Month: February 2017 (Page 2 of 4)

Air pollution and climate change are serious issues that are often taken lightly. However, the reality is that there are major social and economic concerns that come along with these issues that must be addressed. With every decision that we make as a society, there are ramifications for current and future generations. We have a responsibility to become as educated as we can on the matter in order to make these very difficult decisions.

After reading chapter 4 of the CQ reader, I have many mixed feelings regarding President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. When reading the statistics regarding the number of heart attacks, asthma attacks and premature deaths that can be avoided by decreasing ozone levels, my gut reaction was that we have a responsibility towards the health of our fellow Americans. Contemplating the financial burden—jobs lost and higher cost of living—forced me to think twice. This brings up a reoccurring question: is the large financial burden this generation needs to swallow worth it for future generations? This is not an easy question to answer, but we have a responsibility to really think about it. We do need to consider future generations. There have been tangible changes in our climate and weather.

This winter alone we experienced a beautiful 50-degree day followed by a blizzard that closed schools and offices. This is not something we have seen in the past. There is no denying that this issue exists. According to scientists, the main goal is to prevent the earth’s temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Sea levels have risen by more than six inches in the last century and there are more extreme weather events occurring.

I don’t know what the answer to all of this is. Perhaps we need to bite the bullet now and find ways to finance the switch to renewable resources including helping those who will not be able to afford losing their jobs or pay higher bills. Where are we supposed to find the funding for this? I don’t know. I do think it is important for us to advocate for what we believe in because I cannot imagine us living in this world, trying to make our mark, for it all to melt away.

Another important issues that kept arising in this reading was how political climate change is. President Obama made an executive order for the Clean Power Plan to come about instead of going through Congress. There were also questions of whether he had the authority to do this. These were things he was criticized for. I also thought it was interesting that the chapter ends with the 2016 election and how things will be with a republican president. Now that we have a republican president and we have seen some of the actions he has taken with regard to climate change, I am curious to see how things play out in the months to come. As usual, it all falls back on politics. We need to do our duty and advocate for what we believe in.

This chapter in Urban Issues showed me that, like pretty much everything, there are two sides to this whole issue, each with legitimate concerns, and neither looking willing to budge. Whether or not you agree or not with what has been transpiring in this country regarding the way we are treating climate change, you have to see that the other side does have real claims that have to be heard and possibly dealt with. That is one thing I liked a lot about this reading; it gives you both sides of the argument in an unbiased manner, something extremely hard to find nowadays. As someone who is obviously aware of climate change and the effects it has, I did not know as much regarding the politics behind all of it. Reading this gave me a lot of information about the issues that arise with the government getting involved with climate change.

While there are still be people out there who would like to try and deny climate change and the effects that air pollution has, they are mistaken and can only realistically still hold on to that fallacy for a little while longer. However, the main issue that comes up with things like Obama’s Clean Power Plan is government regulations. Whenever that gets thrown into something, the issue automatically takes on a lot larger argument. People will never be fully comfortable with the government being the ones to tell private companies what they can and can not do. Regardless of if someone might agree with the what a certain bill or order accomplishes, they might oppose it solely because of it’s association with the fact that the government is now regulating something. So that is one major issue that come up in all this.

Another thing that the CQ spoke about was the effect that Obama’s plan would have on many families and individuals. There are many effects across the board, from rising prices of electricity to loss of jobs, and people are, rightfully, cautious about them. Naturally, as stated in the reader, many Republicans are the ones who voice these concerns and they are legitimate. The economy is always a central part of any discussion, and it is not only taking place here. Towards the end of this chapter it talks about how other countries will have to “find ways to implement they pledges they made” at the Paris conference and many of them will deal with the same issue of controlling how much we contribute to air pollution, while trying not to hurt their economy as much as possible.

Regarding the other side, the arguments for are pretty self explanatory. Just looking at the chart on page 75 shows the fact that air pollution has to be dealt with, one way or another. Government intervention and enforcement is definitely one way to go about it; however, as mentioned earlier that is not always so simple. Many argue that changes are already occurring and we should just let the adaption to better sources for cleaner air happen naturally. While that might be true, the changes that are taking place are likely not sufficient enough to have as much of an effect, as soon as they needed.

The fact of the matter is that this issue is not as simple as whether or not you believe climate change is a serious matter and whether it needs to be dealt with. Like most things, it can’t be boiled down to one issue. These 20 pages show that there are many things to take into account and they all must be discussed and thought about. At the end of they day, there will be things that both sides don’t like, regardless of whatever happens; but hopefully the negatives are left to a minimum and for the most part, compromises will be reached.

In reading chapter 4 of the CQ reader, and subsequently writing a response paper to it, I’m choosing to focus on the portion which I had the strongest reaction to.  Interestingly, this reaction was towards one sentence about halfway through the reading, which read in regards to the effect of the cap of acid rain producing emissions, “In addition, the health of Adirondack lakes in New York state rebounded”.  This one sentence focused on a subject which I find equally as, if not more important to, climate change.  Furthermore, it was perhaps the only sentence of the passage which examined this point.

