In this article, we are going to talk about what is climate change, and what human activities cause climate change, and how it affects us and our mother earth.
What is climate change?
Climate change and the growing “ecological crisis”, together with poverty and inequality, are the major environmental, social, and economic challenges of our time. Greenhouse gases produced by human activities cause ozone layer depletion and climate change.
What is that mean when we talk about climate change? Climate change is the change in climate and earth temperatures that affects ecosystems and causes changes directly or indirectly caused by human activities. The excessive increase in “greenhouse gases” contributes to temperature fluctuations and the deterioration of the ozone layer, which consists of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Excess gases are generated by man’s various activities, such as using electrical energy, depending on the fossil fuel industry, or polluting urban areas through transportation, misuse of waste, industrial processes, etc.
The environmental impacts largely reflect the drying up of rivers and the lack of drinking water, as well as changing production conditions for food and the increase in natural disasters such as droughts, heat waves, and floods. Over the last 150 years, the average temperature has risen by almost 0.8°C worldwide and by around 1°C in Europe. The past 11 years are among the hottest recorded in the instrumental record of surface temperature since 1850. Therefore, there is a need to take action at a global level to limit emissions as it is predicted that there will be new increases in global temperature of up to 4°C in 2100. if we reach this horrific temperature, the changes will already be irreversible.
Effects of Climate Change
The effects of climate change are already horrific
Today one of the biggest controversial topics is climate change and the effects it has on the planet. It is a topic of debate, where its effects are already noticeable and threaten to be widespread and catastrophic. These effects have an impact on the livelihoods of all parts of the planet, on economies, health, and on global food security.
Sea-level rise: As the Earth’s surface temperature warms, ice from glaciers, sea ice, and the polar ice shelf melts. When this happens, the amount of water entering the world’s oceans increases and causes sea levels to rise dramatically, putting many coastal cities at risk.
Heatwaves: Heatwaves are becoming more common and this is because greenhouse gases are being trapped in the atmosphere. Global studies indicate that these heat waves will continue to increase in the upcoming years. This will lead to an increase in heat-related illness and also trigger countless fires.
Storms: As sea temperatures warm, storms are more intense. Global warming means storms can become extremely violent. Warm seawater increases the intensity of storms and causes more hurricanes. Effects like these can already be felt today.
Disease: As habitat changes, warmer temperatures, floods, and droughts create the right conditions for rats, mosquitoes, and other disease-carrying pests to thrive. Diseases such as cholera, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and dengue fever are on the rise.
Economic instability: A country’s economy is directly related to the consequences of climate change. Natural disasters such as floods or hurricanes cause high costs. Raw materials becoming more expensive.
Destruction of ecosystems: The increase in greenhouse gases not only causes drastic changes in the atmosphere but also affects water supply, clean air, and agriculture as well as energy resources. Plants and animals die or migrate to other habitats when the ecosystems they depend on for survival are threatened by rising ocean temperatures.