Global warming – Myth or Reality

The issue concerning global warming should not be politicized. There are people out there who live in secured areas and because they have money, and they think they can buy anything. What has to be realized is the fact is that global warming is taking place every second. Politicians are using it as a way of winning votes in their respective countries worldwide. They stage campaign crusades to talk about it but in the long run, they are the exact people fueling the process. They own those companies which emit dangerous gasses every day, but they never talk about it during their campaigns (Lynch, et al, 213). Some people have gone to the extent of being too philosophical and only believe that it is just a myth rather than a reality. Even religious leaders, who do not have as much education as other people do, are much more sensitive on the issue of global warming. These religious leaders talk about the issue of global warming in church. This is their right because they believe that it is one of the catastrophes written in the Holy Bible. Behreandt, D (Pg 31) contends that the issue of global warming has raised a hot debate in the world in the twenty-first century. The main problem is that people are pretending not to see the fact and are, instead, waiting to see what exactly will happen. Let everyone be vigilant so that this problem can be solved in a united and logical way.

It will be sensitive of us to take the facts with us and live by them, and I will not hesitate to fight those who oppose the existence of global warming. The fact is that it is real and this reality will always prevail no matter how much we try to conceal it. I will not deny that people are different but if we consider the ideology of global warming being a myth, what facts do we have? Fictitious stories will be written to explain the idea that global warming is just a myth.  The most pertinent question to be asked would be ''are we going to be solving the problem since it is already with us?'' Millions of dollars will be generated by the sales revenue of books and movies.  However, a time will come when the truth will matter to us more than the economic endeavors. That is when the whole world will be desperate for relevance because all the doors of saving the planet will be shut. Christian believers will term this as a biblical rupture and they will certainly say the savior has come. However, when we think deeply, there can never be such a thing because the coming of the Messiah shall not be revealed to anyone, not even Christ himself.

The effects are real as scientists have already demonstrated the depletion of the ozone layer due to the massive emission of harmful gasses such as carbon dioxide. In addition to this, the sea level has been on the increase especially in the twentieth and the twenty-first century. This is a clear sign that we are burying ourselves slowly, claiming that we are technologically advancing the world. Signs of destruction such as the tsunami are evidence of the consequences of rising temperatures. All these among other are caused by the increased human activities that lead to the release of the causing factors. One would argue that the increase in the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere goes back to the start of the industry in Europe. This means that more carbon dioxide is being produced without control and release in the atmosphere. Moreover, vehicles that emit harmful gases are being manufactured every day. On the other hand, no one is ready to put measures on the control of such gasses. The steady decrease of the quantity of irradiance on the planet is a contributing feature to the disaster. This is happening as a result of what are called aerosols which are produced by the presence of pollutants and volcanoes. As a result, the cooling effect is being reduced hence more rays of sunlight reaching the earth. The continued destruction of the aerosols has reached its highest point and that is why the temperatures are increasing. At the same time the ice is thawing into the Atlantic Ocean leading to an increase in the sea level.

Another consequence of rising temperatures is the change in the climatic patterns. It is becoming increasingly difficult to predict what the weather will be like in a few months’ time. As a result, hurricanes have been on the increase in America and other parts of the world. Heavy rains without patterns have destroyed houses and claimed so many lives especially in Africa. Water borne diseases are on the increase as a result of the rains. We are talking about a problem after the other each and every day. Each second means a change in the environmental conditions and this means that in the near future people will not be able to walk freely on the planet earth. It will no longer be the heaven that we used to enjoy and instead it will be the hell that has been talked about by believers. The effects of global warming will not be evenly distributed and there are areas that will be more prone to the effects. On the other hand,   there will be others that will not be hard hit by the catastrophe (Hayashi, et al, 87).  However, this should not be a segregation factor. People should not start saying that I play my part in reducing global warming. People should come together and see this as a global crisis as it already is and start working hand in hand for the future of this planet. The future generation is dependent on the effort to making this planet a healthier place. Politics should be put a side and people concentrate on what matters most.

Those who still believe that global warming is but a myth should spare some time and learn more about what it is causing to the planet. They should be more analytical and see over the horizon and in this way; they will appreciate the consequences of human activities on the planet. They will at least be aware of what is ahead of them. There is no falsehood when talking about a worldwide crisis as global warming. The intergovernmental forum has to strategies ways of fighting the crisis rather than fighting among themselves. In the process, people should not disregard that fact that the problem is in within us.

