LITERATURE REVIEW: CLIMATE CHANGE

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Climate Change

2.0.1    Reasons for Burning Fossil Fuels

LITERATURE REVIEW CLIMATE CHANGE, Presently, fossil fuels are the biggest source of energy production all across the world. Peters Et al. (2012) and Meng Et al. (2014) agree that the majority of the electricity being produced in the world and almost all the transportation is dependent upon the consumption of fossil fuels including natural gas, oil and coal. According to the authors, power and electric drive development and economic growth all over the world and hence the gap in the power production has been efficiently filled by the fossil fuels, which are being regularly used in the power plants.

Similarly, there is an intimate connection between the fossil fuels and transportation owing to the former’s role in designing the combustible engine. According to Chen Et al. (2014), this connection has further increased the modern society’s preference for using fossil fuels for road, rail and air transportation. However, Chen Et al. (2014) ascribe the rise in the use of fossil fuels to the absence of requisite alternative energy research and development.

• Consequences of Burning Fossil Fuels- GHGs

The consequences of burning fossil fuels have manifested mainly in the form of numerous environmental issues, which include acid rains, oil spills, air and water pollution and climate change. Jacobson (2010) and Botkin, Keller & Rosenthal(2012) agree that the temperature of the world’s atmosphere has been rising constantly since the last few decades owing to the production of heat-trapping gasses from the burning of fossil fuels.

As far as coal is concerned, according to Botkin, Keller & Rosenthal (2012), it’s burning leads to high emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses, respiratory diseases, release of toxic mercury and destruction of environment. Similarly, Jacobson (2010)also highlights that the oil combustion also results into emission of several greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere along with the production of pollutants which cause smog. On the other hand, the production, transportation and processing of liquefied natural gas are also hazardous being a threat to public safety, high consumption of energy and damaging to the climate.

On slightly dissimilar lines, Jacobson (2010) comments that oil spills and oil and gas exploration and production activities also pose a threat to ecosystems and wildlife, especially once CO2 is emitted, which brings us to the next area of discussion i.e. the emissions from the oil and gas industry.

2.0.3    CO2 from Oil and Gas Industry

The rapid global expansion in the oil and gas industry has led to the increased emission of greenhouse gasses amongst which CO2 is the most prominent. According to Armaroli&Balzani(2011) and Howarth, Santoro &Ingraffea (2011), this extra emission of CO2 disturbs the naturally occurring carbon cycle which is essential for sustenance of all life forms on earth. ) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. The authors also highlight that the combustion of fossil fuels for both transportation and energy and power production, is primarily responsible for the release of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Differentiating amongst all the fossil fuels with regards to emission of CO2, Howarth, Santoro &Ingraffea (2011) comment that as opposed to the natural gas, which is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, the burning of oil and coal is far more dangerous to the environment because of considerably higher carbon ratios.

2.0.4    Global Warming        

Global warming means a rise in the overall earth’s average temperature due to various natural and artificial reasons. According to McCright& Dunlap(2011) and Collins Et al. (2010), since 1901, there has been an increase in the earth’s temperature by 1.4°F and is expected to rise by another 11.5°F by 3000. This appears to be a very small change but it can lead to vast and threatening changes in the earth’s climate and weather patterns. Already these changes can be witnessed in the shape of melting of glaciers, severe and prolonged heat waves, heavy rainfall, droughts and floods.

The reasons for global warming are largely man made. McCright& Dunlap (2011) highlight that extremely high amounts of greenhouse gasses, in particular CO2, have been emitted into the earth’s atmosphere since the dawn of the industrial age. The primary cause behind this emission has been the burning of fossil fuels in general and oil and coal in particular. This leads to the development of the greenhouse effect and causes global warming.

2.0.5    Climate Change

The terminology of climate change refers to the phenomenon of drastic and large-scale changes in the earth’s climate owing to many reasons. According to Seinfeld &Pandis(2012) and Fankhauser (2013), there have been two main adverse impacts of the pollution owing to an emission of the greenhouse gasses. These include the rising acidity of the oceans and the continuous rise in the earth’s temperature. As mentioned earlier, these changes in acidity levels and temperature may appear to be small; however, these can lead to serious climate-related threats to both the ecosystems and human communities.