Critical Threats to the Global Environment

The environment in all countries across the world is currently facing various threats. Of the
existing threats, the reliance on fossil fuels to produce energy and poverty pose the largest threats. These
threats need urgent attention from all stakeholders as global warming and climate change is increasingly
affecting people across the globe. Combustion of fossil fuels leads to the production of greenhouse gases
such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Once there, these gases trap heat leading to global warming
and climate change. There exists a reciprocal relationship between poverty and exploitation of the
environment. Poverty leads to degradation, and the opposite holds. The poor in the world depends largely
on ecosystem services to meet their needs. The world is experiencing a twin crisis; environmental
degradation leading to climate change and poverty.
The use of fossil fuels as an energy source
A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that 89% of emissions
currently leading to global warming are from fossil fuels. It is then safe to conclude that burning fossil
fuels is causing a serious threat to the global environment. There are various forms of fossil fuels, among
them coal, and oil. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel contributing to over 0.3C of the 1C rise in the
temperatures across the world (Client Earth, 2022). Coal is thus the single largest fossil fuel with the
highest impact on the global environment. Oil, on the other hand, contributes approximately one-third of
total carbon emissions globally.
In recent years, oil has had adverse effects on marine ecosystems. Oil spills have affected marine
biodiversity and can be said to have a double effect on climate. Natural gas is considered a cleaner source
of fuel, but it is a fossil fuel that contributes about one-fifth of the total emissions in the world (Client
Earth, 2022). It is evident that fossil fuels are a threat to efforts being made to sustain the global
environment, and unless something is done to stop over-reliance on this source of fuel for energy, these
efforts will not achieve many positive results as the emissions will counter any progress made.

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Human beings are the major drivers of fossil fuels combustion. They burn fossil fuels to produce
electricity, for transportation, for use in industries, as well as for heating. Fossil fuels represent about 82%
of the total energy primarily supplied for use at home, in industries, and other sectors that require energy.
The problem of fossil fuel combustion is higher in low-income countries. These countries contribute up to
85% of air pollution as a result of burning fossil fuels (Perera, 2018). Air pollution is a major issue across
the world. Statistics show that nine in ten people live in cities that do not comply with World Health
Guidelines (WHO) guidelines on air quality. Further, 2.9 billion across the world are at risk of pollution
from biomass fuels and extensive use of coal for domestic purposes (Perera, 2018). Household air
pollution is still an issue among the people who live in poor neighborhoods. While domestic air pollution
has reduced from 60% in 1980 to just 42% by 2012, a lot more needs to be done because this figure is still
high, and the global environment still faces a substantial threat (Perera, 2018).
The emission of greenhouse gases has been increasing over the years. There has been a 2 %
change in emissions from one year to another (the United States Environmental Protection Agency,
2022). Emission levels vary depending on other factors such as fuel prices and a reduction in fuel
consumption. In other instances, a decline in emission is caused by people’s efforts to switch to cleaner
energy sources. For instance, U.S emissions in 2019 declined compared to levels recorded in 2019 as
shown in; figure 1.0 below shows the greenhouse gases emissions for about two decades.

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Figure 1.0 U. S Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Source: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
The combustion of fossil fuels is the leading human source of pollutants that are driving climate
change. Climate change has been found to affect children and is directly linked to developmental
impairments and even high mortality rates. Children that live in regions that have a diminished capacity to
adapt to the changes in climate are the most affected. The issue is that with climate change, the effects on
a child’s health are lifelong, and this has negative impacts on productivity and health. A child’s resilience
is affected, and this shows even later in their adult lives.

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Given the serious threats to the global environment as a result of using fossil fuels to produce
energy, there exist initiatives that should be implemented to save the planet. The most effective solution
would be to stop using non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels and switch to renewable
sources. Some of the renewable sources of energy include solar, wind, and hydropower. These are sources
that can be used to provide energy for use (Perera, 2018). However, the energy produced from these
sources is not sufficient to sustain the global energy demands. As a result, the world can only make slow,
steady switches until such a time when these sources will be able to generate enough energy to run the
economy.
Further, the world can improve energy efficiency. There are very many ways in which energy is
used, and these include in buildings and on home appliances, in buildings. For instance, instead of using
an elevator, more people should use staircases and allow only the needy cases such as the old and sick to
use elevators. Additionally, home appliances that can easily be substituted by the use of hands should be
replaced. For instance, dishwashers use a substantial amount of energy, and this can easily be substituted
by manually cleaning the dishes. Another way to save on electricity is to minimize the use of private
means of transport and instead embrace the use of public means such as trains and buses. This way, more
people have access to transport at a significantly lower cost, and emissions are also significantly reduced.
The carbon capture and storage (CCS) process should be implemented. It is a process that uses
energy to capture carbon released into the atmosphere. Since the carbon emitted leads to global warming,
it can be captured and injected back into the earth. In 2020, there were plants that were collecting
approximately 40 million tons of carbon from the total global emissions and injecting it back into the
earth (Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2022). In the future, more of these commercial
companies should also join in and help save the global climate. Efforts to capture carbon should not,
however, be followed by increased emissions. Industries should watch their emissions and try as much as
possible to engage in more green activities. Such concerted efforts will help save the global environment
and avid some of the worst effects of climate change yet to be experienced.

