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As mentioned on the right, climate legislation refers to many different examples of laws and rules. The bar graph above represents the number of climate legislation laws and policies worldwide passed in January 2022.
Introduction
Introduction
Across the world, many groups of people from different countries have observed impactful changes in weather patterns and climate because of various human activities. Due to these global changes, many governments everywhere must create what is known as the climate change legislation. According to The London School of Economics and Political Science, Climate change legislation, often shortened to just climate legislation, is defined as “the laws and policies that govern action on climate change by setting its legal basis.” In other words, climate legislation refers to any policy, or law passed through Congress and the Executive Branch to alleviate issues related to the harmful climate changes that affect the habitats of animals and the human population. Governments today attempt to help their environments by enacting these policies, but they may work with other governments internationally to prevent climate change for all.
LEARN MORE! - Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy explain what is climate change and why we should care!
What Causes Climate Change?
What Causes Climate Change?
Climate change and governmental action in relation to climate change is often discussed in the media. However, the cause of climate change is another topic that both media and government officials describe when addressing climate legislation. A common reason for the trend of increasing global temperature is what is known as the greenhouse effect. According to NASA, the greenhouse effect describes a period of warming in the Earth when its atmosphere absorbs heat that radiates from the planet’s ground back to outer space. The trapping of this heat is done by what is known as greenhouse gasses. While some greenhouse gasses are naturally found in the atmosphere, some are produced in excessive amounts because of human activities such as deforestation, extensive consumption of animal products, and the production and burning of fossil fuels. Through disturbing the planet through these activities, gasses such as Methane and Carbon dioxide are released and contribute to an increase in overall global temperatures by absorbing more of the earth’s thermal energy. As the concentration of greenhouse gasses from human activity continues to increase, The United Nations states that the rise of global temperature can eventually lead to both ocean and land areas experiencing warmer climates. The warmer climates can eventually create sudden wildfires and a rise in ocean levels, which may leave many species, including humans, without a place to live. This expanding list of conflicts that arise from the creation of climate change becomes important to the future of the planet. Today, both citizens and governing bodies attempt to spread awareness of the causes of climate change through participating in campaigns and community activities.
This map represents an annual trend of observed changes in global surface temperatures from 1979 to 2019. The scale below represents temperature in Kelvin, a scientific temperature scale that does not go into the negative unlike other temperatures used day-to-day.
The Addition of the Environmental Protection Agency
The Addition of the Environmental Protection Agency
Shortly after noticing the slow warming of their summer and winter seasons, groups of scientists started questioning their influence on the planet and began to collect evidence to propose the idea of climate change to the public. Soon, communities worldwide demanded that something should be done to protect their environment. Governments began to create and enforce various laws and policies as a part of the climate legislation to prevent harming the planet. One of the most known agency programs raised from the American federal executive branch is called the Environmental Protection Agency (often abbreviated to EPA). In early 1970, President Richard Nixon presented a thirty-seven-point message about the environment to the Senate. With the help of his cabinet members, Nixon additionally sent Congress a plan to create the EPA and the list of powers it would have to respond to environmental problems the government could not previously do. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is capable of enforcing rules and standards about pollution control in all states. The creation of the Environmental Protection Agency sparked citizens in the U.S. and beyond to speak against harming the planet.
The Paris Agreement: An International Effort
The Paris Agreement: An International Effort
With the addition of the EPA in the U.S. and many other forms of enforcement, many nations were not only concerned with their environment. Countries in the United Nations wanted to keep their place safe, but they also wanted to hold other nations accountable for climate action. According to the United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (abbreviated to UNFCCC), on December 12, 2015, a total of 196 countries met to discuss at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, about a “legally binding international treaty on climate change.” This treaty, now called the Paris Agreement, would legally hold all 196 countries to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C - 2°C a year. While it may not be a permanent solution, the countries that have signed the agreement have recognized making an effort to limit activities that cause climate change. Many people consider the Paris Agreement to be one of the most effective pieces of climate legislation in addressing global issues as its goals become more ambitious every five years. Since its enforcement, the Paris Agreement has created a trend in targeting zero-carbon emissions in many areas. The Paris Agreement has allowed countries to also work together by providing each other with financial assets and technological advancements for guidance in eliminating climate change.
