Summary
1.Global warming is not a myth but a reality. 2. Man-made or not, it is something that we all need to be worried about. 3. There is a lot that we can do about it and our continued existence depends on it.
Analysis
The Kyoto protocol was the first major push by developed countries that recognized that Global warming was happening on earth and was not a myth. We now have recorded evidence that temperatures have grown alarmingly in some areas which has led people from every facet of life to start talking about this impending doom. Since the late nineties, Carbon management has become a primary concern albeit
America has not been behind it 100%. Many states in America are adopting this rigorously with California leading the pack.
America is now reconsidering implementing stricter measures and abiding by the Kyoto protocol but only If India and China also sign the agreement. The primary reason for India and China not agreeing to this is because they are still developing countries and they do not want to impede growth which no doubt is coming at a price to the entire world. Having said that, one cannot solely blame India and China for this global concern. America is equally if not more to blame. If you compare America with other developing countries, the amount of natural resources burnt per person is far greater and America has been responsible for contributing far more to Global warming than other countries.
This brings us to carbon management. The world needs to adopt stringent measures on controlling CO2 and SO2 emissions and bring these down drastically over the next 20 to 30 years beyond which point we will enter a point of no return. Japan was behind the Kyoto protocol but instead of being able to lower its greenhouse gases emissions over the last 10 years or so has unfortunately increased it by 17%. This is by no means to suggest that they did not stand behind their decision to control carbon costs. In many areas, they have been able to reduce emissions but there has been so much industrial development that is the prime contributor of the increase. Japan has made major strides in the adoption of new generation of flat-panel liquid-crystal displays generally results in about a 30% reduction in emissions compared with the production of conventional cathode-ray-tube TVs.
One of Japan’s most promising new approaches to the problem of climate change is bioethanol, alcohol made from sugarcane and sawdust. The substance is being produced in Okayama Prefecture, where about 70% of the land is forest. The Ministry of the Environment, which is actively promoting the use of bioethanol, plans to make all gasoline sold in Japan E3 (gasoline containing 3% ethanol) by fiscal 2012.
I strongly think America being a global leader needs to take stock of this situation and lead the world to resolve this. The Kyoto Protocol is going to be renewed soon and we hope that countries like America, Australia, India and China will sign it. The US has shown signs that they are serious about exploring their options for carbon management.
Bottom line, Global warming is happening and is a reality. Solar Irradiation most definitely has contributed to it but there are some real signs that mankind has also been part of the equation, knowingly or unknowingly. We can still recover from this doomsday scenario. All we need to do it work together; think globally, do our bit and we will ensure that the world will be safe for many years to come.
