Essay on "Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation"

Essay 3 pages (950 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

In order for mitigation efforts to be effective, some policy changes that would be needed to help stabilize the global climate include the increased use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar by all citizens and businesses to the maximum extent possible. For instance, policies requiring the use of solar-powered water heaters similar to those in place in Israel would significantly reduce demand for fossil fuels across the board. In addition, new policies concerning other greenhouse gas sources such as methane would be needed to delay the need for localized and regional mitigation responses as long as possible. The business sectors that would inevitably be most affected by these stricter policies would be the transportation and aviation industries, as well as manufacturing, especially steel production that consumes enormous amounts of energy.

At the international level, the emerging economic powerhouses of Brazil, Russia, India and China will be demanding more fossil fuels in the future to sustain their growth and satisfy their growing middle classes. It would be disingenuous for the developed nations of the world to suggest that new, stricter policies should be implemented to control fossil fuel usage in these emerging nations given the disproportionate amounts of energy consumed by the developed world in general and the United States in particular already. Nevertheless, it will be vitally important for these and other developing nations to pursue their economic growth in a sustainable fashion that includes provisions for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasingly incorporating renewable energy resources as a matter of national policy.

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