Free Essay Sample on Climate Change Policies

Introduction

Over the past decade, efforts to preserve the environment have largely been enforced by international organizations and also by governments’ collaborative efforts. The International Environmental Law is among the international policies that have been enacted as part of the Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) dedicated to conserving the global environment (Leary & Pisupati, 2010. p. 149). Nevertheless, in face of the continued global warming that has been recorded each year for the past decade, it is plausible to ponder whether such MEAs have been effective in positively supporting the global environmental conservation measures.

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In reference to the discussion made by Leary and Pisupati (2010) in their publication, it should be right to support their premise that such stated MEAs have been effective in controlling the level of environmental destruction. For instance, MEAs have been effective in enforcing nations to comply with the required standards of hazardous gas emissions emitted by various industries. Subsequently, this has substantially slowed down the level of global warming rates recorded in the recent past, which is an ideal indication that the MEAs' efforts have been effective. Additionally, this is a major stride in environmental conservation and the attainment of healthy ecosystems in different parts of the world.

Emerging Technologies

The impact of emerging technologies on the environment is among the concepts that have also been greatly discussed by Leary and Pisupati (2010) in their publication. Specifically, the two stated authors have discussed nanotechnology its effect on the environment due to the manipulation of data. Through the analysis of the publication, it is true that such stated technologies have played a part in environmental conservation. Moreover, that is through the creation of products and applications that facilitate climate or environmental protection in terms of saving raw materials, water, energy, and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions (Yunus et al., 2012. p.140). As such, more technological innovations should be made in the future and designed to further promote the conservation efforts of the environment.

Bioenergy

The creation of bioenergy has also been played a crucial role in promoting the efforts of International Environmental Law in conserving the global environment. (Leary & Pisupati, 2010. p. 247). Bioenergy refers to all forms of energy that are produced through the use of vegetation (Palz, Coombs & Hall, 2020. p. 121). Such energy can be created using sugarcane or distilled corn among other vegetation products. In this case, the use of biofuels in powering vehicles and operating machines in industries has reduced the level of emissions to the environment (Ramos et al., 2016. p. 436). Nevertheless, it is also true that it is essential to consider the various risks that bioenergy may pose to the environment. Examples of such risks include risks to energy balance, GHG emissions, food and water impacts, air, and eradication of impacted invasive species.

Synthetic Biology and Synthetic Genomics

Synthetic biology is a concept of biotechnology that entails redesigning various organisms with the aim of reinventing them to create new abilities (El Karoui, Hoyos-Flight & Fletcher, 2019. p.1). The utilization of synthetic biology today has led to the creation of new forms of power generation methods and in the creation of solutions for various issues in agriculture, manufacturing, and medicine fields. Contrary, synthetic genomics is a concept in synthetic biology that utilizes genetic modification on improving or enhancing the health state of genetic modification through creating life forms with new DNAs or superiorly unique and new lifeforms (Konig et al., 2013. p.11; U.S. Congress, 2012. p. 21). Arguably, it is valid to state that such biotechnologies have yielded substantial positive effects but they should also be utilized with caution to avoid destructive effects on the environment.

The use of recombinant DNA in the future poses a threat to efforts aimed at conserving the environment through the guidelines of the International Environmental Law. Additionally, that is because biotechnological processes, like synthetic biology or synthetic genomics, have facilitated the creation of alternative fuel sources, such as ethanol, from cellulosic biomass among other products that pose a significant risk of environmental degradation (Demirbas, 2004. p.79; Sladkowski, 2020. p. 92). In a different example, the stated biotechnologies have also facilitated the manufacturing of new forms of drugs like Artemisinin, which is an antimalarial drug attained from sweet wormwood insects (Leary & Pisupati, 2010. p. 274). In this context, it would be essential to take caution when using biotechnologies as they might derail or hamper the global environmental measures in the future.

Multilateral Environmental Agreements

The Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) is another concept that has been discussed in the Leary and Pisupati (2010) publication, which has yielded a positive effort in promoting the efforts of the International Environmental Law. Additionally, that is because the MEAs are agreements that were developed between different States that set out legal-binding principles on how to protect the environment (Leary & Pisupati, 2010. p. 149). Today, the efforts of the MEA have been successful in encouraging many governments to take significant strides aimed at protecting the environment from degradation (Sjostedt, 2020. p. 1). Also, the authors of the stated publication are also right that the efforts of MEAs will also positively impact billions of people globally in the years to come (Leary & Pisupati, 2010. p. 149). As such, it is an international policy that should be promoted by all global societies to ensure the continued protection of global ecosystems for future generations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, International Environmental Law is a notable facet of international policy that has promoted the compliance of environment conservation measures among global nations since it was enactment. Additionally, this has been through advancing efforts by global societies meant to protect the environment from degradation by various human activities. Today, that nanotechnology has played part in environmental conservation through the creation of products and applications that facilitate climate or environmental protection in terms of saving raw materials, water, energy, and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. The use of bioenergy in powering vehicles and operating machines in industries have reduced the level of emissions to the environment in today’s society. Furthermore, the utilization of synthetic biology today has led to the creation of new forms of power generation methods and in the creation of solutions for various issues in agriculture, manufacturing, and medicine fields. Similarly, synthetic genomics or recombinant DNA technologies have also facilitated the creation of new inventions that might be beneficial in further preserving the environment from degradation. Ultimately, MEAs have been successful in encouraging many governments to take significant strides aimed at protecting the environment from degradation

References

Aleksander Sladkowski. Ecology in transport: Problems and solutions. Springer Nature. (2020).

Ayhan Demirbas. Ethanol from cellulosic biomass resources. International Journal of Green Energy, 1, no. 1 (2004): 79-87.
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Britta Sjostedt. The role of multilateral environmental agreements: A reconciliatory approach to environmental protection in armed conflict. Hart Publishing. (2020).

David Leary, and Balakrishna Pisupati. The future of International Environmental Law. New York: United Nations University Press. (2010).

Harald Konig, Daniel Frank, Reinhard Heil, and Christopher Coenen. Synthetic genomics and synthetic biology applications between hopes and concerns. Current Genomics, 14, no. 1 (2013): 11-24.
https://doi.org/10.2174/138920213804999147

Ian Sofian Yunus, Harwin, Adi Kurniawan, Dendy Adityawarman, and Antonius Indarto. Nanotechnologies in water and air pollution treatment. Environmental Technology Reviews, 1 no. 1 (2012): 136-148.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21622515.2012.733966

JuanLuis Ramos, Miguel Valdivia, Francisco GarcíaLorente and Ana Segura. Benefits and perspectives on the use of biofuels. Microbial Biotechnology, 9, no. 4 (2016): 436-440.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.12356

Meriem El Karoui, Monica Hoyos-Flight, and Liz Fletcher. Future trends in synthetic biology—A report. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7 (2019):
https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00175

Palz, Coombs, and Hall. Energy from the biomass: Third EC conference. CRC Press. (2006).

U.S. Congress. Effects of Developments in Synthetic Genomics: Hearing Before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session, (May 27, 2010). Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. (2012).