The environment is fundamental to human existence; a sustainable way of life on Earth is challenging without a healthy ecosystem. According to research, globalization is a significant factor influencing the environment. People’s increasing worldwide connectivity directly indicates that the ecosystem is in grave danger of being ruined in many ways. We should be at the forefront of ensuring that our actions do not contribute to environmental pollution. The economy and the environment may coexist without harming or destroying each other. Many actions might sustain the environment.
The best descriptive approach will be selected based on your research topic and objectives. Case studies help delve deeply into complex phenomena, comprehend uncommon or extraordinary examples, and formulate research ideas. Rich, in-depth information about a particular person, organization, or event is provided by a case study. Naturalistic observation is ideal for studying behaviour in the context of nature, comprehending spontaneous events, or witnessing actions that are difficult to imitate in a controlled situation. Surveys are the best tool for gathering information from many people, comparing groupings, and gauging views and opinions.
In this paper, we will look at two regions worldwide that have severe environmental degradation problems and, b, affect climate change. The first region is Europe (UNEP.org. Reducing methane emissions from burning fossil fuels is urgently needed in Paris to meet global climate objectives. The other region is South America (UNEP.org). Panama uses solar energy to lessen deforestation and heat water.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with an 80-fold greater warming potential than carbon dioxide in 20 years. Significant methane emissions come from the fossil fuel sector, including the extraction, storage, and transportation of natural gas. In Paris, natural gas used for cooking and heating purposes contributes to methane emissions. The EU passed a law in November 2023 to reduce methane emissions in the energy industry. All EU members, including France, are subject to this law, which mandates that businesses measure, report, and cut back on their methane emissions. “Reducing methane emissions from the energy sector is one of the best and most affordable opportunities to limit global warming in the near term,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said. “Early actions by governments and industry to drive down methane emissions need to go hand-in-hand with reductions in fossil fuel demand and CO2 emissions. This report sets out the clear case for strong, swift action.”
South America’s Hato Chami project in Panama is a notable example of concurrently using solar energy to fight deforestation and supply hot water. The initiative contributes to forest conservation, which is essential for the Ngäbe people and the environment, by removing the demand for fuel. “Hot water is one of the easiest things to make sustainable through solar thermal,” said Geordie Colville, UNEP’s Chief of Energy and Climate. “But even in tropical countries, such as Panama, where the sun is plentiful, a large proportion of water is heated by non-sustainable means.” Although solar energy is a renewable resource with potential adverse environmental consequences, it also plays a constructive role in sustainable development. Solar energy generation is far superior to nonrenewable sources.
The table below compares the impact of these problems on life in both regions.
| Paris, France | Panama, South America |
| As a result of methane emissions, there are increased floods, heat waves, droughts, and other extreme weather events due to global warming. These may interfere with electricity infrastructure, water supply, and agriculture, affecting Parisians’ livelihoods and general well-being. Methane contributes to ground-level ozone generation, worsening air quality and creating respiratory issues, particularly for millennials and Gen-Z populations, even though it is not a significant contributor compared to other pollutants. Air pollution and climate change harm ecosystems, affecting food security, biodiversity, and leisure activities the population may enjoy. | The effects of deforestation are disproportionately felt by indigenous populations, who depend on forests for subsistence, traditional medicine, and cultural customs.
Burning wood releases smoke into the atmosphere, aggravating respiratory conditions and other health issues, especially in young people and the elderly. By releasing this stored carbon, deforestation adds to global warming and its aftereffects, including rising sea levels, altered weather patterns, and increased extreme weather occurrences. Numerous species’ habitats are destroyed by deforestation, upsetting ecosystems and causing extinctions. Long-term risks to the health of ecosystems can result from this since it can impair soil stability, alter water control, and decrease pollination. |
Representation and Calculation
| Action | Number of Scientists |
| Deforestation | 30 |
| Soil Damage | 35 |
| Littering | 25 |
| Vehicle Use | 70 |
| Climate Change | 195 |
| Tourism/Traveling | 145 |
The top two activities, climate change and tourism and travel account for over 70% of the total effect. The lowest three activities—deforestation, soil damage, and littering—total less than 20%. It is critical to understand the context and extent of these figures. For example, “vehicle use” might relate to personal automobile usage, but “tourism & travel” could comprise various activities with differing environmental impacts.
