AP Environmental Science

Global warming is a serious issue throughout the world.  Malasiga, Papua New Guinea is one of the first places to feel the effects of it, even though they do not have power lines, factories, or air conditioners within a days walk of this village. The houses of this small village are being destroyed because of the rising water level. Humans have not been too concerned in the past with the amount of carbon dioxide they are putting into the atmosphere; however, that may change when people in their own country, or for that matter their own town, are affected by what is in the atmosphere. Researchers are saying that smokestacks, tailpipes, and other sources will raise the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 50% over the next century.

What exactly does this mean? This means that oceans will rise due to the climate change causing the water to expand. Not only this but, because the water temperature is higher, ice bergs and glaciers will begin to melt. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that the sea level will most likely raise between 1.5 and 3 feet by the end of the century. This could effect tens of millions of people in low lying areas around the world.

 Could this change be from natural fluctuation? Not likely.John Hunter, an oceanographer who studies sea levels at the University of Tasmania in Australia, along with other researchers, concluded that through decades of measurements of the Pacific and Indian oceans that “natural fluctuations could not explain the rise.” 85 % of people in PNG, Papua New Guinea, depend on what they grow, fish or hunt for survival.

Although the countries that are feeling the effects of global warming are not the cause of it, they need a plan to help the world control the carbon dioxide amounts put into the atmosphere. PNG, along with eight other countries, suggest that carbon credits should be eligible for nations that reduce deforestation. Carbon credits can be traded internationally under the terms of the Kyto Protocol A country can earn a carbon credit through having their trees absorb a ton of carbon from the atmosphere or prevent the carbon from burning. As the current rule states, a carbon credit can only be earned by plating new trees, not for old trees. The men and women of Malasiga have seen parts of their land disappear since 1982 piece by piece. Some villagers are now even having to move to higher ground for fear of the water overtaking their homes and families.

To me it seems so sad and in some ways inconceivable that the world is sitting by and watching homes and villiages be destroyed because of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These people are not even the ones that are putting it there, yet they are the ones who have to feel the consequences.

The carbon credits seem like a good idea to me. Amending the rule also seems good because if the people in Malasiga can no longer fish, grow, or hunt food because of what the rising water has destroyed, then they might resort to cutting down trees and selling it for lumber or have paper made out of it. They would then be able to plant new trees and earn carbon credits, but is that what we really want?

The world needs to take a look at what we can do independently and as a whole to see what can be done about the rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and what is happening to cultures throughout the world.
Chicago Tribune (Evan Osnos)