Question

Is Climate Change a Threat That Requires Urgent Action? Assess both sides of the argument and choose a position: for or against. Defend your position based on relevant concepts and theory of environmental and resource economics.

Answer 1

The temperatures of the sea are rising and the seas are hotter. Longer, severe droughts endanger plants, animals, and sources of freshwater. From polar bears in the Arctic to sea turtles off the African coast, the diversity of life on our planet is threatened by changing climate. Climate change on every continent is now affecting every nation. It disrupts national economies and destroys lives, today costs individuals, families and countries dearly and tomorrow even more. Weather patterns are shifting, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more severe, and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest historical levels. Before change, the mean surface temperature of the planet this century is likely to exceed 3 degrees centigrade. The most affected are the poorest and most vulnerable people.

Strong and effective measures to combat climate change and eliminate unnecessary threats to global health.
Scaling up support for climate change adaptation: including measures to reduce the risks associated with extreme weather events, infectious disease, declining water supplies, and food insecurity.
Actions that both mitigate climate change and improve health, including increasing the number of deaths caused by air pollution from cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases

To raise awareness among health professionals and the general public of the health effects of climate change and the potential health benefits of low-carbon pathways; to contribute to the development and implementation of climate change mitigation strategies and to protect our countries, workplaces and communities; to work to reduce the environmental impact of our own health systems;