The point I’m referring to is the effects of air pollution on wildlife and nature within the United States, and specifically in New York.  It seemed throughout the reading that the studies which have been conducted were focused on the effects of air pollution in relation to climate change and global warming.  While this is crucial and necessary work, throughout the narrative it seems as if our natural life was forgotten.  The United States has a rich history, beginning with President Benjamin Harrison, spanning through President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bureau of Land Management, up until today, to maintaining public lands of untapped wilderness to be accessed by all the citizens of the United States.  These national parks, of which there are state equivalents, are one of the most valuable commodities our nation has to offer.  In few other countries in the world are there massive plots of land accessible to all citizens, of any socio-economic background. Furthermore, these national parks protect valuable natural resources, as well as provide habitats for countless species of animals.  Unfortunately, millions of acres of public lands have been privatized, so that our parks system is beginning to dwindle as compared to its territory in years past. As such, it is our responsibility to protect and cherish that which remains.

While the reader did raise many significant points regarding why the air emission issue can be labeled an issue, I fear researchers have missed the potential damage such significant air pollution could have on our public lands.   I do concede that global warming would of course impact these lands, but logically speaking, it does not make sense to me that polluted air, polluted water sources, and so on, would not have further drastic consequences on our wild life and wild areas.   In reading the CQ reader, I would have preferred to at least see some attention being given to these effects.

On another note, in regards to the debate regarding the transferring towards the use of renewable energy, I have a personal contradiction of my own values.  On one hand, I believe it would be beneficial for there to be increased regulation of the emissions which pollute our planet, including enforced policy of the procedures used by individual business.  On the other hand, I find the concept of heavy regulations by the government of the private sector troubling, and as such I can understand why this debate is such a controversial one, in that I do not believe that anybody would go out of their way to harm the planet, barring potential economic gain. It thereby makes sense that the Conservative and Libertarian right would be troubled by this regulation, whereas Liberals would have less difficulty.

As someone whose sister suffers from asthma due to air pollution, this article underscored why I feel the urgency for government to make major policy changes in the control of air pollution and industrial emissions.  What people who lead and control these industries, and politicians who are removed from the scene, refuse to realize or know the problem but refuse on monetary grounds to make changes, is that they are avoiding the gravity of the problem. Air pollution regulations have to be installed, or all of us will regret the worsening environment that will come to pass if we don’t have the foresight to make changes now.

This article, “Air Pollution and Climate Change,” brings attention to the economic, political, and sociological factors associated with air pollution regulation. Currently, because of advances in science, there is an increased understanding of the effects of air pollution on human health as well as a greater appreciation of the “greenhouse effect,” the presence of greenhouse gases as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. These pollutants are primarily attributed to the use of coal and oil.  Thus our own behaviors as humans in an industrial society presumably increase the risks of human diseases as well as that of global warming. This is a problem with universal application that may herald the cooperation of governments around the world to act collaboratively to bring about change. However, on the local level, especially in the US, the pros and cons of various regulations are largely determined by money and industry, political party (Democrats vs. Republicans), and where one lives (coal vs. non-coal states). President Obama tried to address this problem, despite the ambiguity of Congress, with the Clean Power Plan, whose intent was to reduce carbon emissions. However, the plan’s legality is still widely debated. Despite the many published studies that point out the number of lives lost, and the number of people falling ill due to air pollution, big industry and politics still lobby against this extension of the original clean air bill.  I would understand the antipathy to the bill if the health risks associated with pollution were uncertain, but science not only points to the destruction from pollution of many human lives but also to the dangers to the future environment as well.

I understand through reading the article that the industry associated with coal burning and the energy companies that supply oil and fuels are unhappy.  There are Republicans who don’t want to contribute to these regulations and align climate change rules with the Democratic party,  but I don’t see how people don’t look beyond the trees to understand that this is a serious issue and that we can’t be stuck in the present. People, regardless of political leaning, need to change their attitudes about air pollution and climate change. There are many possible economic, political, and medical ramifications associated with maintaining the status quo, with not doing anything now.

Change is always hard. However, once the changes are initiated, they become less difficult to accept. The article supports this view by pointing to industries that have had to make changes and are surviving despite the initial bite.  We need to take the medicine to fight the disease.  Regulations need to be developed and then the rules need to be followed.  Why else do we have government but to protect its people? Change not only refers to altering our current practices, but also requires that we develop new regulations, and ask government, industry, and individuals to take preventative measures for the future. We must invest in fuel that will not continue to increase pollution. The government has to put its money where its mouth is, to require that current industry reduce coal and oil emissions. However, the government itself must invest in and reward those following its prescribed practices. The government must invest in options that encourage alternative cleaner methods of providing fuel. Moreover, the current use of solar and wind power needs to be facilitated more and incentivized by the government.

Air pollution and climate change are problems common to all mankind. It is something that can bring the world together. We can learn different approaches from various countries’ efforts, from their successes and failures, such as Germany’s’ renewable energy endeavors and Canada’s carbon capture power plants, so that we can help each other in this common battle against air pollution and climate change.  We must protect all citizens of the world and the habitats they live in. The world has come to recognize that the dedicated work of research scientists can influence these positive changes to the environment through economic and political action.

Often times the costly option in the short term saves a lot of loss in the future, but decisions involving this scheme of things are often the hardest to make, especially if the short term may seem disastrous. This is the problem with many policy issues, and the issue of air pollution and climate change is not an exception to this.