The table below shows solutions that can be applied to solve the problem at hand in each region.
| Paris, Europe | Panama, Latin America |
| The first solution is to raise awareness of the importance of clean air among the millennial and Gen-Z population, including foreign investors. “With this year’s theme, Together for Clean Air, we want to encourage collaboration across borders and boundaries, between sectors and beyond silos, to reduce air pollution and leverage finance and investments towards air quality measures and solutions,” says Martina Otto, Head of the Secretariat of the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (Europe, UNEP.org). Encouraging people to practice afforestation and restoration of wetlands as a natural-based solution is also essential. Trees absorb carbon in the atmosphere and maintain fresh air.
The other solution is to shift to electric vehicles. The adverse effects of technology-induced environmental dangers are still being felt. The original emphasis of approaches to ecological hazards was on using engineering to prevent natural disasters; later, attention was directed to how human behaviour and judgment affect risk assessment, response, and adaptation. |
Protecting and restoring the ecosystem by practising afforestation where trees have been cut down and protecting trees already there is essential. This is done by forming organizations and setting laws and policies. ”Hundreds of organizations are active in the decades-long effort to protect and restore the forest in all three countries. Their initiatives are creating wildlife corridors for endangered species, like the jaguar and the golden lion tamarin, securing water supplies for people and nature, countering and building resilience to climate change, and creating thousands of jobs” (Latin America, UNEP.org).
Lighthouses. The other solution is to shift to solar energy as a power source to heat water, lighthouses and institutions such as schools. This provides an excellent alternative to firewood; the trees will be safe, and the air will remain clean. “But even in tropical countries, such as Panama, where the sun is plentiful, a large proportion of water is heated by non-sustainable means” (Latin America, UNEP.org). |
Research Questions
How can air pollution and climate change policies be designed to be equitable and protect vulnerable communities?
What are the psychological and social impacts of living in communities with high air pollution and climate change levels?
Thesis Statement
The primary cause of climate change is still greenhouse gas emissions, but the cumulative effects of pollutants in the air from many sources greatly hasten its harmful consequences. For this reason, urgent action is required to control emissions and global air quality. Air contamination, emissions of greenhouse gases, and climate change are intertwined issues that can best be addressed by investing in clean energy, controlling air quality technologies, and shifting toward environmentally friendly methods regarding power generation, transportation, and manufacturing operations.
Research Methodology
The research adopted a mixed-research method of conducting research. This is because it incorporated both primary and secondary data. The secondary data were collected by reviewing past research papers and articles. The information was obtained from different research papers, government articles and websites, newspaper articles, and environmental websites. The documents used for the meta-analysis were all peer-reviewed journals that were credible sources, from reputable authors, and that were collected from reputable sites. The secondary research was crucial in providing the qualitative data needed. Qualitative data was used to explain the effects of climate change worldwide. A comparison of different climate change solutions that different cities in the world have adopted was made, and this provided the necessary information needed to help Paris and Panama compare their efforts against the efforts of other cities in the world and whether they can borrow from what they have done, learn from their mistakes, and know how to overcome the challenges and limitations that they faced in their fight against climate change.
Although the secondary data was helpful, primary data was necessary to provide a true picture of the current state of affairs and whether the measures taken in the past have been effective. A questionnaire was given to the 500 scientists to collect the necessary primary data. Since it was impossible to manage the in-situ data, the questionnaires were sent and received online. The questionnaire provided a picture of how informed the locals of the urban centres were on the issues of climate change, whether they knew that they were responsible for climate change, and whether they knew what measures they could take as individuals to fight against climate change.
