Climate Change

The world now faces one of the most complex and important issues it has ever had to deal with:
climate change. Though this was once an issue that would draw much argument and strife about
its creditability, most of the worlds nations can no longer deny that it is a real issue. The impact
that humans have had on the world has literally changed the climate. Higher temperatures are
reported yearly, stronger storms are forming, and some of the planets critical nonrenewable
resources are being depleted. For all of these changes that, in the end, affect everyone, the
nations of the world have not all gone about this issue in the same way. Currently, the threat of
global climate change does not threaten some to the same extent of others. The shortsightedness
of those that are not yet drastically effected is one of the most serious issues that the world deals
with now and fundamental changes must be made to advert a global crisis that everyone may
face if no actions are taken.
Water and Climate Change
One of the most basic resources that has been the most affected by climate change is
water. Water is an essential component to many different areas of everyday life. From
consumption to production, the use of water is so essential that without it, the continuation of
human life on this planet would be impossible. It is quite worrisome, therefore, to examine the
diminishing quantity of usable water for humanity is currently facing. According to Lester R
Brown, what we are now experiencing can be seen as analogous to being on an edge, and we
seriously face falling off. As he notes, the global population increases by 80 million people
annually, and this could be disastrous to the supply and distribution of water. He states, when
water-based food bubbles burst in larger countries, like China and India, they will push up food
prices worldwide, forcing a reduction in consumption among those who can least afford it: those
who are already spending most of the income on food, (Brown, 2011).
What is worth noting about Lesters point is that those that are on the bottom rung of societys
wealth will be, and are already currently, the most susceptible to this problem. Those in poorer
nations are often looked at with sympathy for their lack of the basic necessities of life, but in the
end of the day, little is done to improve their situations. Take the declaration for declaring water
as a basic human right. Under this proposal, water would be declared as a basic human right and
the UN would set forth procedures and guidelines to help provide it to those countries where
scarcity of water is a pending issue (PLoS Medicine, 2009). This resolution was voted down,
exploiting one of the largest hindrances to acts to effect and deal with issues such as climate
change: big money. For the water issue, it should be noted that one of the largest issues is that
the private water distribution sector is dominated by three multinational companies who neither
proved their ability to provide sufficient or affordable water source, nor effectively served the
poor who suffer most from a lack of clean water, and this industrial sector entails a US$400-
US$500 billion global water industry, (PLoS Medicine, 2009). These companies did not want
to see the declaration passed and have done all they could to see it fail. This is not an uncommon
when it comes to getting money at the cost of global health and safety. When the UN attempted
to set voting rules to make decision-making by large group of treaty members more efficient, a
handful of OPEC nations blocked the effort, (Victor, 2011). When it comes to global action
against climate change, it seems evident that economic interests of the immediate future have
been placed ahead of the planets future.
Water Crisis in Eastern and Central Asia
Nations around the world have taken their own means to secure the longevity of their homeland,
even if it at the expense of others. A perfect example of this is the glacial water supply issue that
currently faces eastern and central Asia. As global temperatures rise more and more yearly, the
size of the glaciers of the area continue to diminish. For many nations that depend on the
glaciers as a source of fresh water, the decrease in their size is quite alarming. For these nations,
the next available source of water is through rivers that run through their land, however the flow
of said rivers can be altered by other nations. China controls the sources of many of the rivers of
the region and they have been damming up those rivers to keep the majority of the water in their
nation. One major concern for these actions is with the relations between China and India. If
Beijing follows through on tentative plans to divert the Brahmaputra, it could provoke its rival,
India, in the very region where the two countries fought a war in 1926, (Larmer). It seems
strange that nations would come to open hostilities over an issue that could be solved by simple
negotiations, however it is clear that many of the worlds nations are only concerned with their
own safety and future.
What the world needs now is not conflict and strife between nations but a solution to this
issue. The world must come together to try to address and solve some of the pressing issues of
climate change. This can start with developed nations taking initiative, considering that they are
historically the most responsible for this issue. The Peoples Agreement lays out some steps that
can be taken by these nations. Some of these suggestions include: Assume the costs and
technology transfer needs of developing countries arising from the loss of development
opportunities due to living in a restrictive atmospheric space, or assume responsibility for the
hundreds of millions of people that will be forced to migrate due to the climate change caused by
these countries, (Peoples Agreement, 2011). Though some of the other solutions offered by this
agreement are a bit extreme, the message remains clear: the world must accept responsibility for
their actions, and we all must do our part to take preventative steps before a global disaster arises
from unchecked actions.
Multinational Solutions
What the world needs to do is to truly empower a multinational governmental body to combat
these changes facing the planet. The UN, though excellent theoretically, is essentially toothless
in inflicting punishments against nations that go against its mandates. An order must be
established that not only can lay down actions that must be undertaken by nations, but this
agency must have the ability to give meaningful punishment to those that go against its mandates
and recommendations. As stated by Bill McKibben, Weve gone too far down the road were
traveling. The time has come to sear the map, to strike in new directions, (McKibben,
2011). Our actions against global climate change to this point have been ineffective. The
developed, wealthy nations of the world have not had to suffer the consequences of climate
change the same way that poorer nations have had to, however this may change with the way the
world has been heading. If our actions go unchecked, the world will enter an era where wars
may no longer be fought for land and oil but are fought for basic resources such as water.
Conclusions
To address and combat these issues, a new, multinational agency must be formed in order to
fairly address these issues. The body will have the ability to force the world to adapt climate
change legislature that will no longer be ignored. The options of the world are growing
thinner. Should the US heartland see an increase in temperatures as Moscow did in its recent
summer, the world could see a 160 million ton loss in grain production (Brown, 2011). This
issue is on the magnitude that affects the entire planet and population. As our nonrenewable
resources are depleted, the world grows closer and closer to facing a crisis of the likes never seen
before by humanity. We truly now stand on an edge; if actions are not taken to step away from
this edge, the future of humanity itself will be in serious question.