Scientists and environmentalists are spending sleepless nights try to solve global warming problems that have been caused by the problem of global warming which is brought about as a result of ozone depletion. Depletion of ozone is brought about by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons chemicals that are produced by man. The effect of ozone depletion has adversely affected the world today. It has severely been experienced in spring over Antarctica as it causes an ozone hole.
The ozone layer above us is supposed to protect us from harmful sun radiations but this is not the case since currently, the layer is growing thinner and thinner as compared to how it was in late 1970s. To ensure this problem of global warming is eliminated or it does not continue to threaten our lives; a Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 with the main aim and objectives of phasing out the use of CFC and halon. To completely clear the effect of CFC and halon can take decade since they stay in the atmosphere for a very long time before they clear out.
To minimize the effect of CFC and halon in our environment, a Global Atmospheric Change Program was set up by scientists to minimize the ozone depletion by tracking ozone depleting chemicals that are concentrated in the atmosphere. CFCs and halons contribute to ozone depletion in the sense that they release bromine and reactive chlorine that is responsible of destroying the ozone layer. Destruction of ozone layer is very severe as it is currently described as a catalytic since bromine or chlorine radical destroys thousands of ozone molecules.
The graph below shows how the world’s temperatures have increased as a result of ozone depletion from 1850 – 2005. (Adapted from Brohan, Kennedy and Harris et al, 2006) Various organizations are workings around the clock to ensure ozone depletion is minimized for the sake of saving the world from the effects of global warming that has continued to affect our environment. Approach Taken to Minimize Ozone Depletion Greenpeace is one of the organizations that is very active as it ensures ozone depletion will is minimized and it will not continue to affect our environment.
It was founded in 1971 as an international environmental organization with the main aim and objective of campaigning the ban of underground nuclear testing and to stop these kinds of activities that are harmful to the human health. The aims and objectives of Greenpeace organization changed later in the years as it started focusing on other environmental issues such as global warming, generic engineering, deforestation and nuclear power among other environmental issues of concern.
The governments and individual organization has really helped the organization to call out their activities due to the contribution their give in form of donations. There are Greenpeace branches in 41 countries in the world today which are affiliated to Amsterdam-based Greenpeace International. In carrying out its environmental related activities, Greenpeace gives the first priority to ozone depletion since it is one of the worse phenomena that is affecting the world today and unless adequate advance measures are taken, our future lives will be affected severely due to global warming.
With the use of campaigns, Greenpeace ensures that people are aware of the effects of global warming as a result of ozone depletion. In an ecological lens point of view, Greenpeace at times hold international conferences, lobby politicians and business in order to ensure their information reaches many people at grass root level. They use a non violent method in their campaign to advocate to environmental issues concerning ozone depletion. Greenpeace organization at time invades nuclear facilities to while dressed in funny attires in order to attract attention from people.
In an economic lens point of view, they have even advocate for a fuel saving vehicles, electric and gas cars in order to minimize pollution of our environment as a result of emissions from cars that pollute the environment. Climate Change Response in Lens Perspective The effects of global warming can be reduced if people are made aware of the dangers involved when they carry out their activities without taking into consideration, the negative environmental impact the activity will cause in the long run. Economic Lens Perspective
To ensure that global warming is reduced, our people should be made aware about economic effect a product they intend to use or manufacture has on the environment. For example, when it comes to use of cars, cars that do not pollute our environment should be mandated to be used in order to reduce ozone depletion. The smoke that is emitted by fuel vehicles is very toxic and it end up polluting our environment. For this case, cars that have low emission should be manufactured so that there will be less pollution in the environment.
In the world today, there are electric and gas cars that can be used to ensure that smoke that is emitted by our cars do not continue to deplete the ozone layer. With this idea in mind, we will rest assured that we will no longer have to worry that there will be ozone depletion due to smoke that is emitted by our car. Even though these cars are expensive, people should do weigh the cost and the benefit the vehicle will have taking in mind the environmental impact in the long run.
Our government on the other hand can be of a helping hand if it adjusts the prices of commodities that affect our environment upwards. For example, fuel for motorist should be charged at higher prices so that people would shift from using fuel vehicles that pollute our environment and instead use gas or electric vehicles. If this idea is implemented in our government, the issue of depleting our ozone layer through pollution from our automobiles will be eliminated. This can be done by imposing higher taxes on petroleum products to discourage the use of petroleum vehicles and instead use electric or gas cars.
The government on the other hand can subsidize products that are environmentally friendly while it imposes more taxes to products that are harmful to our environment. This would call up to subsidize electric and gas cars in order to encourage people to purchase them instead of petroleum one that pollute our environment through smoke emission. On the other hand, the government can regulate importation of items that as known to pollute our environment to discourage their use.
