Introduction
Climate change is probably the biggest threat to societies and communities. While skeptics hold the notion that climate change is overrated and non-existent, proponents articulate that effects of climate are already apparent. Studies have revealed that climate change is in fact a major cause of diseases, famines and droughts experienced in different parts of the world (DeWeerdt 2).
Although there are many opposing views on the process of climate change, there is substantial evidence to show that climate change is real and skeptics have no grounds to suppose the opposite. This paper synthesizes various sociological concepts and perspectives to support its argument. They include globalization, human ecology, environmental justice and global stratification. Besides, the paper will pinpoint reasons for affirming that climate change is factual and is poised to worsen in the coming decades.
Climate Change is real
At the outset, it is important to assert that human ecology has exacerbated climate change across the world. According to DeWeerdt, the manner in which human beings interact with natural and social environments has historically been counterproductive (1). In fact, Herbert Spencer argues that human beings main goal and motivation is survival.
In other words, he articulates that the cliché, ‘survival for the fittest’ continues to typify human societies and social organizations. As such, the world continues to witness unsurpassed level of environmental degradation as societies seek to reap maximum utility from nature.
For instance, DeWeerdt argues in her article that human beings in various parts of the world have encroached water catchment areas (2). Subsequently, some parts of the world have recorded scarce rainfall leading to a decline in crop yields and famines. To that end, it is important to emphasize that human activities have led to a change in climatic and weather patterns. This entrenches the argument that climate change is responsible for deaths that result from adverse weather patterns.
While many governments and societies advice communities to adapt to climate change, it is apparent that global stratification has made it impossible for some communities to cushion themselves from climate change. The rationale is that adapting to climate change is costly for many countries especially in the third world.
For instance, severe drought and famine that the world witnessed in the early 1980s in Sahel region led to setting up of adaptive measures. In fact, Ethiopian government created water pans and reservoirs to connect myriad of people in the drought prone regions of the country.
However, the adaptive measures led to unintended consequences including malaria outbreaks in areas where the dams and water pans were built. Not only did people die because of drought and famine but also malaria related illnesses (DeWeerdt 2). The rationale is that Ethiopian government, like many developing countries, has limited resources to make healthcare services accessible and affordable to a large proportion of the population.
On the contrary, developed and industrialized nations are able to adapt to the effects of climate change and conceal the actual effects of the process. As such, effects of climate change are usually more apparent in developing countries than in industrialized nations. Another example is the recent hunger that engulfed The Horn of Africa leading to unsurpassed deaths of children and people.
Further, it is important to highlight that environmental justice remains elusive in many societies. DeWeerdt elucidates that many companies continue to exhibit reluctance especially when conforming to statutes and laws that guide their operations (2). Many manufacturing companies continue to emit greenhouse gases with little or no regard to environmental custodianship.
This does not only aggravate the already dire situation but also makes climate change to become rapid. DeWeerdt says that reduction of greenhouse emission as envisaged in Kyoto Protocol of 1997 is yet to be achieved (3). The reason is that the process of globalization has led to uniformity and convergence of business operations across the world.
This makes greenhouse emission not only an issue of the developed world but also a pertinent issue of the developing countries where multinational industries have established manufacturing plants. Other than profit-making motive of multinationals, population growth has increased tremendously across the world. This implies that high population will require increased energy sources and consequently, lead to increased emission of greenhouse emission into the atmosphere.
According to Hadley centre for Climate Prediction and Research, extreme weather patterns have continued to typify European climatic patterns since the onset of 21st century (DeWeerdt 2). Indeed, the institute points out that the heat wave of 2003 that killed approximately twenty thousand people serves as an illustration of the extreme weather owing to changes in climate.
It is also apparent that sea levels have been rising steadily due to the warm weather in Polar Regions of the world. Particularly, research shows that glaciers have been melting consistently over time (DeWeerdt 2). All these are illustrations that climate change is real and skeptics of the process have no sound grounds to support their argument.
Conclusion
In summary, it is apparent that climate change is factual. Skeptics have criticized the process of climate change for a long time. However, counterproductive human ecology and globalization have exacerbated the process. Besides, it is apparent that effects of climate change are severe in developing nations. Extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels also serve to entrench the argument that climate change is real and it affects social organization of global societies.
Works Cited
DeWeerdt, Sarah. “Climate Change, Coming Home: Global Warming’s Effects on Populations.” World Watch Magazine 20.3 (2007): 1-6. Print.