2 The Nature of the Problem

20.11.2024, Environmental ethics

Aleksandra Szultka
Hanna Kapusta
Introduction
 “As a result of climate change, there will be massive
extinctions of plants and animals, rising seas will engulf
major cities and entire nations, and “natural” disasters
including droughts, heat waves, and storms will raise
havoc with virtually all aspects of life. The landscape in
which people live will be remade by climate change. This
is all documented in the scientific literature, reported in the
popular press, and portrayed in popular media. Yet thus
far we have done little to address this problem.”
 “It still matters what we do. Failures can be greater or
lesser, and we can live more or less successfully with the
changes we are bringing about. We can also learn from
our mistakes, and widely apply the lessons to our
societies and ourselves. Although we cannot prevent
climate change, abating emissions would lessen impacts
and reduce risks.”
2.1 The development of
climate science
J. Fourier's Greenhouse Theory (1822)
“Just as the sun warms the interior of the box and the glass inhibits the
heat from escaping, so Fourier speculated that the earth’s atmosphere
inhibits heat from escaping the earth’s surface.”
 J. Tyndall's Discovery (1859)
“Water vapor is a blanket more necessary to the vegetable life of
England than clothing is to man. Remove for a single summer-night the
aqueous vapour from the air. . . and the sun would rise upon an island
held fast in the iron grip of frost.”
S. Arrhenius' Climate Change Theory
(1896)

As Arrhenius predicted, both carbon

dioxide levels and temperatures
increased from 1900–1999. However,
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has
increased much more quickly than he
expected, but the Earth hasn't warmed as
much as he thought it would.
 G. Callendar Effect (1938)
Using whatever data he could find, Callendar claimed that there
had already been a 10% increase in atmospheric CO2 and that an
observable, anthropogenic warming had already begun.
 "Revelle Effect" (1957)
The R. Revelle effect describes how only a small fraction of
pCO2 is present in ocean water when much larger
amounts are added to the atmosphere.

“Because of this effect, only about one-tenth as much

carbon dioxide is needed in order to reach equilibrium
than would otherwise be the case.”
2.2 Climate change as
a public issue
'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson (1962)

"For the first time in the history of the

world, every human being is now
subjected to contact with dangerous
chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death."
 First Earth Day (1970)

The first Earth Day was held on

April 22, 1970, mobilizing
millions of Americans in
demonstrations across the
country advocating for a healthy,
sustainable environment.
Charney Report (1979)

“We now have incontrovertible

evidence that the atmosphere is
indeed changing and that we
ourselves contribute to that
change.”
2.3 The age of climate
diplomacy
 Formation of the IPCC (1988)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

was established by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide a clear
scientific view on the current state of knowledge in
climate change and its potential environmental and
socio-economic impacts.
UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (1992)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) was adopted during the Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro, establishing an international
environmental treaty aimed at stabilizing greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference
with the climate system.
Problems at Rio Earth Summit (1992)
“The Rio Earth Summit, technically known as the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development, was supposed to
produce agreements on a wide range of issues, including an “earth
charter” that would guide the global transition to sustainable
development. In the end, only two legally binding treaties were
concluded: The Convention on Biological Diversity, and the FCCC.
The document of most interest to developing countries, Agenda 21,
was adopted only as an “action plan,” and has subsequently been
ignored.”
 Kyoto Protocol (1997)
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December
1997 at COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, marking the first
international treaty that mandated country-
specific emissions reduction targets. The
protocol legally bound developed countries to
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, based
on the premises that global warming exists and
human-made CO2 emissions have caused it.
Kyoto Protocol political aftermath
“Shortly after the FCCC came into force in March 1994, it
became clear that while some European countries would
meet their voluntary commitments, others would not, and
the United States certainly would not. [...] The United
States also argued for “joint implementation,” the idea,
broadly speaking, that developed countries can purchase
emissions reductions offshore and count them toward
fulfilling their own obligations.”
 Rejection of Kyoto Protocol
by U.S. (2001)
In 2001, the Kyoto Protocol suffered a severe blow when the
United States, under President George W. Bush, announced it
would not ratify the treaty. The Bush administration argued
that the protocol would harm the U.S. economy by imposing
costly emission reduction targets and criticized the treaty for
exempting developing nations like China and India, calling this
imbalance unfair. At the time, the U.S. was the largest emitter
of greenhouse gases, and its withdrawal significantly
undermined the protocol’s global impact.
 Public opinion
“As in the previous decade and before, public attention and concern
waxed and waned during the Bush years, but on the whole the
American public remained relatively unconcerned about climate
change. However, there were regional differences, and some states
and municipalities (notably California, New York, and Seattle) began
to fill some of the void left by the lack of a national climate policy.
Then came 2007, which like 1988 was one of those years in which
climate change became a major focus of attention. If the events of
the year could be said to have a single message, it was that the
seriousness of the problem could no longer be denied and quick
action could still make a difference.”
 Public opinion on climate
“As in the previous decade and before, public attention and concern
waxed and waned during the Bush years, but on the whole the
American public remained relatively unconcerned about climate
change. However, there were regional differences, and some states
and municipalities (notably California, New York, and Seattle) began
to fill some of the void left by the lack of a national climate policy.
Then came 2007, which like 1988 was one of those years in which
climate change became a major focus of attention. If the events of
the year could be said to have a single message, it was that the
seriousness of the problem could no longer be denied and quick
action could still make a difference.”
(a) Cumulative emissions (1900–2009);
(b) Pledged emissions cut (2020).
 COP 21 and Paris Agreement (2015)
At COP 21 in Paris, the global community took a more inclusive and flexible
approach with the adoption of the Paris Agreement. This landmark treaty was
signed by over 190 countries and aimed to address many of the shortcomings
of the Kyoto Protocol. For the first time, both developed and developing nations
were required to take action, reflecting the evolving global landscape of
emissions. The agreement set ambitious goals, including limiting global warming
to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to cap the increase at
1.5°C. A key feature of the Paris Agreement was the concept of Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs), where each country set its own emission
reduction targets and pledged to update them every five years.
2.4 Conclusion and
discussion
 Conlusions
“In many ways the first part of the story is unexceptional. The
development of climate science has been similar to the development of
other sciences: incremental contributions from many people, punctuated
by occasional new insights and perspectives, often enabled by the
applications of innovative technologies.
In some ways the second part of the story is unexceptional as well.
Climate becomes an issue of public concern because science reveals
looming threats to humanity. When it becomes increasingly apparent
that these threats originate in human behavior, science collides with
economic and political power. This creates opportunities for scientific
entrepreneurs who are eager to promote the science and to display its
relevance.”