global-warming

The melting of land-based ice masses as a consequence of climate change has significant implications for sea level rise. The shrinking of the ice sheets in the Earth’s polar regions has been the subject of intense study for many years now, but scientists have been sharpening the satellite tools and techniques they use to analyze the true mass of ice and its rate of decline.

Beliefs about how risky something is — from legalizing concealed handguns to allowing carbon pollution — are often shaped by deep cultural forces. The theory of “cultural cognition” suggests that individuals will interpret evidence, no matter how well supported by science, in ways that reinforce their connections to those with whom they share a worldview.

Journalists, bloggers and communicators of all kinds often find themselves in a contentious debate over the truth behind global warming. The reasons that “skepticism” or “contrarianism” and the like persist in public discourse are numerous, and there is a great deal of research literature on this question.

A sustained period of fast economic growth nations such as China, Japan and South Korea has corresponded with an ever-increasing demand for energy.  To meet this demand, these countries have invested significantly in green technology.  The significant progress made is underscored in 2009 as China is reported to have passed the U.S. in clean energy investment and finance.

While the full impact of climate change has yet to be felt, agencies such as NASA, the EPA, and NOAA have chronicled its initial effects over the last 30 years. In addition to rising sea levels and shrinking glaciers, evidence includes modifications in species habitats. Coral suffer as temperatures rise, while other less welcome species can flourish.

At the 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, concern focused on the global climate impacts of land-use changes such as deforestation. While the conference sought to establish regulations on emissions resulting from land-use changes only for rapidly growing countries, growth and urbanization in more developed nations also plays a role.

Cap and trade is a market approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The government sets a cap for a particular pollutant and then allows companies to negotiate among themselves on how to meet the limit; those that are most efficient at reducing emissions are rewarded for doing so.