Climate change is larger than a state, a region, or a country; climate change affects multitudinous people in multitudinous different ways; climate change is without borders.
It is for these reasons why climate change governance based in science is so important.
Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York with substantial knowledge on climate change has professed the important of the role of governance when it comes to climate change issues. He has the authority to speak on this matter, in particular, because of his prior experience in government.
"The Elders" who assert that policy descriptions must show a clear basis in sound science in order to be of any substantial use. The Elders are "independent global leaders - originally brought together by Nelson Mandela - who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering, and promote the shared interests of humanity". Climate change is an issue that relates to all of these factors, and as such, The Elders have the authority to speak on this matter.
To conclude - in order to prevent the negative effects of climate change from becoming even more severe - policyinformed by verified science must become the norm!
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
The Continued Effects of the Deepwater Horizon (BP) Oil Spill
Within this past month, on April 20th of 2017, people are still writing about the 2010 oil spill that ravaged the news and environment. A Virginia Tech article outlines, "The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill did $17.2 billion in damage to the natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists recently found after a six-year study of the impact of the largest oil spill in U.S. history."
As "the first comprehensive appraisal" of the 134-million-gallon spill's financial tolls, the new findings have concluded the far-reaching effects have totaled this final valuation. In class we have talked about short-term, medium-term, and long-term effects, and the BP crisis outlines all of the above.As we talked about in discussion, the explosion on the BP rig was due to defective cement, yet this error cost 11 people their lives, and 4.9 million barrels of oil to seep into the gulf and ultimately sending crippling effects radiating into the surrounding areas. Industries like fishing, tourism, and hunting were negatively impacted, however more importantly was the toll the spill took on the environment.
The Deepwater Horizon spill displayed extremely low levels of effective response (using standards outlined in class) with the reaction time taking far too long for government officials to contain the incident (4 months to seal the leak of oil being discharged).
With the costs just officially being tallied over 6 years after-the-fact, it is clear we must have improved measures of coordination and contingency plans set in place for the future. Our task is now to take our mistakes and learn from them, as this unparalleled event simply cannot afford to be repeated.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170420141825.htm
Monday, May 8, 2017
More Than We Think
Throughout this semester, we've discussed the dangers of numerous disasters. Some of these disasters have far-ranging consequences - many of which most individuals do not think about in the context of such disasters.
Sex-trafficking in the context of climate change is one such example.
When we think about climate change, we think about ocean acidification, food scarcity, and maybe even climate migrants. However, we rarely extend our thinking to the analysis of what people are forced to do in order to survive.
Justine Calma's article on the connection between climate change and sex-trafficking evokes many of the concepts that we've spoken about in class.
Calma touches on what we've described as "vulnerability" in class. The Philippines is extremely susceptible to damage or harm by climate change which increases the likelihood of threats such as typhoons. Calma states the following:
Additionally, the hazardous nature of the forces that are exacerbated by climate change contribute to this problem. For example, the destructivity of Typhoon Haiyan was enormous. Calma states that the force "nearly wiped out" Tacloban, one of the Philippines' costal cities. The significance of this hazard, which is at least in part due to climate change, is that it displaced more than 4 million people. This displacement is what creates opportunities for the sex-traffickers.
We've discussed natural disasters, natural hazards caused by humans and natural hazards that are increased by humans but I propose that this is a phenomenon that humans have created (sex-trafficking) that has been exacerbated by a natural hazard (climate change). To complicate matters further, climate change is also an example of a disaster of which humans have increased the severity.
It is imperative that we tackle these problems (sex-trafficking, climate change, and issues that are exacerbated by climate change) specifically. However, looking at these issues and how they interact may allow us to come up with more holistic solutions.
Sex-trafficking in the context of climate change is one such example.
When we think about climate change, we think about ocean acidification, food scarcity, and maybe even climate migrants. However, we rarely extend our thinking to the analysis of what people are forced to do in order to survive.
Justine Calma's article on the connection between climate change and sex-trafficking evokes many of the concepts that we've spoken about in class.
Calma touches on what we've described as "vulnerability" in class. The Philippines is extremely susceptible to damage or harm by climate change which increases the likelihood of threats such as typhoons. Calma states the following:
"Climate change is a new push factor for human trafficking; its effects destroy livelihoods and place women and children in post-catastrophe situations that traffickers exploit."It is because of this vulnerability that the exposure of the disaster is so significant. The individuals who are trafficked often continue being prostitutes because the alternative is starving and not providing for family. There is also a "stigma of having worked in the industry" that prevents victims from leaving or obtaining legal assistance. In this way, we can see how the duration of the event is extremely long-lasting.