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The dangers of poor countries remaining poor
Poverty is one of the leading causes of pollution linked to humans. Statistics show that poverty
rates are increasing worldwide (McCoy, 2017). Poverty plays a substantial role in pollution. It affects the
environment at all levels, namely physical, social, as well as economical. Land degradation creates a
situation where people are competing for scarce resources, and this can create insecurity and even further
exacerbate income inequalities. Desertification, soil erosion, and water scarcity are some of the factors
that lead to societal stress. Land degradation is thus a “threat amplifier” towards the sustainability of the
global environment. It undermines vital ecosystem services and even reduces the poor people’s ability to
use the available land resources for water storage and food production.
The vulnerable and poor people across the globe are disproportionately dependent on ecosystem
services to sustain their lives. Poverty rates are higher among women. The world has about 1.2 billion
people who live in poverty and are hungry (Garnes, 2019). In every ten poor people, seven are women
and girls. About one billion poor women living in rural areas depend on agriculture and natural resources
to make a living (Garnes, 2019). This makes this group very vulnerable to the increasingly changing
climate. These women are thus more vulnerable to environmental degradation. Since the poor depend on
the environment to meet their needs, a degraded environment means a degraded livelihood. Climate
change, therefore, should be addressed to save the poor, and poverty must be addressed to save the
environment.
Further, climate change due to land degradation has led to changing precipitation patterns,
increased global temperatures, and lesser water available for use. These changes have made certain
regions unsuitable for human settlement. There have also been mass extinction of flora and fauna.
Keystone species that hold ecosystems together have also been lost, and this has affected the resilience
and adaptive capacity of the poor people who depend on such ecosystems for survival. The problem is
cyclic and such people may move t other well-endowed regions and continue with the process of

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environmental degradation. Poverty is, therefore, a serious threat that warrants presentation at the UN in a
move to try and bring together global forces so as to address this problem.
From a Marxist perspective, social inequalities within society lead to environmental degradation.
Poverty and environmental injustice manifest themselves differently, but they are a result of structural
violence. Human beings have an unfulfilled quest for economic growth, and this has, in turn, resulted in
an ecological crisis. According to Dewane (2011), there has been a logical sequence in the exploitation of
natural resources, which was first preceded by the exploitation of human beings. Poor people in both
developing and developed nations are alienated and occupy physical spaces that are environmentally
malnourished. They occupy the spaces that have the lowest environmental quality compared to what the
rich in these countries occupy. As a result, poverty leads them to further exploit these spaces to try and
save themselves from poverty.
Poverty causes people to exert more pressure on the environment. This, in turn, leads to a higher
reproduction rate creating large families that put even more pressure on the environment. Poor areas lack
proper social amenities. The living conditions are relatively poor, and these areas are prone to improper
waste disposal leading to poor health outcomes. The people put more pressure on the already deprived
land resources in a quest to meet their personal needs. The overexploitation of natural resources takes
many forms, such as deforestation, to create more space for settlement and to get raw materials to burn
charcoal and as a source of fuel to cook at home. Some poor people, especially in developing countries,
still use wood and tree products as a source of fuel, and this necessitates further deforestation because the
need for fuel is almost insatiable.
Marxism shows that although the poor exploit nature, it is the rich whose actions bear the most
impact on the environment. The rich exploit the environment at the expense of the poor leading to the
widening of the gap between the social classes (Bhaiseni, 2017). At the global level, developed nations
are known to have the highest carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, the depletion of the ozone
layer is widely caused by activities within developed nations. However, since the atmosphere is shared,

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the developing countries which are economically disadvantaged are also experiencing the negative effects
of the changing climate.
Poverty is a social problem; thus, social workers have a duty in promoting environmental
sustainability. They possess skills, knowledge, and models that are important in shaping the behavior of
people and consequently addressing the challenges of environmental degradation (Teixeira & Krings,
2015). It is evident that environmental degradation cannot be solved without first addressing poverty.
People degrade the environment because they are poor. Thus, if poverty is eliminated, then there will be
no incentive to pollute the environment.
One of the solutions to this social problem is by using the person-in-environment approach.
According to Teixeira and Krings (2015), it is important to understand all the systems of a society so as to
understand the origin of poverty. Solving the root cause will then make it possible to enhance
environmental sustainability as the cause to degrade the environment will no longer exist. Additionally,
social workers can act as activists for the people to be treated equally. Sometimes poverty is linked to
social inequality and exploitation of the poor by the rich. In this case, when the poor are given equal
opportunities, they will explore them instead of exploiting the environment.
Conclusion
Overall, the global environment is under threat, and the trajectory of changing climate shows a
worrying trend. The economy today is based on carbon, and fossil fuel pollution is on the rise. It is
evident that unless something is done, then the future generations will inherit from the current generation,
a climate that is increasingly unsustainable. Families and communities in the future will struggle to
survive as they will not be able to adapt quickly to the changing climate. Climate change and pollution are
already creating additional health costs. Mitigation efforts should include adopting clean sources of
energy so as to save the planet. Additionally, governments across the world should put in place measures
to eradicate poverty. As long as people are impoverished, efforts to stop environmental degradation will

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not bear much fruit. Environmental sustainability should first be preceded by poverty alleviation. Poor
people’s main concern is to meet their daily needs, and conserving the environment is not one of them.
Given the mutual relationship between poverty and exploitation of natural resources, the two must be
addressed. Eradication of poverty will stop any degradation of the environment by poor people.
Consequently, stopping environmental degradation will save poor people from experiencing the adverse
effects of climate change. Poverty and fossil fuels are leading threats to the changing global climate and
should be addressed.

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References

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