Greenhouse-gas Emissions and Global Mitigation Efforts

Climate change is a significant global challenge and has been linked directly to excessive greenhouse emissions. The effect is gradual changes in temperature, precipitation, and a rise in sea levels resulting in changes in the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme events. Climate change will impact different regions based on their sensitivity and adaptive capacity and therefore their vulnerability. Many efforts for facing the climate change are being made through government initiatives, NGOs activities, and an institution-based global agreement: the Kyoto Protocol. The authors of this piece are proposing a model, consisting in a new conception of global governance, which emphasizes individual efforts in the whole process.
A vast number of citizens depend on climate-sensitive sectors such agriculture, forestry, and fishery for livelihood. The adverse impact of climate change in the form of declining rainfall and rising temperatures along with the increased possibility of drought and flooding threatens food security and livelihood in the economy. World economy, which mainly depends on natural resources such as agriculture, forestry, coastlines, and water resources also faces a challenge. This could place excessive stress on the ecological and socioeconomic system, which is already facing tremendous pressures due to rapid industrialization, organization, and economic development. Human beings are altering the earth climate in profound ways by burning fossil fuel, which emits carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. Because of these issues, the world has reason to be concerned about climate change.

Apart from the many efforts to face climate change made through government initiatives, NGO activities, and the Kyoto Protocol, the authors propose a new people-based model where equal and freely communicating global citizens are the protagonists, who share information, have discussions, and reach solutions with consensus. They use the Internet and the media, and work through different kinds of organizations such as universities, NGOs, local volunteers, and civil-society groups.