Research Proposal Project: Climate Change and Industrial Sustainability

In “The Coming Instant Planetary Emergency,” Dahr Jamail reports, “Long before humanity has burned all fossil fuel reserves on the planet, massive amounts of methane will be released. While the human body is potentially capable of handling a six-to-nine-degree Celsius rise in the planetary temperature, the crops and habitat we use for food production are not. As McPherson put it, ‘If we see a 3.5 to 4C baseline increase, I see no way to have habitat. We are at .85C above baseline and we’ve already triggered all these self-reinforcing feedback loops.’ ”

He adds: “All the evidence points to a locked-in 3.5 to 5 degree C global temperature rise above the 1850 ‘norm’ by mid-century, possibly much sooner. This guarantees a positive feedback, already underway, leading to 4.5 to 6 or more degrees above ‘norm’ and that is a level lethal to life. This is partly due to the fact that humans have to eat and plants can’t adapt fast enough to make that possible for the 7-to-9 billion of us—so we’ll die.”

In support of this bleak projection, notice the increasing extremity of the following predictions. The more that climate scientists analyze incoming data, the grimmer the predictions become.

In late 2007, for example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced the planet will see a 1 degree Celsius temperature increase due to anthropogenic climate change by 2100. At present, the IPCC predicts many possibilities; most involve a likely increase much more than 1 degree Celsius by 2100.

Other research centers are consistent in their projections. In 2008, The Hadley Centre for Meteorological Research predicted a 2C increase by 2100. By (Links to an external site.)2009, The Hadley Centre for Meteorological Research released an updated prediction, suggesting a 4C temperature increase by 2060.

David Wasdel, director of the Apollo-Gaia Project, has said: “This is already a mass extinction event… The question is, how far is it going to go? How serious does it become? If we are not able to stop the rate of increase of temperature itself, and get that back under control, then a high temperature event, perhaps another five to six degrees [C], would obliterate at least 60 percent to 80 percent of the populations and species of life on Earth.” Atmospheric and marine scientist Ira Leifer notes, “Some scientists are indicating we should make plans to adapt to a 4C world… While prudent, one wonders what portion of the living population now could adapt to such a world, and my view is that it’s just a few thousand people [seeking refuge] in the Arctic or Antarctica.”

The fact that our climate is changing has caused significant concern and heated debate (pun!). Perhaps you are convinced by scientists such as Dr. Shepherd, president of the American Meteorological Society, and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, who explains that our present trajectory will lead to “a climate that will drown our coastal cities and wreak havoc on the environment and our ability to feed ourselves.” Perhaps you think such predictions are overstated and things won’t be quite that grim or that these changes are uninfluenced by human industry. (If so, this project will further develop your perspective-taking ability. Oh, and I desperately hope you are correct.) In either case, certain changes are afoot, and during this project, we will consider how different industries might adapt to them.

Your Assignment

As our situation worsens and more press coverage reveals the truth about who is actually causing climate change (Just 100 Companies Responsible for 71% of Global Emissions, Study Says (Links to an external site.)), a high carbon tax or other such measures will likely cause many companies to seek ways to lower their emissions and/or make other informed adjustments based on our present trajectory. In addition, many companies will be searching for ways to show investors that they are prepared for the effects of climate change. In other cases, companies will simply want to know what are the best, most profitable adjustments they should make as they respond to climate change projections.

A group of concerned investors has asked your boss to explain climate change and your company’s plan to deal with it. They, in turn, have asked you to write a proposal for use in their presentation to investors and have required that you format this proposal in a style they are familiar with: MLA.

Step-by-Step

Choose your industry. What industry do you plan/hope to work in?

Research climate change’s projected effects. Consider how your industry will be affected. Begin to compile helpful passages and create your bibliography. Remember that you are required to cite at least 3-5 peer-reviewed sources for this project.

Prepare an outline. Again, I strongly recommend an outline that includes these sections: “An Introduction to Climate Change,” “An Assessment of Current Efforts” (in your field), “The Benefits of Change” (in your field), “Counterarguments” (again, field-specific), “Recommendations,” and “Conclusion.”