What Can We Do To Slow Climate Change?

        It is becoming increasingly clear that addressing climate change could be one of the most urgent scientific, political, economic, and ethical issues that humanity faces. However, changes in the earth's climate are neither new nor unusual. Over the past 4.5 billion years the planet's climate has been altered by volcanic emissions, changes in solar input, continents moving slowly atop shifting tectonic plates, impacts by large meteors, and other factors (Blumer). Although the average temperature of the atmosphere has remained fairly stable for the past 1000 years, it began rising dramatically during the last century when people began clearing more forests and burning more fossil fuels. In 1880, the average surface temperature was 14.0 degrees Celsius, whereas in 2006, the average surface temperature reached nearly 15.0 degrees Celsius (Harris). To slow he rate of global warming and climate change, we need to take action on the climate change issue.
        Of course, there are characteristics of climate change that make it difficult to tackle. For instance, dealing with this threat will require unprecedented and prolonged international cooperation. In addition, the harmful and beneficial impacts of climate change are not spread evenly; hence, there will be winners and losers in the event of moderate climate change. Higher latitude nations such as Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, Greenland, and New Zealand could have higher crop yields, fewer deaths in winter, lower heating bills, and more tourism (Blumer). However, there is a catch: We will not know who will benefit and who will suffer until it is too late to avoid harmful effects. At some temperature threshold, essentially everyone will be harmed directly or indirectly. Also, and perhaps most importantly, many proposed actions that might reduce the threat of climate change, such as phasing out fossil fuels, are controversial because "they would disrupt economies and lifestyles" (Fabe). Nevertheless, according to a 2008 study by the OECD, waiting too long to slow climate change would also disrupt economies and lifestyles, probably to an even greater extent. 
         The good news is that there are a number of ways to slow the rate and degree of global warming and the resulting climate change caused by human activities. For example, humans can cut fossil fuel use, shift from coal to natural gas, improve energy efficiency, reduce poverty, slow population growth, reduce deforestation, and endless others. These solutions come down to three major prevention strategies: improve energy efficiency to reduce fossil fuel use; shift from nonrenewable carbon-based fossil fuels to a mix of carbon-free renewable energy resources; and stop cutting down tropical forests (Fabe). Of course, the stopping of fossil fuel production is nearly impossible in society today; therefore, another strategy is to keep burning fossil fuels but to capture and store as much carbon dioxide as possible in soil, vegetation, underground, and in the deep ocean and to hope that it will never leak out. United states scientists Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala at Princeton University have outlined a plan for holding 2057 carbon dioxide levels to those in 2007 in order to help us avoid harmful effects. They have identified strategies to cut carbon dioxide emissions, called "climate stabilization wedges"(Blumer). They estimate that getting carbon dioxide emissions to 2007 levels by 2057, and holding them there would require implementing any 8 of the 15 wedges during the next 5 decades. A 2007 study by the American Solar Energy Association showed how implementing just two of the strategies alone could lead to a 60-80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
           Obviously, humans need to take a stand and help prevent climate change around the globe. According to environmental expert Lester R. Brown, in his 2008 book Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, human action is necessary in order to keep climate change from spiraling out of control and  threatening human civilization as we know it (Harris). By slowing climate change, involving energy efficiency, and sharply reducing deforestation, we can reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in order to slow climate change. Based on the scientific consensus, we need to implement known solutions to the problems of climate change and ozone depletion, and we must do this globally and on an emergency basis. Each of us has an important role to play in protecting the atmosphere - an irreplaceable resource that sustains all life on earth.

Works Cited
Blumer, Tom. "US News Item on How Working Less Might Slow 'Climate Change' Ignores Underlying Radical 'De-Growth' Agenda." NewsBusters. MRC, 5 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2013/02/05/us-news-item-how-working-less-might-slow-down-climate-change-ignores-rad>.

Fabe, Bong D. "Want to Slow Climate Change? Reduce Working Hours, Says Think Tank." InterAksyon.com. Inter Aksyon, 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.interaksyon.com/article/54450/want-to-slow-climate-change-reduce-working-hours-says-think-tank>.

Harris, Leon. "Will Reduced Work Hours Really Slow Climate Change?" Weblog post.Eco Office Goals. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://eco-officegals.com/will-reduced-work-hours-really-slow-climate-change/>