Climate Change and Sustainability

Climate Change

What is the definition of climate change?

Fig 1. A Map Showing Changes in Temperature Across the Earth.

Climate change plays a role in determining human landscapes and living conditions, which can impact both social and economic development. The impacts of climate change include rising temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather (droughts, flooding, storms.) These impacts can lead to negative effects on the environment and society, such as land degradation, disease, death, and mental health issues.

Ways in which climate change can be tackled include measuring the impact of climate change and finding strategies and techniques to adapt to the issue climate change presents. Although members of the public and companies are essential in partaking in the methods of tackling climate change, government involvement is also critical.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a means of maintaining development to ensure the needs of society are met presently, but also in the future.

Human development can negatively impact the natural environment as advances in science and technologies cause environmental harm. However, sustainable development attempts to reduce the development impact created on the environment and promotes ways in which society can adapt to the issue that climate change presents.

The three main elements of sustainable development are social, economic, and environmental.

Sustainable Development Policies

Some policies aim for sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. These policies can help to remedy impacts associated with climate change, of which include natural resource depletion, mass consumption, and the effects of pollution.

Sustainable Development Goals

Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 different goals that attempt to improve our world through sustainable development. Some goals include the aim to end poverty, protect land and marine species, ensure clean water worldwide, ensure gender equality and tackle the climate issue.

Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability

The environment is a huge element linked to climate change due to the impact climate change has on the environment. This means that environmental sustainability is crucial in reducing the impacts of climate change.

Environmental sustainability focuses on sustainability within the natural environment. This includes conserving the natural environment as a whole, including resources within nature such as clean air and clean water, as well as wildlife, for future generations.

Governments, companies, and members of the public can all contribute to environmental sustainability. The table below shows the three different scales at which action can be taken to tackle the issue of climate change.

Agreement on Climate Change, Trade, and Sustainability

The Agreement on Climate Change Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) was launched by five countries in 2019, these countries are New Zealand, Fiji, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway. The main goal of this initiative is to improve environmental challenges across the Earth, urging countries to act regarding the environment and climate change.

The main solutions in this agreement are:

• Restrain Fossil Fuel Subsidies
• Remove Tariffs on Environmental Goods
• Improve Eco-Labelling

Lets' take a closer look.

Restrain Fossil Fuel Subsidies

What are fossil fuel subsidies? Well, they are financial incentives that encourage the production and consumption of fossil fuels.

When fossils fuels are burned, they release greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are a major cause of global warming, which can lead to long-term climate change. (Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrous oxide.)

By restraining fossil fuel subsidies, the ACCTS attempts to reduce the use of fossil fuels, to promote cleaner air. This solution would therefore reduce the impacts of climate change.

Remove Tariff on Environmental Goods

Tariffs are currently used on environmental goods; they are taxes appointed by a government on goods that are imported, thus increasing the cost of the good and the competitiveness of domestic goods. These goods include renewable energy, adjusting air pollution, waste control and other methods that attempt to protect the environment and climate. ACCTS's intentions are to remove these tariffs on environmental goods to make it easier for countries to achieve environmental and climate protection.

Improve Eco-Labelling

Eco-labelling is a way of categorizing products so that consumers can identify how sustainable or environmentally beneficial a product is. The labels vary, but examples include how much pollution or energy consumption occurs as a consequence of the production of the product.

ACCTS aims to improve the quality of eco-labels, as many labels currently lack clarity and are often accused of "greenwashing." The addition of improved eco-labels would ensure companies are being as environmentally friendly as possible.

Sustainable Energy and Climate Change

Energy is crucial in terms of climate change. This is because some energy resources can contribute to negative environmental impacts such as global warming and therefore climate change, and others can reduce the impacts of climate change.

For example, non-renewable energies, such as coal, oil, gas, and nuclear are finite energy resources. They are unsustainable and contribute to global warming, which leads to climate change.

On the other hand, sustainable energy refers to renewable energies such as solar, wind, wave, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric. This type of energy is clean because it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions. These sustainable energies will therefore reduce the amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, helping to reduce the effects of climate change.

Fig 2. A Renewable Energy Resource: Wind Turbines.

Urban Sustainability and Climate Change

As the world continues to develop, urban expansion is occurring. Urban areas can cause negative impacts on the natural world such as suburban sprawl, poor sanitation, poor air and water quality, large ecological footprints in cities, high amounts of energy use, and climate change.

Fig 3. Urbanization.

Urbanization is causing adverse effects of climate change, such as extreme weather, which can further impact urban areas. Consequently, the infrastructure and energy and water supplies to urban areas can be impacted as a result of climate change.

Subsequently, urban sustainability aims to make sustainable solutions for urban areas to ensure suitable living conditions that benefit society and its economy whilst simultaneously reducing the effect urban areas have on climate change.