Abstract
This paper considers the explication of the federal government’s focus on the allocation of more funds to global warming issue while distributing lesser amounts to essential services such as education, agriculture, and healthcare. One of the key findings of the paper is that the current expenditure on global warming stands at $22.2 billion, which is more than a $10 billion increase in comparison with the past ten years. The second finding is that most of this expenditure is divided into three areas, including clean energy technology, international assistance, and climate change adaptation, preparedness, and resilience. The third finding is that the budgetary allocations to the fight against global warming have been on the rise while some essential sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture receive lesser resources. Many citizens are dissatisfied with the whole pattern of expenditure because it does not consider their interests as they pay taxes. It is recommended for the government to cut down its allocations to developing countries, regulate inappropriate expenditure, and predetermine the cost of undesirable weather patterns as they relate to taxpayers and the government.
Introduction
The escalating level of the climatic change around the globe has led the U.S. government to the point of increasing its budgetary allocations to handle global warming. Accordingly, the federal government understands the threat of global warming and has been determined to mitigate it through increasing expenditures on the program. However, the high level of expenditures on global warming means that the government has to spend less on essential services such as education, the provision of food, and healthcare. Some of the key areas of expenditure in terms of dealing with global warming include clean energy technologies, international assistance, U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), and the natural resources adaptation. In 2014, the budgetary allocations for global warming comprised $22.2 billion , which was one of the highest expenditures.
Research question
Why is the U.S. spending so much on global warming while dedicating lesser resources to essential services such as education, food, and healthcare?
Hypothesis
Over the years, the U.S. government has shifted its commitment from spending highly on essential services such as healthcare and education to allocating highly to unessential programs such as global warming. Accordingly, global warming is a world program, but the U.S. seems to have decided to shoulder it solely, as exhibited by its high expenditures.
Methodology
The primary source of the information to be utilized in this paper is the Budget Authority allocations. It offers the exact amount allocated to the expenditure on global warming and the specific areas that the federal government targets in the course of its expenditure. Secondary sources include articles that offer critical information on government expenditure on both global warming and the essential programs such as food provision and healthcare.
Cost of U.S. Expenditure on Global Warming Fighting Efforts and Domestic Concerns
The U.S. budget focuses on supporting numerous researches related to climatic change, voluntary deployment programs, international aid efforts, deployment programs, and the development of a cleaner environment . The specific costs are dedicated to the different areas discussed below. However, efforts have raised different concerns among citizen, as most of them emphasize that the government should try to prioritize the most pressing needs affecting citizens instead of trying to address needs that are far away from the enjoyment of common people. The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) is yet to figure out the real benefits that the common citizen can earn from the billions of dollars spent on the address of global warming in the U.S. and other parts of the world . GAO notes that the amount of government spending on global warming is not going to reduce soon. It will keep on rising, but the benefits to the U.S. citizen would not come easily from these programs. These views are divided based on the different elements of the government expenditure on global warming as discussed below.
Clean Energy Technology
It entails a number of technology researches, deployment activities, as well as development and grant programs, which promote the success of the global warming mitigation efforts. The government understands that the best way to ensure that the global warming is mitigated is to intensify the level of research activities in the area. Clean energy elements that the government has been looking forward to introducing through its budgetary allocations include solar and wind energy, water and geothermal power, and biomass. For instance, the government spent an estimated $6.1 billion on clean energy technologies in 2012 and has subsequently spent $8 billion on the same activities in 2014 . It is reflective of its increasing commitment to expenditure on global warming. Proponents of this program affirm that it sets the pace for the acquisition of green energy around the country and hence reduces destructions to the environment. However, opponents emphasize that this program does not make sense, as most individuals are still in the low-income category and cannot access all the suggested sources of new energy. Therefore, the increase in expenditure on such programs is not justified because of the continued changes in the climate across the globe.
International Assistance
The U.S. likes being recognized as the big brother in terms of fighting global warming. Therefore, it takes a leading role in multilateral and bilateral agreements focused on the mitigation of global warming around the globe. It focuses on taking the war against climate change to other countries, especially developing ones, which always comes at a cost, as the U.S. has to ensure they receive adequate funding for their respective programs. Therefore, the budget includes resources for a target set of programs committed to ensuring effective balance across all the pillars of global climatic change efforts. Three fronts on which the U.S focuses its global efforts in fighting climatic change include sustainable landscapes, adaptation, and clean energy. The overall costs spent on international assistance have continued escalating over the years. For instance, the budgetary allocation in this sphere has risen by over 20% in the past ten years, indicating the government’s increasing commitment to the environment instead of programs. Proponents of international assistance programs state that the U.S. government is justified in the expansion of its global warming budgetary allocations to cover other countries because they also have a role to play in the mitigation of this problem. On the other hand, it is quite difficult to agree with this view because these countries are also supposed to try to stand on their own in the fight against global warming instead of relying on the U.S. for support .
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