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The UN Unleashed Its Concern over Global Warming
The debate about the certainty of global warming has been held for decades. Though the initial report that highlighted the dangers and presence of global warming was made in the 1980s, in the year 2001 United States President, George Bush still was not convinced. In 2001, 37 nations signed the Kyoto Protocol which gave each country the responsibility to implement mandatory carbon emissions cuts to benefit the environment. Even at that time, the environmental threats of global warming were of international concern, but in 2007 the UN released a groundbreaking report that declared the issue of global warming to be indisputable.
The report painted a very somber picture of Earth in coming decades; highlighting a seemingly endless number of negative effects that global warming will have on human populations and the world at large. Greenhouse gas levels are to such a high degree that the effects of global warming would be felt in the future even if all cars and factories were put out of commission today. However, this is nothing compared to the problems that would occur if emissions level continue to rise; it is predicted that global warming can threaten up to 70% of the world's species. Global warming's effect on natural resources is also one of the more serious concerns. It is projected that by the year 2020, a low estimate of 75 million Africans will experience water shortages. This will accompanied by a hotter North America, mass extinctions in Europe, and coastal/river flooding in Asia.
The UN's report and the serious threats that it revealed had a great impact on the world. The report was particularly groundbreaking because it removed all doubts of global warming for lead governments such as the United States. Unlike in 2001, there were no holes in data or research and the problem of global warming had to be widely acknowledged as severe. Possibly more important, were the solutions that the report offered. In order to prevent many of the potential global warming induced disasters, it is necessary to stabilize emissions levels by 2015 and reduce levels from that point forward. In order to achieve this goal, the UN provided an extensive list of options which include: switching to nuclear and gas-fired power stations; developing hybrid technology; using more efficient electrical technology; and improving agricultural techniques to release carbon. Many of the solutions offered by the UN had the added advantage of being viable options for developing countries that generally do not have the resources to make more expensive environmental improvements.
The problems and solutions presented in the UN's 2007 report were meant to set the tone for negotiations that will take in 2012 to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Though this event has yet to take place, it is easy to see that the report did play a large role in the direct of environmental politics today. Since 2007, there has been a dramatic shift in global warming awareness and a plethora of initiatives to try to reduce carbon emissions. As the Kyoto Protocol dissolves, hopefully a more powerful and driven alliance can be formed to combat global warming and the horrific scenes that could accompany climate change in the future.
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