Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change: An Overview

This essay examines the multifaceted issue of climate change, also known as global warming, and its profound implications for environmental sustainability. It identifies the excessive use of fossil fuels as the primary driver of climate change, detailing how the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide traps heat, leading to rising global temperatures and impacting ecosystems, particularly increasing sea levels. The essay explores the wide-ranging effects of climate change on water resources, human health, and economic development, emphasizing the impact on vulnerable areas and populations. It highlights the interconnectedness of environmental sustainability with economic and social growth, stressing the need for global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices. The analysis underscores the importance of shifting lifestyles, addressing the impact on biodiversity, and the necessity for industrialized countries to take responsibility. The essay concludes by advocating for effective measures to mitigate the consequences of climate change and promote sustainable development, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to address this critical global challenge. The essay references several sources to support its claims.

RUNNING HEAD: SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 1
Sustainability and environmental studies
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Climate change is also called as global warming. It is caused due to a rise in the average
temperature on Earth. The scientific consensus establishes that the climatic change is caused due
to the excess use of fossil fuel. The use of fossil fuel releases carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases. These gases traps heat and cause a climatic change. This is impacting the
ecosystem and increasing the sea-level (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). The
primary cause of climatic change and the other environmental issue is the excessive use of fossil
fuel. These fossil fuels are harmful for the environment. Human activities are the major reason
behind emission of greenhouse gases (Crate and Nuttall, 2016).
The energy around Climatic change has a significant impact on the environment, economies and
the communities. Some of the region experience extreme heat whereas other face problem of a
slight cool weather. One of the most serious impacts of climate change is affecting the water
resources around the world. Water has an effectual impact over the social issues like food
supply, health, industry and transportation. The impact of climatic change can be seen in
surrounding. It is leading to significant climatic change in the vulnerable areas. The climatic
change has a serious impact on the forest and h species. These forests are supporting the
countless species and ecosystem in different ways. The global meltdown of eyes is causing a
huge impact on the Arctic and Antarctic Circle (Reed, 2013).
The change in the climate has a huge impact on the health of the humans especially in the
children. The climatic change is causing disease, freshwater shortage and smog. All this has an
innumerable impact on the economic development. Human activities creates disturbance in the
environment. Greenhouse gases are like a blanket protecting earth in a natural way. However
these greenhouse gases build-ups the climatic changes. In order to gain a concrete result it is
important to change the lifestyle. A warmer climate does have a significant impact on the flora

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and fauna. The climatic change is unavoidable and it is difficult for an individual to manage the
changes taking place (Blowers, 2013). The impact of global warming has increased in the recent
time. It is causing a continuous impact on the greenhouse gases emission and effecting the
overall development. The atmosphere has contains more greenhouse molecules that creates high
level of infrared emission. Rapid warming is creating an unusual environmental condition (Aldy
and Pizer, 2015).
Scientists around the world have asked for concrete actions to reduce the impact of global
warming. A majority of group affirms that the climatic change is causing a great variation in the
environment. The data analysis is in support of the climatic change. Some economist believes
that by reducing the use of fossil fuel it is possible to undermine the climatic changes taking
place. In past one decade there are substantial changes in the climatic situation. This is creating
difficulty for the coming generation in meeting their basic requirements (Pearce, Barbier and
Markandya, 2013).
Climate change is related to ongoing hazards and their impact on the environment. They have a
potential to pose a serious threat to the economic growth and development. Tackling the climatic
change is the need of an hour. Climate change and poverty need to be culminated together.
Seventy-five percent of the world’s poor population relies on the natural resources for their
living. They are the one who suffers the most due to the climatic change. They have to deal with
the drastic environmental change. One of the examples is 2004 tsunami or Haiti earthquake. The
climatic change has long-term impact on the growth and development of a country. Climatic
change impacts agricultural productivity (Suhendro, 2014). There can be a decline in the overall
productivity due to exposure to climatic changes. It is expected that the South African Countries
can see a fall in agricultural yield by 50 percent by 2050. Changing climatic pattern will have an

