Words: 868
Global warming in developed and developing countries If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru melts continually at its current rate, it will leave thousands of people who rely on it for drinking or electricity without the insource. (IPCC, 2007report)This phenomenon is attributed to the global warming caused by fossil fuel burning. The United Nations has set a target for the world’s government to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit was dedicated the reduction of GHGs emission. (Wikipedia 2010) This shows that global warming has become a global problem. This essay will firstly analyses causes of global warming then it will compare the carbon dioxide emissions in developed countries and finally, it will compare the carbon dioxide emissions in developing countries. Because carbon dioxide has increased about 30% in the Earth’s atmosphere it has trapped too much heating to the plane. Global temperatures have climbed about 0. degrees Celsius in last century lead a global warming. The reasons for global warming are complex. Firstly, some scientists point out that there are some natural causes that should not be ignored, such as volcanic activity. The volcanic eruption in Iceland is a good example. Secondly, most scientists maintain that humans, by burning fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, are largely to blame for the increase in carbon dioxide. There are two reasons for the problem. The first reason is that people who live in poverty (some developing regions) and do not have enough food deforest for farm land, this makes the condition worse.
Secondly, scientists learned that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. Therefore, governments and organizations should fulfill their responsibility to solve this problem. Maybe, necessary tasks for them are reducing GHGs emission, developing renewable energy and improving economic development model. Consequently, developing regions and developed regions should response commonly and differently.
There are significant differences in the amount of CO2 between developed and developing countries. According to the table1 we can see the figures. In total, developing countries emit more GHGs than developed countries. Firstly; this is because of their increasingly large populations. Secondly, the high-carbon economic development model causes that some developing countries have to develop at the expense of environments. However, based on the data of per capita emissions, it is easy to see that developed countries emit far more GHGs than developing countries.
This shows that developed countries should assume the responsibilities for reducing greenhouses emission while they get more profits from industry produce. Table 1: CO2 emissions total, per capita and per $1 GDP (PPP) 2006 | |Developing countries |Developed countries | |Total emissions (millions of metric tons) l |13,817 |12,244 | |per capita emissions metric tons of CO2 |2. |12. 1 | Source: United Nations Another interesting fact is that there are some differences among developing countries. Graph1, shows 2 significant features. Firstly, developed regions among developing countries such as China and India emit far more than others. Depending on the high carbon economic structure, developing countries which are developing at an amazing rate but lack high technical levels, are hardly to advance by cleaner production.
It is time for the developing countries to start low carbon sustainable development. In addition, regions which lack of water or are located inland emit more than other regions. There are not enough renewable resources like water there. As a result, people there burn fossil fuel to get power. In a conclusion, the developing countries, which are located inland or not easy to get renewable energy emit more GHGS than other developing countries in the same regions. Graph1 [pic] Source: United Nations
In conclusion, global warming is a serious global threat to humans. We should respond for our future and try our best to slow down the steps of global warming. Countries should work together to solve this problem. Public awareness should be increased. Everyone can contribute to protecting our environment by reducing our carbon footprint. I believe that with everyone’s work we could have a bright future. Reference list 1. ipcc,2007, 3 Climate change and its impacts in the near and long term under different scenarios,IPCC,14:23 24th April 2010 ,http://www. pcc. ch/publications_and_data/ar4/syr/en/mains3. html 2. IISD Reporting Serious-Upcoming meetings. Retrieved 2010-04-048, viewed April 10th 2010 3. James E Hansen & Robert B Sehmunk, responsible NASA Official Updated :2010-03-19″GISS(Goddard Institute for Space Temperature Analysis)”,NASA America, viewed 14:32 Friday 26th March 2010http://data. giss. nasa. gov/gistemp 4. Stefan Lovgren, Update April 26 2004,”warming to cause catastrophic rise in sea level? “, national geographic news, America, viewed 9:30 Monday 22th March 2010, 5.
United nations, 2009, MDG Report 2009, United nation, America, viewed Tuesday 23rd March 2010, http://www. un. org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_Report_2009_ENG. pdf 6. United nations,2009, MDG Report 2009: Statistical Annex, United nation, America, viewed Tuesday 23rd March 2010, http://mdgs. un. org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Data/2009%20Stat%20Annex. pdf 7 Wikipedia , 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference ,23rd April 2010 at 13:33 , Wikipedia ,12:30 21st April 2010 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/2009_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference.