Global Climate Change


There has been considerable debate over global warming over the past couple decades. Most of the debate, by now, has come to focus on the uncertain outcomes of global warming, though there does remain some skepticism over the seriousness of the phenomenon. Two units within this theme explore different aspects of the debate over global warming. The units begin with the basic premise that it is crucial to understand the world as an integrated system. This helps draw our attention to the difficulties inherent in any attempt to "prove" scientifically that the world is becoming warmer as a result of the actions of people. The debate, in other words, is about much more than simply "good" versus "bogus" science. In Chapters 10 and 11, we consider some of the local-scale ramifications of the debate. In Chapter 10, there is a unit on deforestation and indigenous groups on the island of Borneo, directing attention to the case of tropical deforestation and the indigenous groups affected by such deforestation. The unit discusses the activities of grassroots organizations in Malaysia and Indonesia advocating indigenous rights in the context of preserving tropical forests. The political prospects of those might hinge in part on the link between deforestation and global warming. In Chapter 11, we consider the impacts of rising oceans on the inhabitants of the low-lying atolls of the Pacific Ocean . This unit directs attention to the difficulty these people have in convincing the rest of the world that serious action needs to be taken to prevent global warming.

 

 

Chapter 1: Geography: An Exploration of Connections

Overview of Global Warming

Chapter 10: Southeast Asia

Indigenous Groups and Deforestation in Borneo

Chapter 11: Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific

Are Pacific Atolls Sinking?

 

 

Chapter 1: Geography: An Exploration of Connections

Overview of Global Warming

OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL WARMING (Chapter 1)       

The global warming debate is best broken down into several distinct questions, some of which have been readily answered by scientific evidence, and others of which remain highly contested. This unit offers an overview of what is known regarding the issue of climate change, as well as what remains unknown and what the policy implications of the issue are.

Begin by visiting the EPA's Climate Change Web site. Explore the “Overview,” “Causes of Climate Change,” and “Indicators of Climate Change” sections for some of the available evidence for global warming. See also the following sites which offer additional evidence on the issue of climate change:
 
Vital Climate Graphics—Update
 
1999 Global Surface Temperature Study
 
Animated report on the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves

Probably the most significant question regarding the global warming debate is not whether global warming is occurring or even what causes global warming, but what actions are appropriate given the existing and continuing uncertainties that are likely to remain. The most comprehensive plan of action developed thus far is the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. You can learn more about the Protocol at the UN Convention on Climate Change. As of 2013, 192 states and supranational organizations had ratified the Protocol.

There are many websites devoted to the issue of global warming. Below is a very brief listing of just a few to help you gain a better appreciation of the issues raised in the debate.

 

The article “Global Warming Madness and How to Stop It” by Joseph Blast.

 

Environmental Defense, which maintains a campaign to Undo Global Warming and Fight Global Warming.
 
Climatedebatedaily.com, a clearinghouse of climate related websites and information for both sides of the climate change debate.
 
The Union of Concerned Scientist's global warming page, arguing that "global warming is real and underway"
  

  

Chapter 10: Southeast Asia

Indigenous Groups and Deforestation in Borneo

INDIGENOUS GROUPS AND DEFORESTATION IN BORNEO (Chapter 10)       

This unit addresses the question: How can geographers with knowledge of Geographic Information Science (GIS) play a role in advocating indigenous land rights in the face of tropical deforestation?

Tropical deforestation is one of the most significant environmental issues in the region of Southeast Asia. While there is great concern over the environmental consequences of tropical deforestation for the planet overall—in terms of "global warming"—there is also the issue of the people who depend upon healthy forest ecosystems for their livelihood. In other words, the issue of global warming overlaps questions of indigenous knowledge and land rights.