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over exposure to water. The melting glaciers and mountains are increasing the water level risking
the life of people living near the water bodies. The sea level is increasing causing a misbalance
in the ecosystem. The employment opportunities for the people living near the coastal areas are
affected. The coastal infrastructure will also get affected due to climatic changes. The changing
climatic condition is causing an imbalance in nature (Dunlap and Brulle, 2015).
There is a need of global efforts to ensure sustainability. The industrialized countries are
responsible for emitting greenhouse gases. It is only possible t achieve reduction if an effective
approach is been taken. The whole world is seeing an immense growth in terms of
industrialization. This is increasing the total amount of carbon emission. The change in climatic
situation can have a long term impact on the surrounding. Some of the region experience extreme
heat whereas other face problem of a slight cool weather. One of the most serious impacts of
climate change is affecting the water resources around the world. The climatic change is putting
a high amount of pressure on the biodiversity. Changing biodiversity has a long-term impact on
the growth and development. This is causing danger to the species. If this trend continues we will
witness an extinction of lot many animals’ species (Martens, 2014).
Environmental sustainability is the most discussed topic creating an environmentally conscious
society. The concept of environment sustainability has a link with the economic and social
growth. The common purpose of environmental sustainability is to meet the results by
generating awareness. This generation has to overcome lot many challenges in order to lead a
stable life. Sustainability is a wider concept (Hackmann, Moser and St Clair, 2014).
Development need to be done without compromising on future generation needs. Every
individual is a part of the problem which is increasing the amount of pressure on ever single
entity. One can gain positive result from the changing idea of all. It is important to take an

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initiative in order to meet the targets. Over and above there are multiple concerns regarding the
environmental issues? Looking after the environmental needs it is essential to promote
sustainable living in the nature; this will ensure growth at local and international level. By
participating in the sustainable growth programs, it is possible to match up with the changing
environmental process. To make a difference it is important to develop a proper process so that
the goals could be matched up with the needs. In order t create a difference it is important to
develop an effective measures to gain capabilities (Kirton, Schreurs and Von Moltke, 2013). An
excessive pressure on environment is causing a huge impact on the growth and development.
There is a necessity to match up with the growing concern and t develops a proper system to deal
with the ongoing consequences. A strong procedure will allow in gearing up the situation. The
current situation requires an n effective vigilance over the environmental activities. The climatic
changes and sustainability has a long term impact on the growth and development. There is a
need to take an effective measure so that the damage can be controlled. In the recent time,
environmental awareness has increased multi-dimensionally. It is now a proven fact that the
primary cause of climatic change and the other environmental issue is the excessive use of fossil
fuel. These fossil fuels are harmful for the environment. Human activities are the major reason
behind emission of greenhouse gases (Howard-Grenville, et al 2014).
To manage the situation it is important to develop better tools so that the future generation can
deal with the problem. Environmental issues are increasing day by day creating an immense
pressure on globe. It is the time to figure out an appropriate model to reduce the burden on
environment. Changes taking place in the environment can be felt by each and every individual
around. This is important to get an effective framework so that the consequences can be reduced.
In order to reduce its impact of Climate change and poverty need to be culminated together.

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Seventy-five percent of the world’s poor population relies on the natural resources for their
living. In such a situation there is a necessity to find out special measures to reduce the amount
of consequences on the ecological balance. The balance can only be created if one is able to
manage the environment in a better way. The climatic conditions need to be improved by plating
more trees. Natural resources need to be used judicially with a focus on development.
Sustainable development can be achieved by balancing the present and future needs. This will
promote immense growth and development.
References
Aldy, J.E. and Pizer, W.A., 2015. The competitiveness impacts of climate change mitigation
policies. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2(4), pp.565-
595.
Blowers, A. ed., 2013. Planning for a sustainable environment. Routledge.
Crate, S.A. and Nuttall, M. eds., 2016. Anthropology and climate change: from encounters to
actions. Routledge.
Dunlap, R.E. and Brulle, R.J. eds., 2015. Climate change and society: Sociological perspectives.
Oxford University Press.
Hackmann, H., Moser, S.C. and St Clair, A.L., 2014. The social heart of global environmental
change. Nature Climate Change, 4(8), p.653.

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Howard-Grenville, J., Buckle, S.J., Hoskins, B.J. and George, G., 2014. Climate change and
management. Academy of Management Journal, 57(3), pp.615-623.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. Climate Change 2014–Impacts, Adaptation
and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press.
Kirton, J.J., Schreurs, M.A. and Von Moltke, M.K., 2013. The social construction of climate
change: Power, knowledge, norms, discourses. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
Martens, P., 2014. Health and climate change: modelling the impacts of global warming and
ozone depletion. Routledge.
Pearce, D., Barbier, E. and Markandya, A., 2013. Sustainable development: economics and
environment in the Third World. Routledge.
Reed, D., 2013. Structural adjustment, the environment and sustainable development (Vol. 7).
Routledge.
Suhendro, B., 2014. Toward green concrete for better sustainable environment. Procedia
Engineering, 95, pp.305-320.