Additionally, the hazardous nature of the forces that are exacerbated by climate change contribute to this problem. For example, the destructivity of Typhoon Haiyan was enormous. Calma states that the force "nearly wiped out" Tacloban, one of the Philippines' costal cities. The significance of this hazard, which is at least in part due to climate change, is that it displaced more than 4 million people. This displacement is what creates opportunities for the sex-traffickers.
We've discussed natural disasters, natural hazards caused by humans and natural hazards that are increased by humans but I propose that this is a phenomenon that humans have created (sex-trafficking) that has been exacerbated by a natural hazard (climate change). To complicate matters further, climate change is also an example of a disaster of which humans have increased the severity.
It is imperative that we tackle these problems (sex-trafficking, climate change, and issues that are exacerbated by climate change) specifically. However, looking at these issues and how they interact may allow us to come up with more holistic solutions.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
British territories' environment 'at risk'- BBC News
In this article from BBC, author Roger Harrabin discusses wildlife and the environments of "far-flung British territories [being] under threat." British environmental ministers are blaming Brexit from distracting from the more pressing issues of the earth and wildlife endangerment to which the British government has called "unfair" criticism. The government has also recently highlighted the importance of the protected marine areas they have implemented, however, they fail to transparently take responsibility for their own overseas territory, and there is obvious confusion and miscommunication to which sector is responsible for the islands threatened.
The main issue here is the shift of blame when action needs to be taken, not debated over, in the face of this urgent matter. While the Foreign Office reverts action onto Defra, and the Ministry of Justice, aid department DFID, and individual ministers argue over respective views, the environment fails. With 19 British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies under the UK holding 94% of Britain's endemic species (species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world), this matter's exigency consists of those animals' survival.
Much like the island nations (such as the Maldives and Indonesia) we discussed in class during our mock UNEP session, these British territories are extremely susceptible to direct and present climate change effects. Though processes and efforts to combat climate change have happened in the past, such as reforestation attempts, the budget for the Foreign Office environmental department has been almost halved by the British government. In addition to that, a substantial amount of funding for preservation came from the EU, which again highlights the negative impact of Brexit on the environment. In a quote from the article, "Gibraltar's minister John Cortes, a professional ecologist, said he was nervous at the possibility of Spanish encroachment on protected marine zones after the UK has left the EU." The effects of Brexit are rippling through many different channels, and unfortunately, the environment is bearing some of the cost.
Harrabin ends the article saying, "[The islands'] best hope is that when Brexit is settled, the UK will devote more of its time and energy to them, rather than less." This should not be the best possible course of action; merely hoping will not stop the endangerment of the earth's animals and ecosystems. Yet again, I am writing a call for action for nations to take responsibility and implement proactive anti-climate change laws as a priority. The future depends on whether we take action now, and we must step up before it's too late.
The main issue here is the shift of blame when action needs to be taken, not debated over, in the face of this urgent matter. While the Foreign Office reverts action onto Defra, and the Ministry of Justice, aid department DFID, and individual ministers argue over respective views, the environment fails. With 19 British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies under the UK holding 94% of Britain's endemic species (species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world), this matter's exigency consists of those animals' survival.
Much like the island nations (such as the Maldives and Indonesia) we discussed in class during our mock UNEP session, these British territories are extremely susceptible to direct and present climate change effects. Though processes and efforts to combat climate change have happened in the past, such as reforestation attempts, the budget for the Foreign Office environmental department has been almost halved by the British government. In addition to that, a substantial amount of funding for preservation came from the EU, which again highlights the negative impact of Brexit on the environment. In a quote from the article, "Gibraltar's minister John Cortes, a professional ecologist, said he was nervous at the possibility of Spanish encroachment on protected marine zones after the UK has left the EU." The effects of Brexit are rippling through many different channels, and unfortunately, the environment is bearing some of the cost.
Harrabin ends the article saying, "[The islands'] best hope is that when Brexit is settled, the UK will devote more of its time and energy to them, rather than less." This should not be the best possible course of action; merely hoping will not stop the endangerment of the earth's animals and ecosystems. Yet again, I am writing a call for action for nations to take responsibility and implement proactive anti-climate change laws as a priority. The future depends on whether we take action now, and we must step up before it's too late.
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