This unit focuses on the island of Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world, behind Greenland and New Guinea. The southern two thirds of Borneo is controlled by Indonesia, and the northern one third by Malaysia. The Indonesian portion is called Kalimantan, which is further divided into four Indonesian provinces. The Malaysian portion is divided into two provinces: Sarawak and Sabah. In addition, the tiny oil-rich state of Brunei is wedged between the Malaysian provinces of Sarawak and Sabah. About 16 million people live on Borneo. Both Malaysia and Indonesia have carried out large-scale deforestation throughout the island, and many of the indigenous groups who depend upon the forests to sustain their livelihoods and ways of life are being forced to leave the forests and assimilate to Indonesian and Malaysian lifestyles.

Because of the rate of deforestation, a crucial issue on Borneo is the rights of indigenous land claims. Malaysia, for example, recognizes the "Native Customary Rights" (NCR) of indigenous groups to preserve their lands against the encroachment of logging companies. Establishing NCR claims depends, however, on indigenous groups being able to prove which lands are theirs by custom, and this often entails technical capabilities that are sometimes beyond the capacities of these groups. Many local, regional, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have therefore been involved in "Community Mapping" projects to create Geographic Information Science (GIS) databases for indigenous groups to use in making NCR claims.

Some of these groups include:

After exploring some of these websites, think about the following questions:

Chapter 11: Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific

Are Pacific Atolls Sinking?

 

ARE PACIFIC ATOLLS SINKING? (Chapter 11)       

In Chapter 1 we examined the issue of global warming. We learned that a number of natural and human factors may be contributing to increased global temperatures and rising ocean levels. We also learned that the facts surrounding the issue are highly contentious, with scientists and politicians offering views on both sides of the debate.

For residents of several low-lying Pacific atolls, the issue of rising sea levels due to global warming is more than just a debate. It is a phenomenon that is threatening their homes and their way of life.

Nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati are experiencing loss of beach front and report that rising sea levels due to global warming are leaving them vulnerable to brutal weather patterns. Read this account from the Independent on ocean encroachment on an island in Vanuatu.

Representatives of a number of Pacific nations are gravely concerned that global warming is causing seas to rise and their islands and atolls to drown. Some projections predict the disappearance of some of these low-lying areas over the next half-century. From the representatives' point of view this is an urgent situation that calls for a political remedy in the form of global environmental policy that stems the human factors contributing to global warming.

As noted in the Chapter 1 Overview Unit, such policy exists in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which addresses global climate change by calling on industrialized nations to curb harmful emissions. The refusal of the United States to ratify the protocol put the Bush administration at odds with Pacific leaders. As the BBC reports, acceptance of such policy to reduce pollution is considered a matter of survival for these Pacific nations. These islands are already facing loss of their mangroves as a result of sea level rise.

As the debate continues, some small Pacific islands are looking to larger nations in the region to help. While New Zealand is participating in an agreement to relocate some residents of Tuvalu, Australia is rejecting these "environmental refugees" in accordance with their stringent immigration policy.

Not only are Pacific Islanders failing to garner political support on this issue, but some members of the scientific community reject the idea that the islands and atolls are sinking at all. The Space Daily reports that one Australian-funded study found no increase in sea level, specifically on the island of Tuvalu. Scientist Wolfgang Scherer explains that gauges installed throughout the Pacific to measure water level indicate that there has been no increase. See the following reports:
Tuvalu Islands

Global Warming not sinking Tuvalu
No evidence Pacific rising to engulf Tuvalu

After reading the above articles, think about the following questions:

Finally, choose either the pro or con position on the issue of whether or not Pacific atolls are sinking as a result of rising sea levels due to global warming. Write a brief essay defending your position.

For more on this ongoing discussion, see the following:

Jane's Oceana Global Warming Page: a website supportive of the global warming theory and its effects on Pacific islands.

The Inuit (Eskimo) people of the arctic region face a problem related to the threat of rising sea levels for Pacific Islanders. Retreating sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been threatening the traditional seal hunts of the Inuit, and they increasingly blame global warming for the situation. At the 10th round of the UN convention on climate change in Buenos Aires in December 2004, Inuit representatives claimed that global warming was, for them, a human rights issue.