It can also call upon to total ban of certain products by the government in order to sake the world from ozone depletion calamities. European Community is looking forward on how they can eliminate carbon dioxide emission in order to curb this problem of ozone depletion that brings about global warming. They are proposing a fifty percent tax to be imposed on production of energy which should include nuclear power. If this will be implemented, there will an assurance that there will be no more pollution as a result of pollution from the carbon dioxide.
Technological Lens Perspective The government should ensure that they fund research projects that are meant to benefit the world environmentally. It is due to technology that there is gas and electric gas in the world market which ensures that smoke emission that pollutes the environment is reduced. In the world today, there are many technological approaches that are used today to curb ozone depletion associated problems. This has ensured that emission of gases that pollutes our environment is greatly reduced.
Some States in the United States for example California and others had mandated that ten percent of their vehicles should be non emission vehicles that are not polluting the environment. In technological lens perspective of viewing approaches that have been put in place to curb environmental degradation as a result of ozone depletion is production of hybrid seedlings. This has ensure that people will not clear more forest cover in order to find more land for cultivation since these seedlings gives better yield than those that were previously used.
When our forest are cleared, there will be greenhouse effect since there will be imbalance of the air in our environment. Forest cover is said to be taking a lot of carbon dioxide we breathe out during the day for the process of photosynthesis when they in turn purify the air by giving back oxygen we breathe in. For this case, technology has enable people just to use a small portion of land to produce enough food as a result of hybrid seedling, unlike in the ancient days when they used to clear a big land to be assured that they get enough yields after harvesting.
Technology has also brought about the production of fertilizers that enable farmers to produce good harvest since their land becomes fertile. This was unlike in the ancient day when they were not using fertilizers for farming, hence getting very low yields that forced them to clear more land to be able produces enough food. For this case, technology saves our forest cover thereby eliminating the greenhouse effect. This in turn assures us that there will be no more threat that will be associated with greenhouse effects that causes ozone depletion as a result of clearing forests.
Technology has also enabled us to develop hybrid cattle that give better yields that the indigenous one that gave low milk and beef. For this case, a farmer just keeps few cattle unlike in the ancient days where they reared many cattle in order for them to produce enough milk for them. This was in turn forcing them to clear more forest cover in search of pasture; hence there was greenhouse effect that accelerated ozone depletion. Nowadays, there is fewer clearance of land if there is any since farmers just keep few cattle thereby reducing ozone depletion. Ecological Lens Perspective
As far as ecological lens perspective is concerned, in order to curb ozone layer depletion, people should be informed on the need to ensure there is a balance in our ecosystem. For this case, there is need for environmentalists to ensure that there is world-wide education on environmental conservation issues. There is need to curb greenhouse effects by ensuring there in no more clearing of forest cover. This could be avoided by ensuring the government regulates the cutting down of trees or advocating that for every one tree that has been cut down; at least one should plant more than two or three.
This will ensure that we replace the trees that have been cut thereby ensuring there will be ecosystem balance. This in turn ensures there will be no greenhouse effect that would have accelerated ozone depletion that would eventually cause environmental degradation. Climate change is caused by depletion of the ozone layer and people should be educated on how to avoid these problems of ozone layer depletion. For this case, there should be a massive campaign among scientists and environmentalists in order to ensure all people are ware of the environmental hazards brought about by ozone depletion.
This will enable people to always be cautious of their day to day activities that would affect our environment in future. When someone has at least an idea of why something is happening, one becomes cautious of his acts that would have affected our environment. For this case, ecological education is very important to people in order to save the world from the effects that are brought about by ozone depletion. When people are clearing may be a forest in order to cultivate their crops, they do not have a second thought of what environmental impact clearing of forests will have on our ecosystem.
For one, clearing of forest brings about greenhouse effects that in turn accelerate ozone depletion. This eventually causes global warming which is one of the worst calamities that have locked the world recently and unless adequate measures are taken in advance, there might be environmental problems that no man can be able to solve them. Nuclear facilities that have a great impact on the environment should be discourages to avoid more environmental degradation. We should also eliminate the use of toxic chemicals that would later on degrade our environment.
By so doing, there will be a guarantee that our activities are not contributing to ozone depletion that is in turn causing environmental degradation. We will also be guaranteed that the world temperatures will not continue to rise as a result to global warming. The environmental effects that are caused by ozone depletion are continuing to be felt all over the world today and it is a high time all individual should be cautious about activities that might bring negative environmental impact in future and avoid them.
