GC UNIVERSITY,

FAISLABAD

Submitted To: Sir Ali Raza

Submitted By: Junaid Iftikhar

Roll Number: 2833

Department: Political Science & IR

Semester: M.A (IR) 4th

Topic:

Climate Change Culprits

Abstract

Climate change is of global concern for its effects on green growth and sustainable development.
It threatens ecosystems and biodiversity, affects water resources, human settlements and the
frequency and scale of extreme weather events, with significant consequences for food
production, human well-being, socio-economic activities and economic output. Climate Change
is a reality. It has changed in Past, is changing in Present and will change in Future. Atmosphere
is always in a state of turmoil and instability leading to variation in weather and climatic
conditions. Thus the variation and shifts in weather conditions over space and time of different
scales and magnitude resulting into changes of Climatic Type is defined as Climate Change. For
example, from warm and moist climate to warm and dry climate. The rate of climatic changes
depends on the nature of causal factor. This may be gradually or rapidly, partly or drastically,
short term or long term, Local, regional, or global scale. The Climate change which occurred
during Jurassic Period leading to mass extinction of Dinosaurs due to sudden onset of Cold
Climate was rapid and instantaneous. Climate change has become a widespread topic in recent
years. This problem that resulted from the emission of greenhouse gases that affect our
environment. Therefore, it raises questions on whether the problem is caused by human activities
or it’s just a part of nature’s cycle. This paper discusses and compares the factors that contribute
to climate change by humans and nature, some effects of climate change, and some solutions that
have been developed to prevent or slow climate change from progressing.
Climate Change

Introduction

According to NASA, the Earth average temperature has increased about 1 degree Fahrenheit
during the 20th century . That might sound like it isn’t a great change, but its effects on our
environment have proven otherwise. The impacts of this small change in the temperature are
many, from longer drought seasons and heat waves to more aggressive hurricanes. Furthermore,
the increase in the earth’s average temperature created a variety of problems that left a lasting
scar on our environmen.

Research Questions

What is Climate?

What Are the Causes of Climate Change?

What is the role of fossil fuel companies and rich persons in climate change?

What are the top 5 Climate Change culprit States?

What are the immediate effects of Climate Change?

What is the long term impact of climate change?

What is being done around the world to plant trees?

What is the importance of climate change agreements?

What Is Climate Change

You have probably heard the terms climate change and global warming used interchangeably.
That’s because both describe changes in earth’s climate. While global warming focuses on the
rising average temperature of the planet, climate change usually refers to the shifts in things like
precipitation, wind patterns, and temperatures over a given period. Measured changes in climate
could last a few years, decades, or even millions of years.
Climate change has occurred for as long as the earth has existed. It happens anytime earth’s
climate patterns change and remain in place for a measurable amount of time. This has notably
manifested itself in natural cycles of cooling and warming. Before human causes started to shift
the global climate, five main factors interacted with one another as climate changes occurred.
These five factors include:

1. Atmosphere (air)

2. Biosphere (living things)

3. Cryosphere (ice and permafrost)

4. Hydrosphere (water)

5. Lithosphere (earth’s crust and upper mantle)

What Are the Causes of Climate Change?

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has stated, “The scientific evidence
is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing
threat to society.”

Below are a few of the ways humans are accelerating climate change.

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the earth’s climate cycles. As the planet gets hit with the
sun’s rays, some of the energy is absorbed, and the rest of that energy and heat gets reflected into
space. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the reflected energy, redirecting it back down to
the earth and eventually contributing to global warming. Various gases play this role, including:

• Water vapor

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)

• Methane

• Nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

While some of these greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, are naturally occurring, others, such
as CFCs, are synthetic. CO2 is released into the atmosphere from both natural and human-made
causes and is one of the leading contributors to climate change. CO2 has been increasing at an
alarming rate and has the potential to stay in the earth’s atmosphere for thousands of years unless
it gets absorbed by the ocean, land, trees, and other sources. However, as CO2 production has
steadily risen, the earth’s natural resources to absorb it has also been diminished. This is already
occurring in many ways as earth’s resources are disappearing from things like deforestation.
Some studies even predict that plants and soil will be able to absorb less CO2 as the earth
continues to warm—possibly accelerating climate change even further.

