Each individual is responsible for reducing global warming, we should not rely on national governments

University Degree Education and Teaching

“Each individual is responsible for reducing global warming, we should not rely on national governments” – to what extent do you agree?

The current IPCC report indicates that the annual increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) will have to be stopped until 2015 if the 2°C target has to be achieved. Furthermore there has to take place a reduction of 50-80% until 2050 (1). To achieve this target, it is absolutely essential to do everything that is humanly possible. It goes without saying that for this reason each individual has to take responsibility for reducing global warming as far as possible.

For this purpose there are several ways to contribute to the mitigation of climate change for every single person. This contribution includes, of course, introducing environmental awareness in your voting decisions. Furthermore, every household can change to electricity from renewable resources. For a single person the most effective way to reduce GHG emissions is to avoid the use of planes as a means of transportation as far as possible(2). One return flight to New Zealand for instance harms the climate more than driving 70,000 km by car(3). Therefore it is of course necessary to look for alternative means of transportation before every flight.

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Maybe the problem that occurs here can already be seen – often there is a conflict between political or environmental convictions and financial constraints. Unfortunately, most people usually decide against the future of the planet in these cases. Last week for instance, I talked to a friend about this topic. She's a person who really cares a lot about environmental issues. When we came to talk about air pollution caused by planes, she admitted that, if she wants to visit her boyfriend in the very north of Germany from Geneva, she flies surely no-frills airlines as long as the train ...

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This problem also exists in newly-industrialized countries like China and India, which are going to be two of the greatest emission sources in the next decades. They will by no means decide in favour of reducing emissions, if thereby their own industry will suffer from these decisions – particularly because they haven't contributed a lot to global warming yet. Consequently this development poses a climate threat that should not be underestimated.

Because of these two reasons an economic governance is indispensable. Each state, at a national level – and together at an international level has to create incentives which force producers and consumers to change to technologies and products with less, or in the ideal case, no carbon dioxide emissions.

For this purpose the IPCC suggests several instruments to mitigate climate change. One way to do so is to charge taxes for technologies and products that harm the environment by producing too much carbon dioxide. In the same way it is necessary to stop the subsidies for coal production to motivate industry to find technologies that are less harmful to the environment. Finally another important approach is that the governments and the media together have to begin campaigns that foster ecological awareness in the public(1).

In conclusion, I am convinced that this problem can be managed, but for this purpose both each individual and governments have to feel responsible to reduce global warming. This means that every single person has to be aware of how he or she can contribute to the mitigation of the climate change effectively. Nevertheless it is imperative that the government leads the economy and each individual to the development and usage of environmentally sustainable technologies.

(1) IPCC, Working group III report (2007): “mitigation of climate change” (www.ipcc.ch)

(2) Germanwatch (2005): “Globaler Klimawandel: Ursachen, Folgen, Handlungsmöglichkeiten” ()