The plot structure to the left is another diagram made by NASA, representing the average temperature change from every year. While the gray circles represent the average temperature increase (in °C) of that year, The black trend line represents the relationship between time and temperature. Since there is no line of best fit for this data, scientists use this method instead. While the Paris Agreement has shown an impact, there is still a lot more progress to be made.
This downloadable online book by Andreas Shmittner introduces students on climate change and additional topics such as oceanagrophy and climate modelling!
The Benefits of Climate Legislation
The Benefits of Climate Legislation
As the world continues to advocate for climate protection, there has been an increase in benefits for societies that go beyond environmental health. For example, Professor Ian Roberts of Epidemiology and Public Health states that overall health risks such as cancer and heart disease for humans have had a reduction through the pieces of enacted climate legislation that limit globally harmful human activities. Since reducing greenhouse gasses and improving air quality, overall life expectancy has increased globally. Climate legislation also helps society financially as less money will be spent on healthcare because of harmful environmental problems such as decreasing smog in cities. Similar to health benefits for humans, there are long-term benefits of reducing climate change for other animals. The International Fund for Animal Welfare explains that an effort has also been made to conserve habitats and wildlife essential to healthy ecosystems. Preserving endangered species increases biodiversity lost from extinctions created by human activity and global warming. Governments will no longer have to spend more to protect endangered species if the destruction of their ecosystem for human use is stopped. Overall, climate legislation has proven to provide safety for all living things.
The graph above represents the number of species considered endangered according to the United States legislation in 2008 to the number of endangered species in 2018. While these numbers of species are rising, there has been significant progress made both by climate legislation, non-profit organizations, and people like you!
Each species above has a percentage that represents the progress to recovery that has been accomplished. The year listed represents the year they were considered endangered by the U.S.
Significance - Facing the Challenge
Significance - Facing the Challenge
Climate change and global warming have been buzzwords in modern social media for quite some time. Hardly a day goes by when people can check their phones and find some form of information about climate legislation, whether it is fake or real. Climate legislation is a part of daily life now, and it is important to recognize the problem and find ways to help. If no one does their part now, it can lead to irreversible effects on the planet. However, there is still time to act and make a change. While it is important to make a change, it can be difficult to convince certain demographics because of their disbelief in climate change or the loss of jobs that appear from climate legislation. Some may find it difficult to change their views, but advocates for climate legislation can continue to educate those who are willing to learn and act. Furthermore, a lack of civic engagement by constituents, because they are unaware of climate change, may lead to less action being taken to pass beneficial policies. Many generations tend to ignore climate problems until it has an immediate impact on their lives. By learning the causes of climate change, what countries are enforcing, and the overall benefits of climate legislation, today's citizens will be informed enough to make decisions in their daily lives and what to vote for in their government to fight against global warming.
BE THE CHANGE. MAKE THE CHANGE.
References
Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, May 31). The Origins of EPA. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/history/origins-epa
International Fund for Animal Welfare. (2024, January 5). Why should we protect endangered animals?. IFAW. https://www.ifaw.org/journal/why-should-we-protect-endangered animals#:~:text=Preserving%20endangered%20species%20safeguards%20the,and%20people%20can%20thrive%20together.
Roberts, I. (2009, June 3). The health co-benefits of climate change policies: Doctors have a responsibility to future generations. Clinical medicine (London, England). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953604/#:~:text=The%20policies%20that%20need%20to,and%20injuries%2C%20and%20air%20pollution
The London School of Economics and Political Science. (2022, October 4). What is climate change legislation?. Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment. https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-climate-change-legislation/
NASA. (2024, March 18). Causes - NASA science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/causes/
United Nations. (n.d.). Causes and effects of climate change. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement. Unfccc.int. (n.d.). https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement
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