Solar Activity

Solar activity, as mentioned above, does play a role in the earth’s climate. While the sun does go
through natural cycles, increasing and decreasing the amount of energy that it emits to the earth,
it is unlikely that solar activity is a major contributor to global warming or climate change. Since
scientists began to measure the sun’s energy hitting our atmosphere, there has not been a
measurable upward trend.

Agriculture

There are many significant ways in which agriculture impacts climate change. From
deforestation in places like the Amazon to the transportation and livestock that it takes to support
agricultural efforts around the world, agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, agriculture is also an area that is making
tremendous strides to become more sustainable. As productivity increases, less carbon is being
emitted to produce more food. Agriculture also has the potential to act as a carbon sink, and
could eventually absorb nearly the same amount of CO2 it emits.

Deforestation

Deforestation and climate change often go hand in hand. Not only does climate change increase
deforestation by way of wildfires and other extreme weather, but deforestation is also a major
contributor to global warming. According to the Earth Day Network, deforestation is the second
leading contributor to global greenhouse gasses. Many people and organizations fighting against
climate change point to reducing deforestation as one of, if not the most, important issues that
must be addressed to slow or prevent climate change.

(Climate change .John T hardy p 5 200 2003)

Human Activity

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most significant contributor to climate
change in the United States is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.
Of these factors, transportation in the form of cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes emits the
largest percentage of CO2–speeding up global warming and remaining a significant cause of
climate change.

Livestock

While interconnected to many of the agricultural and deforestation issues we have already
touched on, livestock in the form of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry play a significant role in
climate change. According to one study, “Livestock and Climate Change,” livestock around the
world is responsible for 51% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

(“The Causes of Climate Change.” NASA, NASA, 6 Sept. 2019,)

Fossil fuel companies and rich persons

Fossil fuel companies

Fossil fuel firms clearly play a major role in the climate problem. A major report released in
2017 attributed 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions over the previous two decades to
just 100 fossil fuel producers. An update last year outlined the top 20 fossil fuel firms behind a
third of emissions. A recent international study from the University of Leeds calculated that,
across 86 countries, the richest 10% of people consume around 20 times more energy than the
poorest 10%. A big portion of this heightened consumption by richer people is through transport,
the study found: flights, holidays and big cars driven long distances.

(By Jocelyn Timperley 19th June 2020)

Climate culprit’s states and climate change

The 5 Countries That Produce the Most Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an odorless gas that is highly important to life on Earth. CO2 is also
known as a greenhouse gas; an excessive concentration can disrupt the natural regulation of
temperature in the atmosphere and lead to global warming. The concentration of CO2 has
especially increased as a result of the industrial revolution and exponential growth in
manufacturing activities around the world. Deforestation, agriculture, and fossil fuel use are the
primary sources of CO2. According to the most recent data from the Global Carbon Project, the
top five countries that produced the most CO2 are China, the U.S., India, Russia, and Japan.

China

China is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide gas in the world, with 10.06 billion metric tons in
2018.The primary source of CO2 emissions in China is fossil fuels, notably coal burning. About
58% of the total energy derived in China comes from coal alone, and since coal is rich in carbon,
burning it in China's power and industrial plants and boilers releases large amounts of CO2 into
the atmosphere. Also, China is one of the largest importers of oil, which contributes to large CO2
emissions through the country's use of motor vehicles. China plans to reduce its dependence on
coal and decrease overall pollution in large cities in the future by generating more electricity
using nuclear, renewable energy sources, and natural gas.

The United States

The U.S. is the second-largest emitter of CO2, with approximately 5.41 billion metric tons of
carbon dioxide emissions in 2018. The largest sources of CO2 emissions in the U.S. comes from
power generation, transportation, and industry. Even though the U.S. government undertook
significant efforts to reduce the reliance on coal for electricity generation, the country has
become a major producer of crude oil.

Also, the U.S. economy is heavily reliant on the transportation sector, which burns petroleum for
trucks, ships, trains, and planes. U.S. consumers especially depend on their cars as their primary
means of transportation, and this also contributes to the CO2 footprint through gasoline and
diesel.
Another large contributor to CO2 emissions in the U.S. is industry, which burns fossil fuels for
energy. Also, the U.S. chemical sector uses various chemical reactions necessary to produce
goods from raw materials, which in the process, emit CO2.

