What is climate change?

We are undergoing a change in our environment. Think about it, 50 years back average temperatures were much lower, we had less hurricanes, tornadoes, or other events like tsunamis etc as there is more churn of the air in the oceans. Every year during summers we are experiencing extreme heat, while during winters the temperatures are going much lower. Climate change is the change in the weather over a period. 

The main reason being the human activity that has caused this change related to the burning of fossil fuels and cutting of the forests all over the world. Trees are the natural converters of carbon dioxide to oxygen by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. One of the main sources that can reduce the carbon footprint. So not only are we increasing carbon in the air, but we are also reducing the sources of converting this back.

“There is more plastic in the oceans these days than a decade ago and this is just increasing.”

Sea levels have risen causing extreme weather events and causing changes to the aquatic life. There is more plastic in the oceans these days than a decade ago and this is just increasing. Many times, this human waste cause irreparable damage to the sea flora and fauna.

Reducing greenhouse gases is the key and this can be done through more sustainable development using renewable energy. Solar, wind even nuclear for that matter is beneficial.

Key evidence

The rate of warming for the planet has increased. The average temperatures are much higher now than some centuries ago or even some decades ago. Increasingly we are seeing more activity in the colder regions of this planet where the glacial activity has changed. Glaciers are melting at a much faster rate. In fact there is data which states that the Greenland ice layer is depleting by a rate of 335 billion tons per year in the period 2010 – 18 which is 40% higher than in 2002-10.

“Greenland layer is losing 297 billion tons each year, this quates to about 0.8-inch increase in the sea levels”

 This was a study conducted by the UC Irvine and the nation snow and Ide data Centre which was published in the journal nature back in 2019. This increases the amount of water flowing into the rivers and subsequently over to the seas. Another study published in 2020 in the journal science showed that Greenland layer is losing 297 billion tons each year, this quates to about 0.8-inch increase in the sea levels. 

The carbon footprint has been increasing every day. Carbon dioxide is much more in the atmosphere than say a decade ago. Glacial impacts have been studied through satellite data as well as the measurement of temperatures on the earth. Melting of the glaciers at a faster rate causes larger flow to the rivers and so depleting the source for fresh water. Lesser ice means there is less fresh water which will come out of it for future use.

Causes

The seas and oceans are much warmer resulting in the ice to melt at a much faster rate. Temperatures have been rising over the years causing the ice to melt much more than it did earlier. The glaciers are retreating which causes the ice to melt at a faster rate.

“Ozone is a natural shield in the atmosphere which shields us from the harmful UV rays. Less of the ozone layer means more UV rays come in and affect us”

Greenhouse gas emissions is a major source. Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, and the chlorofluorocarbon CFC gases. CFC’s interact with the ozone layer and deplete it causing a hole in the ozone layer. Ozone is a natural shield in the atmosphere which shields us from the harmful UV rays. Less of the ozone layer means more UV rays come in and affect us. Though good thing is that there usage has reduced and may be phased out. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant as it is released when fossil fuels are burnt. Methane is released in the atmosphere from landfills. Nitrous oxide is released through our cars and industries. chlorofluorocarbon gases are used in refrigeration and air conditioning and get released into the air.

What can be done, how can we prevent it.

Burning of the fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas contributes majorly towards the carbon emissions. Switching over to more sustainable development using renewable energy like wind solar, water would be much more beneficial. At the least we can try to improve our fuel efficiency. Cars have been stuck at an average of 15-20 miles per gallon in the US. This is criminal the automobile industry should be held more accountable to increase the efficiency of their ICE engines at the very least, if not switching over to battery or other fuel sources like green hydrogen, which will take time as infrastructure setup cost is huge.

“It doesn’t even take us a minute to drink the water out of it and that bottle then takes more 500 years to completely decompose.”

Increase our forest cover by planting more trees and cutting less of them.  Avoid plastics and things made from it, which are use and throw for example a water bottle. It doesn’t even take us a minute to drink the water out of it and that bottle then takes more 500 years to completely decompose. 

Educate yourself and your near and dears and build this movement for green development. Denying climate change is not going to solve the problem, we will just kick the can of worms down the road further.

“Pulling your neck inside like an ostrich is not going to make the problem go away.”

Reducing our carbon footprint is the key, some steps have been taken in this regard like the Paris climate accord. The only hope is that it is not too little and too late. Pulling your neck inside like an ostrich is not going to make the problem go away.