Question

Compare and contrast what the international system has done to TWO of the following issues: Climate Change, Acid Rain, Lack of Clean Water, and Ozone Depletion.

What explains the different responses from states, businesses, NGOs and international organizations?

Answer 1

The following issues: Climate Change, Acid Rain, Lack of Clean Water, and Ozone Depletion are mainly due to the air pollution in the atmosphere which is because of the harmful gas emissions and human activities that causes ecological imbalance. Let us deeply look into Acid Rains and Ozone Layer Depletion.

Acid Rains:

• Acid rains are the rains, fog, that is effected with the poisonous emissions such as chlorofluoro hydrocarons.
• The acid rains occur as a result of acid deposition of the acid such as sulphuric dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
• They react with moisture in the air to produce sulfuric acid and nitric acid which is hazardous to many species of animals.
• In 1979, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) implemented the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Pollution.
• In 1985 most UNECE members adopted the Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions, agreeing to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 30% (from 1980 levels) by 1993.

Ozone Layer depletion:

• Although ozone is very less in atmosphere and bad for breathing purpose, it serves us as a protective screen between harmful rays of the Sun.
• The destruction of ozone over the past few decades is a matter of concern.
• The ozone layer high above Earth is formed by a reaction between molecular ozone (O₂) and atomic ozone (O), in the presence of sunlight. Ozone has three atoms of oxygen per molecule. Its chemical formula is O₃.
• The ozone layer is important to humans and other living organisms as it can absorb the UV rays without which the human health will be affected with skin cancer and other malicious tumours.
• The United States signed the Montreal Protocol in 1987, and has been a leader in guiding the successes of the treaty. Over the past 30 years, EPA has been a proud contributor to the broad coalition that developed and implemented flexible, innovative, and effective approaches to protect the stratospheric ozone layer.
• In 1995, the United Nations named September 16 the International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, also known as World Ozone Day.