2008年11月5日星期三

Is it an ethical issue to make decisons relating to climate change?

In less than a month, almost all the countries in the world, except those near the equator, are covered with heavy snow. Our blue planet turns out to be a white one. Nobody can survive in the white world for they have all been frozen to death. Is it a new fiction? In the movie “the day after tomorrow”, the survived people wish so but unfortunately it is not. In fact, based on the climate change today, scientists have predicted that if the temperature continues to rise, we are likely to have a second Ice Age in the future. When? Maybe it is 1000 years later, 100 years later, or it may just happen tomorrow. Reports, journals, speeches and other media have stated the drawbacks of the climate change affecting our future generations, and many have regarded the corresponding reactions and decisions as ethical issues. In my opinion, from the effects which global warming has on the earth, the induced living problems point out that our actions relation to climate change are in immediate demand to protect both the lives now and in the future.
One of the significant problems caused by the climate change is the rising sea level. Around the globe, sea level is about 6 inches higher than it was 100 years ago, due primarily to warmer sea water, along with glacier melting, and the rate of rise is increasing. Relative sea level rise is currently causing substantial loss of lands in some deltas. Besides, the warmer sea temperature influences the cycling of the food chain because the elementary parts, the mini-organisms, cannot be bought to the deeper ocean by the heavier cold current. Countries living on the fish export, for example, Japan and Mexico, have faced the reduction of marine products. From the small scale, the rising sea level is evading the homes and the income of people living in the coastal regions. From a large scale, the economy of the country is affected. Once the living environment and living standards cannot be sustained by the country, there will be no political peace within that country and also with the world.
Another major drawback is the less regular rainfall distribution in the world. In other words, regions having large amounts of rainfall before exhibit much more raindrops, for example, Singapore, while areas lack of rains in the past can hardly see the raindrops nowadays like Inner Mongolia. The resultant problem is more floods occurring in the countries or regions near equator; the increasing areas of desserts in the counties or regions located towards poles. Both floods and desserts harm people’s lives.
In conclusion, comparing the drawbacks climate change has brought to the world to the benefits gained, actions must be taken to prevent the world from getting hotter. It is not only an ethical issue for us to react to consider our future generations, but a strong relation between our nowadays lives and the nature change to take actions to protect ourselves. Government and the better-off ones should make decisions and reactions relating to climate change as it is they who make the choices.

1 条评论:

DO THANH MAI 说...

Dear Shengjie,
I love your writing style, the way you direct your readers towards the main purpose and to give the support. THerefore, it is pleased for me to see that your distinguished style is still there since the first time I read you essay on climate change.

I also would like to make sure about my understanding. Your tittle seems to be for the question about "ethical issue"; however, your essay seems to be about the question about evidence for climate change. Actually, I a little bit confused when reading this essay.

However, you have included voluminous data, examples and facts in your essay. And your language is quite academic (also romantic a little bit when you described the snow...)

I hope that you keep your feelings and your attitude about climate changes when becoming an engineer.