Effectiveness of International Institutions in Solving Collective Problems - Essay Example

Effectiveness of International Institutions in Solving Collective Problems Student’s Name Course Title Professor Date Abstract There is an absolute need to look into the collective problems, which have become a global issue. The issue of climate change has become a global problem affecting all nations. The actions of individual countries contribute immensely to the overall problem of climate change. This is evident because the green gasses released by industrialized countries have an overall effect globally. The problem of climate change needs urgent attention and solutions. If the changes in climate are to continue, this poses a great danger to future generations. The Kyoto protocol adopted the strict laws governing the amount of green house gas emissions that industrialized countries can emit1. However, many view the Kyoto protocol’s goal as unachievable. This is because even as the statute is in place, the emissions continue to increase globally. Most of these emissions come from the developing countries, which are not bound to obey obligations under Kyoto2. The paper will look at the problems and the efforts of international institutions to solve climate change in China, India, USA, and the Pakistan. The paper will also discuss the policies these countries have put in place to control the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Introduction In the recent past years, the effects of climate change have been felt, and the whole world has agreed that climate change is a universal crisis. The effects of green house emissions are now causing changes in the climate in the world. Various reports hold the view that the increased global temperatures are because of green house emissions. Carbon dioxide has been cited as the most dangerous gas being emitted causing climate change. Although many ways towards solving climate change have been proposed, the future about climate change and its impacts remain unclear. Natural and human factors have been cited as the two main causes of climate change. However, the manmade activities have been concluded to be the major cause, which consists of the green house gas emissions. The efforts by international institutions to solve the problem of climate change may not be that effective. The Kyoto protocol, which was adopted by the United Nations, United Nations Environmental Program, and World Meteorological Organization among others, has not yet solved the problem. However, these international organizations have the mandate to control climate change3. They have the capacity to deal with climate change, especially when they collaborate with each other. The protocol sets the levels of gasses that industrialized countries can emit through the green houses. However, the amount of gasses being released still continues to increase4. Climate change is still evident because of emissions from the developing countries, which are not bound to follow the obligations of the protocol. The protocol targeted the developed countries, which have been involved in industrialized activities for over 50 years. However, the developing countries also play a huge role in causing climate change. Various countries have policies, which govern the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This paper takes a case study of four countries, which have been critically affected by climate change. Climate change does not affect all the regions of the world equally. Some areas are more affected than others are. Concerning contribution towards climate change, different nations will contribute according to the effects climate change has on them5. Discussion Climate change has been defined as an activity that causes changes to the system of climate of a region. The term has lately been used interchangeably with global warming to mean emission of gasses, which cause global warming. This is because of the constant raising of temperature in the world. It has been predicted that the global temperature may rise up to 2.5oC6. However, this rise in temperature will not be constant in all parts of the world uniformly. Some parts will be affected more than others will. The unequal distribution of costs and benefits of climate change has made different countries to have varying interests in the area of climate change. This was evident in the Kyoto protocol where some countries preferred the existence of the statute while other opposed it. The efforts by international institutions to solve the problem of climate change have yielded minimal results. Climate change is a collective problem, which calls for action from all nations7. The actions of one nation or a section of the world towards dealing with climate change may not solve the problem. Emissions by Industrialized Countries Industrialized countries have been rated as the highest emitters of green house gasses. Their emissions account for 70% of the total global carbon dioxide emissions. India is one of the countries, which are affected by directly by climate change. India has been ranked fourth in the carbon dioxide emission after China, United States and Russia8. This has been associated with the high population in the country, which increases their demand for energy. The main source of energy in India is coal. Coal is one source of energy, which has negative effects on climate. The effects of climate will definitely have consequences in India. Its consequences affect agriculture, and the rise of sea level causing submergence of the coastal areas. India is more concerned at the rate at which negotiations on climate change are taking place. India has been pushed to change its source of energy, which is considered to be causing climate change. There have been proposals that India should shift from using coal as a source of energy to using oil, gas, or nuclear energy9. However, these alternative sources of energy have been considered expensive. Climate change in India