Data analysis
Polls recently taken in the United States indicate that the state of the environment and what is in place to protect it are among the top public concerns, especially among millennials and Gen-Z populations—a group of researchers surveyed to understand which factors may lead to environmental degradation. The data was collected by asking 500 environmental scientists what action they felt most concerning in contributing to environmental issues. The data is as listed.
| Issue | Percentage | Comparison to Others |
| Deforestation | 6% | Lowest |
| Soil Damage | 7% | Slightly higher than deforestation |
| Littering | 5% | Lower than both deforestation and soil damage |
| Vehicle Use | 14% | More than double deforestation and soil damage, half of climate change |
| Climate Change | 39% | Highest |
| Tourism and Travel | 29% | Second highest, more than double vehicle use, slightly less than climate change |
Based on the data collected in the above table, 39% of surveyed scientists are primarily concerned with climate change, which is the majority. Littering is the slightest concern for scientists; according to the table, only 5% are addressing littering. According to the table, climate change at 39% and tourism and travel at 29% are the top two main issues leading to environmental degradation. Climate change is a danger that, if left unaddressed, might end the world. The primary cause of climate change is human activity. This results from the operation of vehicles and companies that recycle dangerous materials into the atmosphere, one of the leading causes of climate change. Tourism and travel cause environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions, waste products, water pollution, air pollution, and noise pollution.
Solution
A practical approach to climate change is funding renewable energy sources, and transitioning to renewable energy means switching to cleaner forms of power. Power from the Earth’s crust, the tides, the wind, and the sun are all part of this. Clean energy is the future wave, and renewable electricity rises as new technologies drive prices down. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, are rapidly replacing polluting fossil fuels in the power sector, thanks to their ability to integrate with the national electricity grid and maintain reliability. This has led to record-breaking carbon emissions and other forms of pollution reduction. Not all renewable energy sources are suitable for the planet, however.
Taking the lead in ensuring that our actions do not harm the environment ought to be our top priority. The economy and the environment can coexist harmoniously, neither damaging the other. There are several options on how to keep the planet habitable. Instead of seeing globalization as a source of environmental damage, it may be used to disseminate the most effective methods of sustaining the environment. How about alternative transportation options that do not rely on fossil fuels? This will significantly lessen the amount of harmful gases released into the atmosphere. Solar panels might be used in a home as an alternative to charcoal. Charcoal is a pollutant because it releases two dangerous gases: carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Governments might enact laws that prohibit cutting down trees for their wood. A healthier environment will be significantly helped by these regulations whenever they are enacted. The United Nations and other international bodies should also pass legislation to save the planet. Everyone should be aware of the idea that we must not expand the ecological economy. Assuming the threat is gone would be the same as burying our heads in the sand. Surprisingly, the moment we lift our heads off the ground, the danger will be there, ready to skin us alive with a butcher knife.
Conclusion
Combating climate change is best accomplished by preserving wetlands and other environmentally friendly measures. But more than such steps will be needed to bring about substantial change. This suggests that wetlands and other environmentally pleasant solutions shouldn’t be implemented in isolation but rather in tandem with initiatives to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases. The safety of our world depends on our ability to reach net-zero emissions. The ozone layer has been devastated by harmful substances produced mainly by five countries: the US, Russia, China, France, and Germany. The increasing temperatures on Earth threaten every aspect of human existence. Developed nations will have it easy compared to economically unstable developing nations.
References
Goodwill Ambassadors. (2023a, June 19). Collaboration is key to securing clean air for all, experts say. UNEP is the United Nations Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/collaboration-key-securing-clean-air-all-experts-say
Goodwill Ambassadors. (2023b, September 20). Panama taps solar energy to heat water and reduce deforestation. UNEP is the United Nations Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/panama-taps-solar-energy-heat-water-and-reduce-deforestation
Goodwill Ambassadors. (2023c, October 11). Urgent action to cut methane emissions from fossil fuel operations is essential to achieving global climate targets. UN Environment. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/urgent-action-cut-methane-emissions-fossil-fuel-operations-essential
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