Saint Marys University Global Perspectives on Climate Change Discussion

Please read all the readings. For this task, pretend you are writing an essay on the Global Perspectives of Climate Change. You have also selected the following as your subtopics:

• Is climate change a top priority?
• Public perceptions of climate change
• Actions taken to tackle climate change

Below, you will find some facts (look at some research below) about climate change. These facts and figures are from a number of different sources, and carry several different perspectives. Your task is to synthesize and analyze these facts through methods discussed in the readings:

• Comparison and Contrast
• Synthesis

Once you have established your points of comparison, analyze the points. What conclusions, suggestions and new ideas can you gather from comparing the various points? What do the differing perspectives suggest about climate change in a larger context? What do the perspectives perhaps elude to, predict or comment on that is not right in front of you?

NOTE: You do not have to utilize EVERY piece of information. Only use information that you find useful for your comparison. You also do not need to have points compare equally. One point could agree and three points could overwhelmingly disagree (remember, the more sources you have supporting a point, the stronger that point it). Be sure to organize your points based on the identified subtopics above.

Try to come up with at least one major observation and conclusion for one of the subtopics. Write at least two paragraphs.

RESEARCH:

Wigley (2003). The Science of Climate Change: Global and U.S. Perspectives.

Pew Center on Global Climate Change. P. 48

Scientific Perspectives on Climate Change in the United States:

• Projections of future climate change suggest a global temperature increase of 1 to 6°C (2 to 10°F) from 1990 to 2100, with warming in most of the United States expected to be even higher.
• Current scientific research shows that climate change will have major effects on precipitation, evaporation, and runoff — and ultimately on the nation’s water supply
• While the net impacts of a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentrations on U.S. agriculture as a whole are likely to be small, the impacts are likely to vary considerably from region to region.
• Climate change will lead to substantial sea-level rise along much of the U.S. coastline, due mostly to thermal expansion of the oceans.
• The very real possibility exists that warming over this century will jeopardize the integrity of many terrestrial ecosystems and will pose a threat to our nation’s biodiversity.

Hrobsky, M., & Duncan, J. (2018). Public Perspectives on Climate Change Mired as a Relative

Non-Issue Worldwide. Retrieved from Ipsos Inc website on Oct. 27, 2018

https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publi…

Canadian and Worldwide Public Perceptions

• Globally, climate change not a dominant issue – Climate Change has not caught the attention of global citizens as a priority issue for their counties. It ranks last among the list of 14 issues that people consider priorities in their countries.

However, there are differences between counties regarding this issue. For example, Climate Change ranks higher as a priority issue since 2010 in Canada (up 20%), Australia (up 19%) and Germany (up 17%) compared to other countries. Since 2015 it has declined as a priority in Japan (down 13%), France (down 11%) and UK (down 9%)

• Canada more focused on climate change than most others – As noted, in Canada specifically, Climate Change ranks higher as a relative issue priority than in most other countries. However, it continues to trail other key issues related to the economy, healthcare, and immigration.
• Atlantic, BC and Ontario, women, Millennials and those with higher education levels appear to perceive Climate Change as a higher priority issue.
• Worldwide priorities ranked higher than climate change: Taxes, education, healthcare, crime and violence, unemployment and jobs, poverty and social inequality, terrorism, financial/political corruption

Comeau, L. (2018). Canadian Perspectives on climate change, energy and policy priorities for

climate action and the Paris Climate Negotiations: Survey Results. Retrieved from the

Climate Change Action Network on Oct 27, 2018:

https://climateactionnetwork.ca/2015/11/23/canadia…

Canadian Public Perspectives

• Eighty-four percent of Canadians want the federal government to direct new investment toward a plan to create jobs in the renewable energy sector
• Support for investing in renewable energy was one of seven possible priorities for the new federal government and ranked third after modernizing health care
• Seventy percent of Canadians want a commitment to legally enforce limits on carbon pollution; 54% want a commitment to phase out coal, oil and gas and replace it with renewable energy, while less than half of all Canadians want to see natural resources like the oil sands expand.
• There is strong national support for Canada making a substantial financial contribution to help people less well off than us to deal with climate change and shift their economies to renewable energy
• Canadians also want a Paris Agreement that sets rules for everyone, including us, will follow

Akerlof, K., Parker, C., Winch, P. (2016) Public Perceptions of Climate Change. George Mason

University Press. Fairfax, Virginia. p. 62

United States Public Perspectives

• Millennials lead older generations in their certainty that climate change is happening, understanding of human causes, and concern over its
• Eighty-nine percent of Millennials (ages 18-35) and 84 percent of Generation X (ages 36-51) say climate change is currently happening, compared with 75 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 52-70) and 62 percent of the oldest residents from the Silent and Greatest (G.I.) Generations (ages 71 or older).
• Six in ten Millennials (64%) say that 81-100 percent of climate scientists are in agreement that climate change is This figure drops to 58 percent among Gen Xers, 51 percent of Boomers and 39 percent of the Silent and Greatest Generations.
• Millennials are the most likely to say that people, not natural shifts in the environment, are the reason for climate
• Millennials are also the most likely of any age group to say their communities face many risks because of climate