India considers other developed countries as the major contributors of climate change. India proposes to be left to choose the type and source of energy they use, and control their carbon dioxide emissions. However, India has made steps towards dealing with climate change. It has made policies to minimize energy consumption, especially usage of oil. The policies have emphasized on energy conservation and emphasize on renewable energy sources. The case of India brings the international institutions into task on how to manage climate variation. The United Nation Framework convention concerned with climate change in the “Kyoto protocol” came up with various proposals. Although these recommendations did not go a long way in solving climate change, these international institutions have the ability to deal with climate change. The UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen in 2009 is an indication that these institutions are committed to dealing with climate change. UNFCCC has had great impact in controlling climate change. It set the financial scheme Clean Development Mechanism. This was in the effort to deal with climate change. In the fight against climate change, the institutions need financial support from donors. However, even if the UNFCCC can tackle the problem of climate change alone, other institutions need to come into place, as they are affected by the problem. For instance, the World Trade Organization must get involved in dealing with climate change. This is because the measures being put in place like low-carbon technologies will be traded internationally hence the involvement of WTO. WTO will play a great role in regulating trade of low-carbon technologies10. Climate change in Pakistan Pakistan has been a victim of climate change for many years. The country has had excessive rains, which caused loss of lives and destruction of property11. This is the second year in a row that Pakistan is having this challenge of heavy downpours. The problem Pakistan faces has been attributed to the climate change, a phenomenon caused by activities in the neighbouring countries. Pakistan has had a fast climate change with rising temperatures accompanied by heavy rains, which causes flooding. This problem has been linked to the general climate transformation in the region including India. Economic status of Pakistan denies it the ability to deal with the problem of climate change. Suggestions have been made to the Pakistan government to look for assistance from international institutions like Green Climate Fund to deal with the problem. Governments, which are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate changes met in December 2011 in Cancun, Mexico, and the Green Climate Fund was established12. The intention of forming the institution was to raise funds and help poor nations handle the challenge of climate variations. The government of Pakistan says that the flooding is caused by melting of glaciers. This is because of the rising temperatures in the region caused by climate change. It is claimed that the melting of glaciers in Pakistan has increased by over 23 percent in the last decade. This is the highest level ever recorded in the world. The threats of climate change in the pacific region cannot be ignored13. A study by the Asian Development Bank shows that there will be displacement of many people by climate variation effects. The effects of weather change include rising sea level, floods, drought, and poor agricultural produce14. The international organizations can help in coping with climate change by giving analytical data on climate change to governments. For example, the International Energy Agency is an institution, which writes frequent reports. This institution can support governments with this data, which will be used effectively to deal with climate change. Other institutions like the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the World Bank also provide analysis on issues of climate change. These institutions and other organizations play an important role in providing data of countries’ missions to cut carbon emissions as part of the climate agreements. The international institutions can also offer technical support to governments in light of helping them to deal with climate challenges. Such support can be given through capacity-building activities by entities like the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)15. To further the capacity of these institutions in dealing with climate change, they can finance measures put in place against climate change. Financing institutions includes the World Bank and other regional banks. Climate change in USA In the US, the repercussions of climate variations are already being felt, and they proof to be much worse in future, if immediate actions are taken. It is argued that the average temperatures in the United States have risen by 2oF in the last 50 years16. This is solely attributed to the process of climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The problem of climate change in the United States has been taken seriously, considering the consequences projected17. The effects of climate variations in the US have been projected as effects on health, energy, water sources, and agriculture. The United States has developed various policies that control emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Power plants in the US contribute heavily to carbon emissions. In line with this, the government through its Environmental Protection Agency is controlling the amount of carbon dioxide power plants can emit. The US government has also established acts like the clean air Act to limit carbon pollution, which causes climate change. The agency calls for the establishment of clean power plants that use current American technology. United States being the largest economy has the means to deal with climate challenges. USA is in the same level with countries like china. These countries are rated as first in emission of