India

India is the third-largest emitter of CO2 in the world; it produced about 2.65 billion metric tons
of CO2 in 2018. As the Indian economy set out on a path toward urbanization and
industrialization, the consumption of solid fuels, such as coal, skyrocketed.

Coal as a source of electricity in India has risen from 68% in 1992 to 75% in 2015.Coal mines
are abundant in India, and coal is generally cheaper in the country than imported oil and gas.
Given these trends, the Indian economy is likely to increase its reliance on coal as the main
source of energy for electricity generation and powering its heavy industry. India's CO2 footprint
is bound to go up in the future.

The Russian Federation

Russia is the fourth largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the world, with 1.71 billion metric
tons in 2018. Russia has one of the largest natural gas deposits in the world, and natural gas is
the primary source of energy and power generation in the country. Coal, which is widely used in
chemical and other basic material industries and for power generation in Russia, is also a major
contributor to Russia's CO2 emissions.

Japan

Japan is the fifth-largest emitter of CO2 worldwide; producing 1.16 billion metric tons of carbon
dioxide in 2018.Japan is heavily reliant on burning natural gas and coal to generate electricity for
its population and various industries. After the nuclear reactors in Fukushima were shut down in
2011, dependence on fossil fuels increased even more. As Japan reopens its nuclear power
plants, its CO2 footprint may stabilize in the future.

(Andriy Blokhin oct 27,2020)

Immediate Effects of Climate Change

From melting glaciers to more extreme weather patterns, people everywhere are beginning to
take notice of the real impacts of climate change. While some nations around the world are
taking action with initiatives such as the Paris Climate Agreement, others are continuing business
as usual–pumping millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere year after year. While the long-
term consequences are still to be seen, for now, climate change continues to cause extreme
weather as well as safety and economic challenges on a global scale.

Extreme Weather

Changes to weather are perhaps the most noticeable effect of climate change for the average
person. One reason for this is the financial impact severe weather events can have. So far in the
U.S. during 2019, there have been six climate disasters, most costing more than $1 billion.
According to the National Climate Assessment, extreme weather events will continue to increase
in frequency and intensity as climate change continues to happen. Extreme weather influenced
by climate change includes:

• Stronger storms & hurricanes

• Heat waves

• Wildfires

• More flooding

• Heavier droughts

Safety & Economic Challenges

In 2014 the U.S. Department of Defense released a report that stated climate change posed a
severe and immediate threat to national security. According to former Secretary of Defense,
Chuck Hagel, “Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels,
and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger,
poverty, and conflict.”
Furthermore, climate change is likely to cause economic challenges in many parts of the world.
Some estimates have the U.S. already spending around $240 billion annually due to human-
caused climate change, and future costs are projected to be even higher. However, putting an
exact number on the real costs of climate change is difficult once you consider the staggering
costs of losing natural resources like clean air and water.

Long Term Impact of Climate Change

The long term impact of climate change could be absolutely devastating to the planet and
everyone and everything living on it. If the world continues on its current trajectory, then we will
likely continue to see increasing effects on everyday life.

Health

There are many ways in which climate change could impact people’s health. Depending on age,
location, and economic status, climate change is already affecting the health of many and has the
potential to impact millions more. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
climate change-related health risks may include:

• Heat-related illness

• Injuries and fatalities from severe weather

• Asthma & cardiovascular disease from air pollution

• Respiratory problems from increased allergens

• Diseases from poor water quality

• Water & food supply insecurities

Negative Impact in Ecosystems

Ecosystems are interconnected webs of living organisms that help support all kinds of plant and
biological life. Climate change is already changing seasonal weather patterns and disrupting food
distribution for plants and animals throughout the world, potentially causing mass extinction
events. Some studies estimate that nearly 30% of plant and animal species are at risk of
extinction if global temperatures continue to rise.

Water & Food Resources

Climate change could have a significant impact on food and water supplies. Severe weather and
increased temperatures will continue to limit crop productivity and increase the demand for
water. With food demand expected to increase by nearly 70% by 2050, the problem will likely
only get worse.

Sea Levels Rising

Rising sea levels could have far-reaching effects on coastal cities and habitats. Increasing ocean
temperatures and melting ice sheets have steadily contributed to the rise of sea levels on a global
scale. At current rates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate sea levels
to rise by at least 8 inches by 2100, potentially causing increased flooding and decrease in ocean
and wetland habitats.

