Sample Essay on Environmental health and population issues

Abstract

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            Global warming is a concept that has particularly attracted the attention of many climate scientists all over the world. This report aims to define what global warming is, what green-house gases are, how these gases contribute to global warming and how one can create a green hospital. The report is argumentative in nature as it will look into various inquiries undertaken by different scholars, evaluate counter arguments and generate a rational conclusion. Findings of the report show that global warming primarily describes constant rise in atmospheric temperature. Further findings confirm that green-house gases, which define gases prevailing in the atmosphere, are responsible in contributing to global warming mainly through promoting the green-house effect. Research has shown that sustainable development can help address the various challenges associated with global warming, which may be achieved through going green. A hospital can thus go green by saving energy, conserving water, using local food products and using food wastes for sustainable far

Environmental health and population issues

Introduction

            Global warming is a relatively new concept that has gained significant popularity in the past few decades. The impacts associated with this new concept have particularly attracted the attention of most scientists as they try to prepare the wider society for changing climatic conditions, which may in return affect the health of most populations. Such impacts include increasingly warming temperatures, shifting precipitation rates, changing frequencies and intensity of certain weather events as well as constantly growing sea levels (Denise, 2009). Their interest in the global warming concept is primarily driven by these impacts’ tendency to threaten human health through polluting the food and water that people consume, the air they breathe and even the weather that they experience. Although the severity of these threats to human health may vary among world populations, most scientists are interested in enhancing public health as well as safety systems’ capability to prepare for or even address the changing threats (Gordon, 2013). In order to realize this goal, scientists have realized the need to understand what global warming is, how the concept is linked to greenhouse emissions and how the world can “go green”. This argumentative essay defines global warming and green-house gases, investigates how these gases contribute to global warming and evaluates how one can create a “green” hospital.

Global warming

            Global warming refers to the gradual rise in the average temperature experienced on the earth’s atmosphere as well as its oceans. Godfrey (2012) has defined global warming as the constant increase in the standard temperature observed on the earth’s climate structure. He bases his definition on various types of scientific evidence indicating that earth’s climate structure is warming. In supporting his definition, Godfrey argues that in addition to significant changes in earth’s atmospheric temperature, a lot of additional energy that is often stored in the climate structure has shifted into the oceans while the rest of the energy has melted ice, which has in return warmed the earth’s atmosphere. Godfrey has challenged a shallow definition often reported in the press, which defines global warming as the gradual increase in atmospheric temperature. He has particularly termed this definition as shallow and lacking any scientific understanding of the current climatic changes.

James (2014) has challenged both the definition offered by Godfrey and the popular presses by arguing that global warming is a hoax and that the anthropogenic factors linked to it are a false phenomenon. His argument has however been challenged by various climate scientists, who have generated sufficient data as well as facts showing that the earth is warming.  A more scientific definition of global warming is offered by Kayla (2013). He defines global warming as the gradual increase in atmospheric temperature, which results when carbon dioxide among other air pollutants gather in the atmosphere and soak up sunlight as well as solar radiation that may have bounced from the earth’s surface. From these definitions, it is agreeable that global warming entails constant rise in the average atmospheric temperature, which usually result when pollutant gases in the atmosphere absorb solar radiation thereby generating additional energy.

Global warming is normally attributed to green-house gases, which refer to gases prevailing in the atmosphere and are capable of absorbing as well as emitting radiations that in return keep the earth warm. James (2014) has defined green-house gases as the type of gases prevailing in the atmosphere that absorb and release radiations in a thermal-infrared series. A more distinct definition is offered by Denise (2009), who defines green-house gases as the type of gases prevailing in the atmosphere and are capable of absorbing radiations, which in return contribute to green-house effect. From these definitions, it is apparent that green-house gases include gases existing in the atmosphere and are capable of absorbing and releasing radiations that in return contribute to the green-house effect. Kayla (2013) argues that water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane as well as carbon dioxide are the most common green-house gases. Although oxygen is a common gas in the atmosphere, he refutes the possibility of it being a green-house gas especially because it does not absorb radiations.

According to Denise (2009), green-house gases contribute to global warming by causing the green-house effect, which is the basic cause for global warming. In order for the green house-effect to take place, green-house gases prevailing in the atmosphere usually absorb sun’s radiations bombarding the earth’s surface. This absorption causes the atmosphere to heat up and eventually discharge heat that is commonly known as infrared thermal radiation. This alternation of incoming as well as the outgoing radiation is what is usually referred to as the green-house effect and is usually responsible for keeping the average atmospheric temperature high. Critics have refuted the impact that green-house gases have on global warming by arguing that it is a natural process that has no significant relationship with green-house gases. Scientific evidence however indicates that the average atmospheric temperate has skyrocketed at the same rate as the green-house gases, which indicates that these gases have undoubtedly contributed to global warming (Kayla, 2013).

The recent global warming events are usually attributed to human activities, including industrial operations, which lead to the release of harmful waste into the atmosphere. As such, it is important to make industrial operations more environmental friendly, which will be beneficial to a facility and the wider society. According to White (2014), hospitals are among the industrial facilities that release harmful waste into the atmosphere, and hence, it is important for them to “go green” in order to become more sustainable. As a way of creating a green hospital, it is important to opt for local food choices rather than shipping food products from distant places. This would ensure that the hospital is able to reduce the amount of gasoline needed to ship the food products, which in return reduces the amount of hazardous waste released into the atmosphere (Godfrey, 2012).

The hospital can collaborate with local composting institutions to use food waste for sustainable farming. A hospital can as well look into better water conservation options, which would in return reduce the amount of water vapor released into the atmosphere. For instance, a hospital can replace the linear accelerator that is normally employed during radiation therapy with another water-efficient option. This means that the amount of water used during each activity is significantly reduced, which in return reduces the overall amount of water vapor generated. A hospital can further go green by saving energy, which eventually reduces overall carbon output generated. Although critics argue that this procedure is unachievable, evidence from the Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut shows that the hospital saved more than one million KWh annually. Saving energy can particularly be achieved through reprogramming heating as well as cooling machineries, air handling structures and lighting bulbs (White, 2014).

Conclusion

            Global warming is a relatively new concept that has gained popularity in the recent past. The term mainly describes the constant increase in average atmospheric temperature. Global warming is usually linked to green-house gases, which describe the various gases prevailing in the atmosphere and are capable of absorbing as well as releasing infrared radiations. Green-house gases contribute to global warming by sustaining the green-house effect, which is the basic cause for global warming. In order to avoid the impact of global warming, it is important for industrial institutions particularly hospitals to go green. This can be achieved through saving energy, employing local food products, using food wastes for sustainable farming and conserving water.

References

Denise, B. (2009). Global Warming: Resources to sustain a collection. Reference & User Service Quarterly, 48(4): 1088-1298.

Godfrey, U. (2012). The impact of global warming on North Carolina. Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table, 12(2): 329-806.

Gordon, M. (2013). The Lomborg Deception: Setting the record straight about global warming. Journal of Information Ethics, 22 (1):76-119.

James, P. (2014). The real case against activist global warming policy. Independent Review, 19(2):60-139.

Kayla, G. (2013). The certainties in life: Death, taxes and global warming? An analysis of border tax adjustments as incentives for promoting worldwide energy efficiency. Suffolk Transnational Law Review, 36(2):139-198.

White, J. (2014). Going Green: Strategies for Your Hospital to Become more Sustainable. Retrieved on 22^nd September, 2014 from http://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com/going-green-hospital/

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