Geology Position Statement on Carbon Emissions

Position Statement on Carbon Emissions

We know that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions impact the global climate, and that changes in the global climate caused by these emissions are already underway. Currently, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing by about 2 ppm (parts per million) per year. This increase is mostly due to burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation, with additional contributions from agriculture, cement manufacturing, copper and iron smelting, and other industries.

If we continue on this trajectory, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere will approach 600 ppm by the end of this century, and could be even higher if the rate of fossil fuel use increases. Current trajectories suggest that the rate of fossil fuel use will increase as developing countries like China and India use fossil fuels in the same way as the United States. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere may rise even higher, perhaps approaching 1,000 ppm, if we continue to use unconventional fossil fuel resources, such as oil shales and tar sands, rather than using alternative energy resources to replace fossil fuels.

Although we know that atmospheric CO2 is increasing due to burning fossil fuels, and that this increase is causing climate change, this scientific knowledge does not necessarily tell us what course of action to take, or help us make any particular policy decisions. Policy decisions involve many other considerations besides scientific knowledge. Some of the considerations in what to do about climate change include economic, social, technological, and political considerations. Policy decisions will always be shaped by the values that individual people assign to these different factors.

Assignment Instructions
In this assignment, you will take a position on carbon emissions from fossil fuel use. Here is the question you should address:

Should the United States take action to limit carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels? Why or why not?

If your position is yes, the United States should limit carbon emissions, then your paper must also explain how we should reduce carbon emissions.

If your position is no, the United States should not limit carbon emissions, then your paper must also explain why this problem should not be addressed.

Take a position on this issue and write a 900-1200 word essay (not counting your reference list) that supports your position. Your task is to critically evaluate the issues, develop an informed position, and use factual evidence, logical arguments, and effective writing to support your position.

If it helps, imagine you are writing an opinion/editorial piece for a newspaper. Make your position on the issue clear in the opening paragraph. Use the remainder of your essay to convince the reader that your position is justified. Consider possible counter-arguments and explain why you reject them.

Position statements have no “right” or “wrong” answers, you will not be graded on the position you take. But you WILL be graded on effective writing and the use of logical and persuasive arguments that are grounded in factual evidence.

Suggested Readings
You are not required to use the reading materials posted here, but you are required to use at least three published sources as references for your essay. Published means these sources were published or appeared in print somewhere (not just on the internet!). Journal articles are a good example of published sources.

The reading materials posted here are also examples of published sources. You can read as little or as much of these materials as you want – you are not required to use any of them as sources for your essay. But you ARE required to use at least three published sources, and at least one of them must be a source that found on your own (i.e. not one of the sources listed below). For a full discussion of what is and is not a published source, see the Resources to Use for Position Statements.

Suggested Reading Material:

Dietz et al. (2009)Preview the document This paper identifies steps Americans can take to reduce CO2 emissions (such as line-drying clothes or reducing water heater temperatures), and estimates the effects of such steps on total U.S. carbon emissions.

If you use this paper as one of your sources to back up your position, then you should also address this question: Are the steps discussed in this paper enough to reduce total U.S. carbon emissions? Why or why not?

Somerville and Hassol (2011)Preview the document This paper identifies differences between scientific knowledge and public understanding of climate change and its causes, investigates the reasons for these differences, and makes suggestions for how the lag between scientific knowledge and public understanding could be reduced.

If you use this paper as one of your sources to back up your position, then you should also address this question: Is public understanding of the science behind climate change enough to reduce U.S. carbon emissions? Why or why not?

IPCC Documents: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is an international group of scientists and government officials convened in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program. The purpose of the group is to provide an analysis of the causes of climate change, its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences, and adaptation and mitigation options to respond to it.

The IPCC periodically publishes a series of assessment reports about climate change. They are currently working on the sixth assessment report (AR6), which will be published in 2022. The fifth assessment report (AR5) was published in 2013-14 and is the most recent report. I have posted the three part summary for policymakers below. These sections cover the physical science, impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation of climate change:

IPCC WG1-BasicsPreview the document

IPCC WG2-ImpactsPreview the document

IPCC WG3-MitigationPreview the document

For more information and for the complete set of reports, visit the IPCC website.

The IPCC has also been in the news recently for the publication of a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. This report can be accessed here:

Global Warming of 1.5 °C

To see how to cite and reference IPCC reports, see the first page of text in each report.

How to Format Your Paper
Follow this format for your position statement:

Title: Short, informative and includes your take on the issue. Example (not related to this class): Student success starts with class attendance but active engagement is still necessary.

Introduction: State your position and give some context to it. The introduction for a paper of this length should be one paragraph.

Main body: Justify your position, explaining your rationale to the reader. Cite information that supports your position. Once you have justified your position, identify possible counter-arguments to your position and explain why you reject them. Again, cite supporting evidence. Show that you have examined both sides of the issue.

Summary: Summarize your position, highlighting the key arguments you made in the main body of your paper. The summary for a paper of this length should be one paragraph. This is your closing argument – last chance to convince your reader!