our time. When considering the fragile Caspian region, there is a tendency to focus on the complicated geopolitical struggle that underlies the New Great Game. A to focus on energy security. Energy security, which has been the cause for several of the most recent wars of our time, including the war in Iraq. Yet global ecopolitics and environmental security, have caused wars of their own, and may still cause another. I have endeavoured to demonstrate the importance of environmental security in our lives. An environmental security crisis can leave a lake devoid of life, or transform a landscape into a wasteland. It can take a vibrant community and turn it into a sickhouse. It is my argument that environmental security should be brought alongside energy security, to the forefront of our political agenda.
Although climate change isn’t visible from one day to the next, year to year there are many visible signs of climate change, are there is strong evidence of this due to observations and measurements all over the world. Some of the most prominent visible signs are higher temperatures, more droughts, increased extreme weather events, changing rain and snow patterns, less snowpack, melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, thawing permafrost, increased ocean acidity, warmer oceans and rising sea levels.
Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is being experienced globally in various forms such as temperature rise. Sea level rise, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the forth assessment report of the IPCC project even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is inflicting serious consequences on human wellbeing and will continue to inflict damages in the future. It is estimated that mean global temperature will rise by 1.8 ºC - 4.0 ºC by end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009). A new global climate model predicts that in the coming decade the surface air temperature is likely to exceed existing records (Smith et al., 2007). Growing season temperatures in the tropics and subtropics by end of the 21st century will exceed the most extreme temperature recorded in the history (Battistic and Rosamond, 2009).
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.