Shrinking Ice Sheets

While contributing to rising sea levels, shrinking ice sheets present their own set of unique
problems, including increased global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate
change has driven summer melt of the ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica to increase
by nearly 30% since 1979.

Ocean Acidification

The ocean is one of the main ways in which CO2 gets absorbed. While at first glance that may
sound like a net positive, the increasingly human-caused CO2 is pushing the world’s oceans to
their limits and causing increased acidity. As pH levels in the ocean decrease, shellfish have
difficulty reproducing, and much of the oceans’ food cycle becomes disrupted.

(Laura Bridgeman: jan, 2020)

What is being done around the world to plant trees?

Planting forests bigger than the size of Hong Kong can help tackle climate change. That's
according to the United Nations, which has announced plans to plant forests in Asian and
African cities to help make them become greener. They say people moving to urban areas
contribute to climate change - and will increase in the next 30 years. This move could counter
these effects by improving air quality.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide which means they can help to stop rising temperatures around the
world - and also keep soil moist and reduce the risk of flooding. A recent study suggested that
planting trees is "the best climate change solution available today", although not everyone agrees
with that specific claim. So, what are countries around the world doing to plant trees?

Forests in cities

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) director-general, Qu Dongyu, says the initial
plan is to increase the amount of green space in 90 cities in 30 African and Asian countries - a
total of up to 500,000 hectares of new urban forests. The FAO says that by 2050, the proportion
of people living in cities could increase by almost 70% - mainly in Africa and Asia.

This could cause damaging environmental impacts if there is no proper planning. It claims the
benefits of its plan could include a reduction in air temperature of up to eight degrees Celsius and
an improvement in air quality by filtering out dust and pollutants.

The Great Green Wall

There is an 8,000 km wall of trees being built in Africa - making it the largest living structure on
the planet once it’s finished. The wall aims to spread across the width of Africa and through
more than 20 countries including Senegal, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

A decade on from its launch, the wall is currently 15% complete, with 11.4 million trees planted
in Senegal alone. In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, more than 2 million seeds have been planted
from over 50 different species of trees. Elsewhere in the continent, Gabon has become the first
African country to receive international funds to preserve its rainforest.
Norway announced it will pay $150m (£120m) through the Central African Forest Initiative - a
partnership between European and African countries. Trees that have been planted in Pakistan,
hundreds of millions of trees have been planted to fight deforestation.

The 10 Billion Tree Tsunami

In August 2017, way ahead of schedule, Pakistan hit its target of planting a billion trees to
combat the effects of climate change. So in 2018, they decided to launch a new target - planting
10 billion trees in the next five years.

India's tree boom

Under the Paris Climate Agreement, India has pledged to increase its forests by a massive 95
million hectares by 2030.In 2017 around 1.5 million volunteers planted more than 66 million
trees in a record-breaking 12 hours in the state of Madhya Pradesh. School children are planting
trees.

The UK's planting too

The UK government announced it wants more than 10 million trees to be planted across England
and it would create a £60m fund to do so. That includes £10m to plant at least 100,000 trees in
towns and cities.

The Woodland Trust - the UK's leading woodland conservation charity - is aiming to plant 64
million trees in the next 10 years. To meet its aim, it's giving away hundreds of thousands of
trees for free to schools and communities to encourage tree planting. And it wants to get more
than a million people to pledge to plant a tree in the run-up to a special day of planting across the
UK on 30 November.

There are even drones planting in Myanmar, there are now drones planting trees. The drone flies
over the area where it wants to plant trees, picks the best location to plant and then fires a pod
filled with seeds into the ground. According to Worldview Impact - an organization involved in
the drone planting - two people working with 10 drones can theoretically plant an impressive
400,000 trees a day.

(Manish Pandey 24 September 2019)

Pakistan’s billion tree Tsunami Program

Pakistan hit its billion tree goal in August 2017 – months ahead of schedule. Now, the hills of the
country’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are alive with newly planted saplings.

The massive reforestation project – named the Billion Tree Tsunami – added 350,000 hectares of
trees both by planting and natural regeneration, in an effort to restore the province’s depleted
forests and fight the effects of climate change.

