Introduction
With increased population on the planet, human beings have increasingly cleared land for settlement hence reducing the forest cover and increased greenhouse gasses emission into the atmosphere leading to global warming that results in climate change which its effects are visible across the world from high temperatures to disasters leading to loss of death and property. There is the need to address the menace but are there current measures being implemented to reduce the effect of climate change?
To reduce the effects of climate change, two measures are applied by the humans; adaptation and mitigation. Mitigation measures are activities and actions taken minimize and reduce emissions of the GHG's into the atmosphere which is the major course of global warming. Adaptation measures, on the other hand, are activities aimed at the reduction of the vulnerability of its impacts on the lives of human beings. Adaptation measures, therefore, attend to the impacts while mitigation addresses the courses of climate change.
Mitigation Measures
Transportation
The increase in the population of middle income in the world has led to an increase in the number of automotive in the world which have automatically led to increased emission of CO2 (Burbank, Cynthia and Brinkerhoff 7). To tackle the increasing emissions from automotive, the car manufacturers have been made to ensure that the cars produced have minimum emissions. Additionally, through creating awareness, people are urged to use a train or public transportation other than personal cars not only to reduce traffic congestion but to limit carbon emission into the atmosphere.
Implementation of efficient means of transportation across the world is on the rise with a majority of the countries adopting electric trains as the major mode of transportation. To limit the number of cars within the roads, trains can ferry a large populace in a single trip and with no carbon emission into the atmosphere (Burbank, Cynthia and Brinkerhoff 118). Other means of transports advocated for include riding to work and use of public transport other than private cars
Agriculture
In agriculture, Stuart, Schewe, and McDermott postulate that farmers should minimize the application of fertilizers in the fields to help in addressing the climate change menace (Stuart, Schewe and McDermott 213). The application of fertilizers in the farms facilitates climate change when the chemicals evaporate into the atmosphere or are washed into the water bodies before evaporating into the atmosphere. Instead, the farmers are encouraged to use organic manure on their farms since it has no effect on the environment and conserves the soil.
Livestock keeping and farming can be considered as a noble activity in some communities around the world (Stuart, Schewe and McDermott 215). However, it should be noted that it is one of the factors facilitating climate change in the world. Climate change can be tackled through livestock management. Climate change is directly affected by the increased livestock population in the world (Gerber et al. 17). Overstocking and overgrazing of the livestock reduce the ground cover and loosens the soils hence increases soil erosion polluting the land in the process.
Regarding climate change, the dung and the droppings from the livestock produce methane gas when they decompose on the earth's surface which escapes into the atmosphere. The continuous accumulation of the methane gas alongside other greenhouse gases results in global warming which increases the earth's temperatures and finally results in climate change. To address this, farmers across the world have been encouraged to limit their livestock population and practice zero grazing. Also, the methane gas is extracted from the dung through biogas digesters and utilized for commercial and domestic purposes
Green Roofs
Construction and real estate industry has in the recent past adopted the use of cool and green roofs as a mitigation strategy for Urban Heat Island. Li et al. in their publication state that the amount of carbon oxide emitted in the urban centers can be absorbed partly by the green roofs hence reducing the amount of emission escaping into the atmosphere (Li et al. 52). The green roofs act as carbon sinks and in return provides oxygen hence clean the air in the urban areas. Urban Heat Island which results in increased temperatures in the urban centers is mitigated through the cool green roofs which cool the air within the buildings that automatically reflect the temperatures within the region. Li et al. in another publication postulates that embracing Zero Energy Buildings is a mitigation mechanism for climate change sine building industry is one of the main contributors to the energy and carbon emission in the atmosphere (Li et al. 9).
Energy Efficiency Practice
As a mitigation measure of climate change, energy efficiency practice is a significant measures to its causes. The mechanism advocates for limited wastage of energy and complete combustion of energy since wasted energy like heat and other forms of energy finally find their way into the atmosphere increasing climate change which could have otherwise been avoided if energy efficiency was practiced.
Renewable Energy
The world's economy is majorly powered by the fossil fuel. Combustion of fossil fuel to produce energy produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The produced carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere from companies, engines and automotive increasing the level of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which courses global warming. Global warming is the resultant increase in the earth's temperatures that lead to the climate change.
