Global regulations for pollutions should be an initiative of the developed countries. However, over the years, developed countries have been running away from the responsibilities of regulating the level of global warming. The reason is that with the increasing levels of globalization, countries are competition with each other for economic dominance on the global platform. Therefore, each country is looking at the regulations as a hindrance towards achieving economic prosperity. For instance, these countries failed to sign the Kyoto protocols that could have seen them reduce the amount of pollutants being released into the environment (Matyssek 72). Many of the large pollutants are energy companies. However, this comes at a time when the demand for energy has increased tremendously. Therefore, these countries are not willing to give up their mission of providing the citizens with reliable energy irrespective of the methods of energy production. This aspect is having a major impact on the attempts to force these countries to ratify these regulations.
The bodies mandated with regulating the level of pollution in the world are not willing to pile pressure on the developed countries. The reason is that these countries are the major financiers of the activities of these organizations. For instance, the United Nation Environment Program located in Nairobi, Kenya has failed to put in place mechanisms to protect the global environment (Rom 84). The reason is that the major polluters contribute a lot on the money used to run the organization administration functions. Therefore, lack of an independent body that is mandated with protection of the environment has made it hard to develop comprehensive regulations.
Air pollution which is causing global warming is having a major impact on different parts of the world. Developing countries are carrying the major burden resulting from air pollution by developing countries. For instance, there has been an increase in the level of desertification. Areas that were agriculturally productive have become deserts. This has had a major impact on the food security of these regions. Africa has been hard hit by the changes in the weather patterns. Many farmers were dependent on rain-fed agriculture. However, rain patterns cannot be predicted anymore. Therefore, more people are becoming food insecure. This comes at a time when the population growth is piling pressure on the limited resources (Rom 91). As a result, a large number of people are facing hunger and starvation. The reason is that governments in these areas do not have adequate resources to cushion people against these changes. This explains why there is need for quick intervention before more people die from hunger and malnutrition related conditions.
In the arctic region, the rise in the global temperature is causing the melting of ice. This is affecting animals that live in cold areas. In addition, the situation is causing a rise in the water levels in the oceans. This has reduced the size of the land as some parts are now submerged in water. Furthermore, the rise has affected the aquatic organisms. For instance, the changes have affected their breeding grounds, thereby, affecting their overall population.
The current pollution levels are causing health risks. People living in large cities such as Beijing are at a higher risk of contacting breathing-related diseases. Statistics indicate that the number of people suffering from lung diseases has increased tremendously in the past one decade. However, lack of good will by the governments to deal with the pollution issue is leaving the lives of millions of other people at higher risks. Instead, governments are coming up with short-term solutions which are not making any difference.
The current regulations are not effective because they are only on paper but they are not enforced. Furthermore, the role of reducing the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere has been left to the developing countries. These are countries that are marred by myriads of challenges. For example, they have a high number of young people who are unemployed, poor infrastructures, corrupt government officials, and high poverty levels (Jacobson and Mark 85). Therefore, the recent attempts by the developed countries to introduce carbon taxes could not achieve any success. These countries wanted the developing countries to plant trees and receive payment for the amount of carbon they remove from the environment. However, these countries are focusing their attention on other burning issues such as food insecurity. As a result, lack of willingness by developed countries to tackle the pollution issue head on has made it hard for the current regulations to achieve any substantial success.
It’s important to know that our daily actions are contributing significantly towards global pollution. Individuals should not look up on the organizations and the governments to deal with the issue of pollution. On the contrary, this should be an individual responsibility. For example, fossil fuel is cited as one of the major causes of pollution (Jacobson and Mark 53). The act of leaving car at home and using public transport can play a significant role in saving the environment. Furthermore, the use of renewable energy can go a long way in reducing the levels of pollution.
One of the major reasons why pollution is high on economically diverse cities is that it becomes very hard for the administration in these areas to come up with regulations that will regulate all sectors of the economy. On the other hand, low income cities have high levels of pollution because of increased economic activities with the aim of achieving prosperity. Therefore, the governments in these cities are reluctant to put pollution regulation measures that will hinder the growth and development of the industries. This is because the move might lead to high unemployment levels and poor service delivery due to lost taxes. However, many of these cities have a high number of people suffering from lung cancer and other related diseases. Therefore, the government is being forced to spend a lot of money in the health sector.
Many developing countries are neglecting the environmental regulations in an attempt to attract multinational companies. The reason is that they are under intense pressure to deal with the high unemployment levels. As a result, they opt not to set up any regulations that might put off the interests of the global firms in investing in these countries (Jacobson and Mark 81). However, global businesses are taking advantage of these gaps to pollute the environment while trying to maximize their returns. This explains the reason why many firms are outsourcing their operations to the developing countries.
The solution to the challenge of global pollution cannot be handled by an individual person, country, or organization. In order to come up with a comprehensive regulation, there should be support from all countries irrespective of their economic status or their development plan. Global warming is now a reality which the current generation must address it accordingly (Acton 65). The developed countries should take the responsibility of their actions in regards to pollution. They should be in the forefront in this noble initiative of reversing the current working air quality.
In conclusion, the repercussions of air pollution can now be seen. Money that is being set aside to treat pollution-related ailments can be diverted towards environmental protection. Developing countries are carrying the burden of global warming. However, myopic interventions such as carbon tax cannot achieve any success. Therefore, there is need to ensure that there are independent bodies that will regulate the pollution levels. On the other hand, each individual should take responsibility by regulating their behaviors to minimize the level of pollution. This will be critical in ensuring that the world achieves its long-term goal of minimizing the amount of green house gases that are released into the atmosphere.
- Acton, Q A. Issues in Global Environment: Pollution and Waste Management. ScholarlyEditions, 2012.
- Jacobson, Mark Z, and Mark Z. Jacobson. Air Pollution and Global Warming: History, Science, and Solutions. Cambridge UP, 2012.
- Matyssek, Rainer. Climate Change, Air Pollution and Global Challenges: Understanding and Perspectives from Forest Research. Elsevier Science, 2013.
- Rom, William N. Environmental Policy and Public Health: Air Pollution, Global Climate Change, and Wilderness. Jossey-Bass, 2012.