Decades of felling and natural disasters have drastically reduced Pakistan’s forests. Figures for
the country’s total forest cover range between around 2% and 5% of land area. Nevertheless,
Pakistan has one of the lowest levels of forest cover in the region and well below the 12%
recommended by the UN.

It is also among the six countries that will be most affected by global warming. Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa had lost large areas of forest to felling, which increased the likelihood of flooding
and landslides. In 2016 flash floods hit the province, killing dozens of people.

Green Success Story

Cricket-star turned politician Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party governs in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, spearheaded the Billion Tree Tsunami, which started in 2014 and cost
$169 million.As well as benefiting the environment, the project has established a network of
private tree nurseries, which have boosted local incomes and generated green jobs, including for
unemployed young people and women in the province.

It also meant the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government surpassed its 348,400 hectare commitment to
the Bonn Challenge. This aims to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land
worldwide by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. It was the first Bonn Challenge pledge to
reach its restoration goal. Inger Andersen, head of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), the NGO in charge of administering the Bonn Challenge, described it as “a true
conservation success story”.

(Rosamond Hutt :2july 2018)

Montreal Protocol, 1987

Though not intended to tackle climate change, the Montreal Protocol [PDF] was a historic
environmental accord that became a model for future diplomacy on the issue. Every country in
the world eventually ratified the treaty, which required them to stop producing substances that
damage the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The protocol has succeeded in
eliminating nearly 99 percent of these ozone-depleting substances.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992

Ratified by 197 countries, including the United States, the landmark accord [PDF] was the first
global treaty to explicitly address climate change. It established an annual forum, known as the
Conference of the Parties, or COP, for international discussions aimed at stabilizing the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These meetings produced the Kyoto
Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

Kyoto Protocol, 2005

The Kyoto Protocol [PDF], adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005, was the first legally
binding climate treaty. It required developed countries to reduce emissions by an average of 5
percent below 1990 levels, and established a system to monitor countries’ progress. But the
treaty did not compel developing countries, including major carbon emitters China and India, to
take action. The United States signed the agreement in 1998 but never ratified it and later
withdrew its signature.

Paris Agreement, 2015

The most significant global climate agreement to date, the Paris Agreement requires all countries
to set emissions-reduction pledges. Governments set targets, known as nationally determined
contributions, with the goals of preventing the global average temperature from rising 2°C
(3.6°F) above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to keep it below 1.5°C (2.7°F). It also
aims to reach global net-zero emissions.

(Council of foreign relations 2021)

Solutions for Climate Change

While the effects of climate change can seem bleak, there is still hope. By taking immediate
action to curb climate change, we may never see the worst consequences. Likewise, as the world
adopts cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions, there may be millions of new jobs created and
billions of dollars of economic benefits. Below are some practical ways you can battle climate
change, including:

• Purchase Renewable Energy Certificate for your home power needs

• Make your home energy efficient

• Buy carbon offsets

• Adopt a plant-based diet

• Reduce food waste

• Recycle

• Stop using fossil fuels

• Stop deforestation

Conclusion

Climate change is a problem that is facing our planet and it has progressed a lot after the
industrial revolution. The emission of greenhouse gases has accelerated the progress of climate
change and made our weather more intense. However, the world’s dependence on fossil fuel for
energy, transportation, and manufacturing have created a major obstacle for us to switch to
renewable energy. I would like to conclude with what Dr. Wuebbles mentioned regarding the
solutions that have been developed to prevent climate change from progressing, he said, “We
need to transfer our energy to renewable energy. Also, one of the things we must do is to adapt to
the changes that occurred and will occur. We need to prevent any future changes from
happening, but adaptation is a major thing we need to do” (Phone interview). Scientists,
environmentalists, communities, as well as policy makers need to diligently and cooperatively to
live up to these challenges and combat climate change.
References

https://www.unccd.int/actions/great-green-wall-initiative

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-48884165

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/pakistan-s-billion-tree-tsunami-is-astonishing/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200618-climate-change-who-is-to-blame-and-why-does-it-
matter

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/092915/5-countries-produce-most-carbon-
dioxide-co2.asp

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71818866.pdf

https://www.terrapass.com/blog/climate-change-battle-causes-effects-and-solutions
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316691239_Global_Warming_Causes_Effects_and_So
lutions

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311301385_Climate_Change