Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
for example the scientific agenda, as scientific
work is not only characterized by complexity but
also by probabilities, scenarios and uncertainties,
scientific findings are harder to communicate.
Equally critically, establishing a scientific link
between climate change and the specific impact
it has, for example on extreme weather patterns,
still proves a challenging undertaking, albeit more
indicators are pointing towards the existence of
such a link. Yet, this challenge of establishing a
scientific link between a specific environmental
issue and its potential impact, does not apply to all
environmental issues to the same extent. Take for
example water or air pollution issues, establishing
a scientific link between the source of a specific
pollution issue and identifying its specific impact
is a rather more straightforward undertaking.
However, challenges may exist in identifying the
sources of a cross-border pollution issue, albeit
this connotes a lesser challenge as compared to
establishing a scientific link between climate
change and its impact on a specific locality. It is
critically to emphasize that the challenges related
in establishing a scientific link between climate
change and its specific impact on various locali-
ties should not be instrumentalised to question the
occurrence of climate change as such. Overall,
both the actual impact generated and the potential
further impact climate change will have on differ-
ent communities worldwide becomes increasingly
acute and inherent the potential of affecting the
livelihood of millions of people. It is this under-
lining topic of the potential social, economic and
political implications of environmental degenera-
tion and climate change, which is at the heart of
the environmental impact debate. Although we
can identify a wide range of environmental top-
ics, among them - acid rain; air, water and marine
pollution; deforestation, soil degradation as well
as desertification; stratospheric ozone depletion
and climate change - they all have in common a
negative impact on people and their livelihood. It is
equally significant to be aware that environmental
between local, regional or global - nor even in the
intensity of its impact. It is worth recognizing that
this also applies to global environmental threats
such as global warming as well. This highlights
another critical aspect, the issue of burden shar-
ing between countries, as some countries are
more exposed to the negative impact of climate
change, albeit they may contributing only limited
emissions to the accumulated global greenhouse
gas emissions.
3
Such scenarios certainly increase
the complexity of the environmental issue further.
However, the specific impact within a defined
geographical area is of critical relevance when
assessing its impact and the degree of political
response a specific environmental issue com-
mands. Essentially, we can distinguish between
two categories of impacts: concrete ones, where
the impact is felt immediately and cases of slowly
developing impacts, where the extent of this impact
may be felt at a later stage or by future generations.
The urgency as well as the geographical scope
of a specific environmental issue will inform the
response to it, as dealing with immediate and
local specific threats provide powerful politi-
cal incentives to act. Pollution issues, accidents
involving toxic waste, are examples of concrete
environmental concerns where the implications
are felt almost instantly. Climate change, however,
would be an example of the second category, as
it represents a rather complex issue, albeit with
more fundamental implications for the livelihood
of millions of people, as a specific pollution issue.
Yet, when compared with specific and spectacular
pollution issues, climate change is still viewed as
a non-event, albeit the prediction of sea-level rises
does carry concrete and specific local implications
for various regions and millions of people around
the globe. Hence, climate change represents a
rather incremental change, it does not constitute
a flashlight effect as for example the impact a
tsunami has: a tsunami strikes, its impact is tre-
mendous and instantaneously visible.
4
However, as
destructive weather patterns, such as the repeated
