Proposal.
The topic of the research paper is climate change and specifically about putting together all the effective programs and practices to address issues of climate change to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation. The research question comes from the fact that despite many programs, practices, and policies being developed to address the issue of climate change, little has been achieved regarding reducing its impacts on the earth. This, therefore, means that these practices and programs are not effective after all since the damage that is caused by the menace still continues to be rampant; where it is much felt in the African regions. The thesis of the research paper; the existing programs and practices on addressing issues about climate change are not sufficient enough. New integrated, sustainable, inclusive, and result-oriented climate change approaches need to be adopted to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
THESIS.
This paper will provide an analysis of the reasons why the plans and strategies which were enacted to mitigate climate change have proved futile overtime. It will explore probable alternatives to mitigation and adaptation of climate change.
OUTLINE.
I. Introduction.
Arguments.
A. The climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.
i. The Obama for president campaign on shrinking GHG emissions by 80% in four decades. Betsill,& Bulkeley, (2004).
ii. The Obama administration promise after the Copenhagen negotiation in the Marxman – Markey bill 2010.(ibid)
iii. The California clean car standards and federal fuel efficiency regulations.(ibid)
iv. The United Kingdom plans to reduce GHG emissions by 36% by the year 2020. Heltberg, et al (2017),
II. What is being done on making the ecosystems adapt to climate change.
a) Management strategies.
i) Preserving natural functions to protect the ecosystem in the wake of climate change, Füssel, H. (2007). ..
b) Adaptation strategies to adaptation.
ii) Taking additional steps to have the quality and quantity of water protected since climatic change has resulted low river flows, drying of wetlands and warmer waters, Füssel, H. (2007). .
iii) Enabling the migration of species in their natural paths because after being squeezed out of their natural habitat, they risk extinction,(ibid)
iv) Improving the capacity to predict extreme events on climate change like storms and natural fires, (ibid).
v) Collaboratively managing the ecosystem between the private and public sector of ecosystems. (ibid).
Counter arguments.
III. Why climate change mitigation and adaptation on policies and ecosystems fail.
a) Effects of climate change from region to region . Heltberg, et al (2017)
b) Climate change poses both risks and opportunities that can be rewarding in short term but a detriment in long term. (ibid)
c) Mitigation and adaptation comes with a cost since new structures and policies will require planning and implementation where else financial resources are scarce, (ibid).
d) The nature of climatic impacts complicates the process of climatic adaptation since it will have wide range of effects, and they will likely to be simultaneous and interdependent, (ibid).
e) The effects of climatic change can go across different demographic regions and the vulnerable populations will vary depending on the climatic change that is in consideration. Nyong, et al.(2007).
IV. Stakeholders should engage the following on mitigation of ecosystems to limit climate change.
i) Priotize low-alteration strategies like reducing deforestation, Füssel, H. (2007).
ii) Critically evaluate management intensive strategies like reducing greenhouse concentration without altering land use,(ibid)
iii) Acknowledge the implications of geoengineering on the ecology like the use of sulfur particles to reflect sunrays, (ibid).
iv) Address the long term risks especially those which will not occur for near decades. Füssel, H. (2007).
V. The following should be done to make climate change mitigation and adaptation the commitment realistic and achievable.
i) Strengthen the clean power plan to achieve the near term goals and long-term ones, Smith, et al. (2009).
ii) Scale up programs that are for residential and commercial energy efficiency,(ibid).
iii) Continue and expand programs that are aimed at reducing hydroflorocarbon emissions, (ibid).
iv) Promote and encourage industrial energy efficiency by making favorable policies and reduction of barriers to energy efficiency,(ibid).
v) Encourage the reduction of emissions from natural gas systems like leakage and venting of natural gas from its production,(ibid).
vi) Strengthen and promote fuel efficiency for medium and heavy duty vehicles,(ibid).
vii) Promote the reduction of methane emission in landfills, coal mines and agriculture,(ibid)
VI. Conclusion.
VII. Annotated bibliography.
Part 2
Annotated Bibliography
Betsill, M. & Bulkeley, H. (2004). Transnational Networks and Global Environmental Governance: The Cities for Climate Protection Program. International Studies Quarterly, 48(2), 471-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0020-8833.2004.00310.x
The authors of the article, who are affiliated and researchers of the Human Dimensions of Global Climate Change, have introduced the transnational networks and the global environmental governance with a particular focus on the cities that need focus for the Climate Protection Program. The author examines the transnational networks; how they are developed and maintained and the extent that they can go in fostering policy change and learning. The central focus of the study is the aspect of governance and the role it plays in developing programs and practices to address issues on climate change. The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP), which is also a focus of the study comprises of a network of 550 local governments which are concerned with the promotion of initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change. Forming these networks is more than necessary when it comes to addressing the impacts of climate change through strengthening governance of different governments. This source is essential for the research essay as it will assist in highlighting the legitimacy of interpreting the local climate protection strategies and policies. It will also be useful in the evaluation of the role that transnational networks play in the global environmental governance which will enrich the paper in supporting the thesis statement.