gasses. These countries have a great job to do in dealing with climate change through providing required financial support18. Climate Change in China Their energy production plants and their green houses emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The effect of this is climate change, which not only affects these two countries, but the entire region. The government of China has made strides in its effort of dealing with climate change in recent few years. The government of china invited leaders around the globe to a conference in Hainan two years ago. The conference was dabbed Green China. China had been rated as largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and it was to commit itself to combat climate change. The developed countries major concern is economic development and power. However, these countries forget that nature’s resources drive these economies. Destruction of these resources will render their economies stagnant19. China has become the largest emitter of carbon dioxide because of its production processes. China is the major producer of most of the cheap products, which other people in other countries use. This has raised debates and negotiations on how much of carbon emissions can any country emit. The UN Conference on Climate Change held in Copenhagen in December 2009 proposed a climate governance regime. There has been lack of will from political leaders to address the problem of climate change because of the economic crisis affecting both developed as well as developing nations. The art of dealing with climate variation requires implementation of energy and climate policies, which calls for huge financial input. These large economies should collaborate with the international institutions like UNEP and UNFCCC in combating climate change20. Capacity of International Institutions to Combat Climate Change The institutions capable of dealing with the challenges of climate change already exist. There have been discussions to create new institutions to combat climate change. However, this process would be long and might end up failing. It is therefore, necessary to utilize the capacity, which exists with the current institutions. Some stakeholders will argue that institutions like World Bank have challenges dealing climate change. However, the root of their problems should be established since even the new institutions established for climate change might be faced with the same challenges too. As much as these international institutions deal with climate change, they should not forget other roles assigned to them. For example, some of the institutions are held with the responsibility of alienating poverty. Governments should take precaution to ensure that the resources are allocated properly and appropriately. As much as the international institutions may be involved in controlling climate change, most of them might not be well equipped, and might not be the best institutions to do deal with this problem21. These institutions majorly deal with energy and environmental issues that bring about climate change. Considering this, the institutions might not be the most preferred, however, they play a very critical role. Although some of these institutions’ expertise in environmental and energy is limited, they contribute immensely towards climate change. The clean energy infrastructure being proposed requires large and complex financial flow to implement. The only institutions, which offer such financial support, are the multilateral development banks and the World Bank. For example, the UNFCCC Copenhagen accord requires billions of dollars annually to implement the policies it proposed. Other national development institutions like the U.S agency for international development and fund these projects. From this discussion, it is clear that the problem of climate change requires contribution from all institutions in collaboration22. The role of dealing with climate change cannot be left out to one institution or one country23. All the institutions must come together and combat climate change, which has proved detrimental to economic growth. The institutions tasked with verifying actions of individual countries should ensure they do their duties accordingly. However, other institutions might be needed to further the issue of dealing with climate change. Other institutions may come in and fill in the gap of technology development, which is missing in the current institutions. The current institutions have the capacity and potential to deal with climate change. The institutions include the Group of Twenty (G20), UNEP, International Energy Agency (IEA), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)24. It is therefore important to state that these international institutions have the potential and hence a role to play in dealing with climate change25. Conclusion The problem of climate change is global warming, which has been there for a long time. Temperature changes, as an effect of climate change, have been experienced in many countries if not all. Industrialized and developed countries produce the highest amount of carbon dioxide. This gas when in the air brings about climate change. The weather systems change leading to rise in temperature and unexpected heavy rains, as it has been the case with Pakistan. Climate change has been termed as a collective problem because activities of one country may have effects in other countries. When industrialized and developed countries emit this poisonous gas, the effects of climate change, which causes are, felt worldwide. The developing countries have also hugely contributed to climate change. Clear rules should be set and heavy fines or taxes set for countries, which emit carbon gas beyond the recommended limit. Countries should also shift to other source of energy like nuclear energy, and stop using coal energy. Finally, the international institutions can wear the role of combating climate change. 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