In the Paris Climate Agreements of 2015, 195 countries vowed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to lower the rise in global temperature since the Industrial Age by 2oC. However, many nations are struggling with meeting their initial goals and thus are meeting in Bonn, Germany to discuss next steps in reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The talks will focus on establishing a “rule book” which will allow countries to keep each other in check and force one another to better their efforts in meeting their goals. This proves to be a difficult task as the plans that the nations had originally put out in 2015, which they are failing to meet, still means that the global temperature will increase by 3oC, an outcome with a far greater risk of destabilizing ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, drastic sea-level rise and more destructive heat waves and droughts. To stay well below 2 degrees, countries would need to cut back fossil-fuel emissions far more rapidly than they’ve promised so far, yet the plans set out by many of the countries are vague and a specific set of guidelines may alleviate this issue.

Carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is created when the combustion of fossil fuels combines carbon and oxygen through the burning of a hydrocarbon in oxygen. Carbon dioxide traps the heat and energy from the sun’s rays in the atmosphere and causes the planet to begin to warm which affects the overall climate. Energy arrives from the sun in the form of visible light and ultraviolet radiation which the Earth emits as infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere capture some of this heat, then emit it in back to the Earth’s surface. Through this, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases keep the Earth’s surface about 33°C warmer and allows life to thrive on our planet, an excess of these gases can trap an even greater amount of heat and lead to drastic climate change. Some of the effects of these increased greenhouse gases include sea level rises by almost four feet within the next century, and stronger hurricanes. In addition, warmer climates can cause the arctic ice to melt and alter entire ecosystems, extend the growing season through warmer temperatures, and even increase the occurrence of droughts and heat waves.

 

“Global Climate Change: Effects.” NASA, NASA, 3 Aug. 2017, climate.nasa.gov/effects/.

Plumer, Brad. “What’s at Stake at the Bonn Climate Talks?”The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/climate/bonn-climate-change-conference.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront

 

-Rasman Rayyan