Opinions concerning the Implementation of Environmental Policies in London

Varying opinions have been given concerning the Mayor of London’s main concerns about the city, with some arguing that he has his priorities right in trying to protect the environment of the city. Others, however, believe that his priorities are not in the right direction and that his attention should be more focused on issues that are of more importance than the environment. Some have said that because of the global economic recession, the Mayor should give more attention to the creation of more jobs for those people who are unemployed. They argue that more jobs are needed if the, current improved, standards of living are to be maintained. There are, however, those who fully support the Mayor’s initiatives concerning the environment, stating that saving the environment should be given a priority so that future generations can have a safe place to live. They argue that the environment is the most valuable thing in the world today, more important, in fact than fighting unemployment, because with global warming, perhaps life, as we know it, will come to end.

Most people agree that there has been a colossal air pollution problem in the city and that it is high time it was tackled to ensure a clean environment. Because of this, they support the Mayor’s policies concerning the environment, especially those dealing with air pollution, with the hope that once implemented, these policies will be able to help deal with health problems, which are related to unclean air (Rydin, et al, 2012, 2082). Those who support the Mayor’s green initiative state that he has taken the right step to combat the production of carbon emissions to the environment. They believe that the reduction of such emissions in the city will not only have a significant impact on the reduction of the global emissions, but it will also give other cities in the world a model to use for their environmental policies. They, further, have hope that the Mayor’s policies will come to be successful because, of the fact that, each of them has a specific timeline within which to be implemented. This will ensure that adequate funding for such initiatives is provided for in the budget of the GLA, making them a success. Mechanisms have been put in place to measure the impact of these policies on the environment of London, and this is to make sure that they are turned into reality.

Other people have mixed reactions towards the Mayor’s focus environmental policies, believing that while cleaning up the environment is a praiseworthy thing to do, he should ensure that these policies are balanced with others which are based on development. They feel that some of the environmental policies being initiated by the Mayor are not based on the reality of the situation. Some have said that the initiatives are way too ambitious, and it will be impossible to achieve them within the time allocated. These people may be right because the ambition of making London an emission free city by 2025 is indeed an uphill task which will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Some would say that thirteen years is too short a time, within which to achieve such a colossal task, especially when one considers the fact that at present, London is still heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels. It has   that more needs to be done by the GLA to make the people of London more receptive of greener fuels.

Analysis of the Gap between the Development of and Implementation of Environmental Policy

While some of the policies introduced by the Mayor have been implemented, their effects are yet to be seen. There seems to be a wide breach between these policies and how they are handled by the general public. One of the most fundamental reasons why the effects of these policies have yet to be felt is because of the massive funding which they require. It has been stated that, for the levels of carbon emissions to be reduced by sixty percent by the year 2025, nearly sixty billion pounds would be required to implement the policies needed to achieve such a reduction (McHugh, 2006, 9). In fact, the GLA cannot achieve the full implementation of these policies without the financial assistance of the government. The prospects of gaining funding for these policies from the central government are terribly slim indeed, and it is because of this lack of additional funding that some of the GLA policies have yet to be fully implemented. The lack of additional funding is perhaps one of the main reasons why the effects of these policies have yet to be felt.

One of the reasons why the GLA has encountered a lot of difficulty in implementing the proposed policies is because of the lack of public awareness when it comes to the environment. This means that the GLA has a lot of work to do to ensure that the public is made aware of the environmental issues, as well as gaining its support in the implementation of the policies. It will require the Mayor and his team to embark on a massive public campaign to create awareness for the environment. He will have to state the GLA’s intentions concerning the environment, and also try to gain public support through encouraging people to take responsibility in their actions towards the environment. If these campaigns are carried out successfully, then the GLA will find it much easier to implement the policies than it is currently.

While London is one of the most technologically developed cities in the world, a lot more technology is needed to ensure that the policies are implemented within the city. It has been suggested by the Mayor that all the new residences, which are to be built within the city, have to be efficient in both energy and water (Croci, Melandri & Molteni, 2010). Moreover, electric vehicles are to be introduced, in the city, to diminish the level of carbon release to the environment. While these initiatives are truly noble in principle, they are extremely difficult to implement because the needed technology is terribly expensive. Studies have to be conducted to find ways through which the technology that exists today can be best used to implement the policies proposed by the GLA. This would help a fantastic deal in the cutting of implementation costs, which would be incurred if new technology were to be introduced.

It is a fact that there has been an improvement in the standard of living of the people of London in the last few years and this trend is set to continue. However, inequalities can still be seen in many parts of the city, and it is possible that some of the policies will have a positive impact on some groups, while having an opposite impact on others. Although a cleaner environment will be gained through the implementation of these policies, some groups will end up losing. For example, if the policy of improving water efficiency in the city is implemented through the introduction of meters, then those people from low income groups will receive higher water bills than they already are, and this will do them more harm than good.