Essay on Global Warming and Climate Change

Climate change is affecting everyone, anywhere, anytime. No matter where you are it is impossible to avoid. Climate change is the warming of the climate by the means of our carbon emissions, such as us driving to work, rising into the atmosphere thickening the ozone layer, creating an insulation like layer surrounding the earth. This is warming the earth up gradually, rising sea levels and affecting our flora and fauna. James Shaw the co leader of the green party and the west coast regional council both have opposing views.

James Shaw is a believer in the abolishment of climate change; he is the co-leader of the green party which is the party responsible for the clean-up of climate change and the protection of our natural landscape. He is a keen advocate for the country to clean up their act when it comes to climate change. He is for the zero-carbon bill as he believes it is needed for the protection of our country.

James Shaw wants the government to focus on our carbon emissions, as he believes this is a bigger problem than e.g. our methane emissions. He says our carbon emissions are one of the leading factors to the annual rise of temperature to 1.5 above the average. He was one of the politicians responsible for signing the zero-carbon emissions goal which consists of New Zealand’s response to this goal being to plant one billion trees by 2028. He has been involved with many speeches and gatherings involving climate change, wholeheartedly delivering speeches to the people of Aotearoa calling them to clean up their act and support the zero-carbon emissions act.

He is currently working with farmers to broaden their knowledge about the zero carbon emissions goal saying "I'm going to spend a lot of the next six weeks talking with the farmers and the farming community," which he thinks will be better off, rather than harshly punished, by the move to a zero-carbon economy. He is also working on the development of a zero carbon food production country saying "I know that's counter-intuitive, right, but if we're the first country in the world to get to zero-carbon food production that adds tremendous value to the brand... and the IP - the science, the technology that we've got to develop in order to be able to do that - itself becomes valuable." James Shaw is a true believer in a clean, green world.

The west coast regional council thinks otherwise, they are against the zero-carbon emissions goal as well as being for the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere as they are believers in mining and burning fossil fuels. As their town is based around factories and the mining of coal. Arguing that "We must be objective and base our decisions on science and that's why we want the science presented really simply; we don't have climate change experts on our staff so we just want everyone to understand it." they are against the zero-carbon bill, saying that "Implementing the Bill is likely to result in substantial costs to these industries, as well as changes to the growing industry of tourism. 

It will also have impacts on day-to-day life for West Coast communities living in a remote, rural region." The council still explains that they have a high regard to the environment and want to ensure they do more to enhance the region for forthcoming generations." Also explaining that it would be uneconomic at this time to move to a greener town as many people rely on the jobs in this region that mining, and the burning of fossil fuels create. Arguing that "The earth's actual temperature has not risen for the last 20 years. The figures have been tampered with to suggest otherwise. The poles are not melting, there is a build-up of ice at both poles. The west coast council is against climate change action stating that their economy relies too heavily on fossil fuels to change their point of view at this point of time without proof and help such as money and resources to ease into an environment friendly township. They are standing strong in their ways toward their zero carbon emissions and the impact they will have on future generations.

Conclusion

In conclusion the perspectives are wildly different one being strongly against and one being strongly for the zero-carbon bill. The west coast council stated that they rely heavily on carbon and fossil fuels to simply abolish mining whilst James Shaw is willing to make these sacrifices for the good of New Zealand and the world. Both perspectives need to be somewhat educated on the topic as James Shaw needs to realise to achieve his goal small businesses and towns such as the west coast need help to transition to a greener community, whilst the west coast council need to realise that carbon is the way of the past. Most of the class believe that carbon is not relevant to our generation and we must look ahead to cleaner ways of running our country, If the earth is to survive, in my opinion we must take drastic measures to make sure this place of our is sustained for the next generation by limiting emissions and effects on this amazing planet through planting trees and the limiting of fossil fuels.