Füssel, H. (2007). Adaptation planning for climate change: concepts, assessment approaches, and key lessons. Sustainability Science, 2(2), 265-275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-007-0032-y
Fussel, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, introduces the planning stage of developing climate change adaptation strategies where he includes the assessment approaches, concepts, and the key lessons. The author has summarized the present thinking regarding planned climate change adaptation where he begins with explaining the central adaptation concepts. This is supported by the account of the diverse nature of the adaptation contexts and finally followed by the discussion of the primary prerequisites to oversee effective adaptation. The researcher has documented in his findings that the assessment of the climate change adaptation principles is obtained from some decision-analytical considerations as well as from the outcome and experiences of the previous adaptation assessments. The shortcoming of this article is that the author has only focused on the adaptation strategies whereas it would be more useful if he incorporated the principles of planned mitigation strategies. Despite this, the source will still be essential for the research essay in providing information that will fill the gap between the past climate change adaptation strategies and the present as well as the future. Since the previous climate change mitigation and adaption programs have not been fruitful, this source will help in providing the reasons for the underachievement as well as assist in formulating a plan moving forward.
Heltberg, R., Siegel, P., & Jorgensen, S. (2017). Addressing human vulnerability to climate change: Toward a ‘no-regrets’ approach. Retrieved 2 March 2017, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.11.003
The authors, who are corresponding authors of The World Bank have presented and applied a conceptual framework which primarily addresses the levels of human vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change. Specifically, the authors have utilized the asset-based and the social risk management approaches which offer a comprehensive conceptual framework. This conceptual framework then gives a unifying lens that can be used to evaluate the relationship that exists between vulnerability, adaptation, and risks. Following this, the authors found that the result of implementing this integrated approach is that the society’s capacity to deal with and manage the climate change risks is enhanced significantly. This then reduces their vulnerability to effects of climate change while at the same time improving the existing opportunities for sustainable development. This article provides an integrated approach to addressing the issues of climate change, particularly concerning reducing human vulnerability through adaptation which supports the thesis of the research that proposes such interventions to oversee that the impacts of climate change are felt at lower intensity levels. Therefore, the article offers a significant support in answering the research question and supporting the thesis of the proposal.
Nyong, A., Adesina, F., & Osman Elasha, B. (2007). The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel. Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies For Global Change, 12(5), 787-797. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-007-9099-0
The authors of this source, who are affiliated with different Climate Change Adaptation Program have emphasized the importance and value of the indigenous knowledge as a strategy of climate change adaptation and mitigation particularly in the African Sahel. The authors have proposed that adaptation and mitigation practices and programs need to be pursued as complimentary practice. The authors have focused their study on the African Sahel region since it is one of the areas that have long been experiencing frequent and severe droughts as a result of climate change. The African population has since been developing some indigenous knowledge systems which have been implemented as the adaptation and mitigation strategies which have led to a considerable reduction in the climate change vulnerability. These indigenous knowledge systems have also surpassed the predicted models of the future climate which proves that it is among the most valuable strategies for addressing issues of climate change. In the research essay, I will then use the African Sahel region as an example first to document how huge the impact of climate change are currently and secondly to depict the effectiveness of enhancing the community’s indigenous knowledge as ways of improving the climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Smith, J., Vogel, J., & III, J. (2009). An architecture for government action on adaptation to climate change. An editorial comment. Climatic Change, 95(1-2), 53-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9623-1
The authors of the source, who are researchers at the Stratus Consulting Boulder, have presented architecture of the government climate change adaptation programs. The constituents of this design include stakeholder involvement, leadership, climate change information, institutional organization, technology for diffusion and development, funding for adaptation, and the adaptation research. This architecture, according to the researchers, is considered a useful heuristic when it comes to the identification, evaluation, and re-evaluating of the decision-makers’ needs as they seek to enhance the management of the climate-intensive resources in the constantly-changing environment. This source is helpful for the research essay as it gives a comprehensive overview of the climate change practices and programs. However, the most important aspect of the research is the fact that it also provides and architecture for evaluation of the programs and practices of assessing the effectiveness of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. These aspects will be incorporated in the research essay as well as the importance of these evaluation processes in the climate change decision-making processes.
References
Betsill, M. & Bulkeley, H. (2004). Transnational Networks and Global Environmental Governance: The Cities for Climate Protection Program. International Studies Quarterly, 48(2), 471-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0020-8833.2004.00310.x
Füssel, H. (2007). Adaptation planning for climate change: concepts, assessment approaches, and key lessons. Sustainability Science, 2(2), 265-275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11625-007-0032-y
Heltberg, R., Siegel, P., & Jorgensen, S. (2017). Addressing human vulnerability to climate change: Toward a ‘no-regrets’ approach. Retrieved 2 March 2017, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.11.003
Nyong, A., Adesina, F., & Osman Elasha, B. (2007). The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel. Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies For Global Change, 12(5), 787-797. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11027-007-9099-0
Smith, J., Vogel, J., & III, J. (2009). An architecture for government action on adaptation to climate change. An editorial comment. Climatic Change, 95(1-2), 53-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9623-1
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