Renewable energy such as wind, geothermal, solar among others has been considered as some of the possible measures in the mitigation of climate change. They are referred as green energy since they produce no emission into the atmosphere that facilitates the climate change. Green energy is renewable hence cannot be depleted. Unlike non-renewable energy which must be sustainably exploited, renewable energy will be available even in the future hence an efficient and reliable source of energy with no effect on the environment.
Industrial Processes Electrification
The use of fossil fuel and petroleum products such as diesel and petroleum lead to the production of Nitrogen Oxide, Carbon dioxide among other greenhouse gasses hence facilitating climate change. Electrification of the industrial processes is one of the approaches geared toward the reduction of carbon emission into the atmosphere since fossil fuel is not used in the energy generation used in the industries.
Emission Markets and Carbon Tax
It is estimated that more carbon dioxide is emitted by developed countries as a result of industrialization. Across the world and especially in the European Union nations, carbon tax policy is being implemented to help limit the amount of carbon gas that is emitted into the atmosphere and to help in the cleaning of the atmosphere as a mitigation measure of climate change.
Adaptation Measures
Reforestation and landscape restoration are some of the major actions towards the reduction of the vulnerability to the climate change consequences. Land restoration through the planting of trees helps in the cooling of temperatures, enhances the aesthetic value of the land and most importantly act as a carbon sink. It helps in the absorption of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which is then purified and given out as oxygen. Use of forestry products for bioenergy, management of harvested wood products, reduced deforestation, forest management, reforestation and afforestation are some of the practices being employed to increase the forest cover which increases carbon sequestration and biomass productivity which help in the climate change mitigation and cleaning of air, carbon absorption and cooling of the atmosphere (Pittock 35).
In readiness for catastrophes, facilities are being located in more secure regions and with effective engineered infrastructures capable of withstanding the disasters that might strike at any time. It has led to crumbling of buildings and drowning of infrastructures as a result of the experienced flooding, earthquakes and rain storms across major cities in the United States of America hence the need for effective adaptation measures.
With the level of technological advancement in the world, research and development on possible catastrophe using the weather elements like the behaviors of temperatures, humidity wind among others are on the rise. Reliable weather focusing has been used to warn people of pending catastrophes in most parts of the world to avoid deaths and destruction of properties.
Conclusion
Climate change effects are evident and can be felt across the world. With the increased population of the world, more of disastrous occurrences might be witnessed on the planet if relevant mitigation measures are not implemented accordingly. To save the planet, the entire world's population should take it as a personal responsibility to address the climate change menace by doing the minimum they can.
Through the adaptation measures and mitigation measures, the world's population should opt for the best approaches to addressing the cause of global warming and how best to tackle them. Through the implementation of the relevant mitigation measures, some of the causes of climate change might be reduced or faced out altogether. Considering that it is real and is being experienced in almost all parts of the world, there is a need for employment of the best adaptation measures to reduce its effects to the property and lives of mankind.
Works Cited
Burbank, Cynthia, and Brinkerhoff, Parsons. Strategies for reducing the impacts of surface transportation on global climate change: a synthesis of policy research and state and local mitigation strategies. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 2013: 1-120
Gerber, Pierre J., et al. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2013. 1-23.
Li, Dan, Elie Bou-Zeid, and Michael Oppenheimer. "The effectiveness of cool and green roofs as urban heat island mitigation strategies." Environmental Research Letters 9.5 (2014): 055002.
Li, Danny HW, Liu Yang, and Joseph C. Lam. "Zero energy buildings and sustainable development implications–A review." Energy 54 (2013): 1-10.
Pittock, A. Barrie. Climate change: the science, impacts and solutions. Routledge, 2013.
Stuart, D., R. L. Schewe, and M. McDermott. "Reducing nitrogen fertilizer application as a climate change mitigation strategy: Understanding farmer decision-making and potential barriers to change in the US." Land use policy 36 (2014): 210-218.
World Health Organization. “Climate Change And Health. World Health Organization, July 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2018.
