Naslov
Human Made Global Warming Must Stop

Autori
Bjorke, Sven Ake ; Puškarić, Staša ; Vukmir, Mladen ; Edvardsen-Jelavić, Hanne

Izvornik
RIThink (1848-5324) 4 (2014); 30-34

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, stručni

Ključne riječi
Global warming ; Climate change ; Geoengineering

Sažetak
Man-made global warming likely will worsen already existing human tragedies of war, starvation, glaring inequalities, poverty, flooding, prolonged droughts, erosion, extreme weather and disease (IPCC, 2014). The problems with the fossil fuel age are grave. There are four main problem areas: Environmental Pollution Coal and oil contain chemicals and particles detrimental to health and environment. We emit carbon, nitrogen oxides, aromatics, benzene and sulfur in large quantities. Oil spills and air emissions have serious and long-term toxic effects. Fossil energy has many hidden costs. When costs of damaged eco system services, environmental damage and climate change are included in the overall accounts ; fossil fuels are no longer profitable. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) energy subsidies paired with the negative impacts of fossil fuel consumption total $2 trillion annually. These subsidies are not only hurting the environment, they’re also stunting economic growth and spurring inequality (Clements et al, 2013) Non-Renewable, Finite Resources and Vulnerable Communities Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources. We use the most readily available sources first, and become dependent. To meet global demands ; less accessible, marginal sources are needed. The cost of extracting one barrel of oil from the old, big sources in the North Sea, Saudi Arabia, Texas and Baku is less than 10 dollars. The production price of the same    RIThink, 2014, Vol. 4 31 barrel from a marginal source such as a well in the Barents Sea might be ten times higher or more. Profit margins on unconventional, marginal sources drop rapidly. When the old sources go dry, oil revenues will decrease while costs rise. The oil industry is therefore a “sunset industry”. International oil trading requires the marginal, unconventional oil sources such as tar sands oil and expensive sources in difficult areas to keep the wheels turning. Vulnerable Logistics, Volatile Prices and Uneven Geographical Distribution The largest reserves of cheap oil are concentrated in the Middle East, some old “Soviet countries” and Africa. These reserves are controlled by “Big Oil” – directors in close connection with corrupt and fanatical regimes or individuals with their own agendas. More than half of the global oil proceeds go to such regimes. The Carbon Society is dependent on a regular supply, and is vulnerable to uncontrolled price fluctuations. Huge accumulations of capital by corrupt individuals and undemocratic regimes create violent conflicts that threaten democratic governance and continuously cause new financial crises. CO2 Emissions, Global Warming and Climate Change The world’s most esteemed climate scientists have proven global warming of air, land and sea (IPCC, 2013).. Rising temperatures, rising sea levels, reduction in glacier ice and snow, warmer seas and acidification are among the symptoms. Our climate systems are already changing, resulting in more unpredictable weather, extreme weather events such as storms, droughts, heavier snow in winter seasons, fifty-year-floods every five years, forest fires and various difficulties for agriculture. Society’s vulnerability increases rapidly without massive development of alternative energy sources. Continued long-term use of fossil fuels is deeply unethical, threatens life on earth and in the long run will be financially devastating (Bjørke, 2013).

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Interdisciplinarne prirodne znanosti

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