EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

DAMAGE DONE

We must know about climate change. For the last few decades, all of us have contributed to the degradation of our environment. This has caused global warming, damage to the ozone layer, and most of all a massive increase in air pollution, which leads us to climate change. 

And these are just a few of the problems from which our planet’s environment is suffering at present, and the consequences are alarming as well as scary. Every one of us no matter where we live on this planet is getting affected directly or indirectly. It has also caused the extinction of some wildlife species. 

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

Climate change is the change in weather patterns and long-term shifts in temperature on our planet. It also refers to unpredictable weather conditions. Some places are getting hotter than they ever were, at some places, it’s not raining or snowing like the way it used to be from the beginning, and some places are having more rain or snow than they have ever experienced. The last decade (2011-2021) was the warmest on record.

CAUSE 

Natural Cause

Variations in solar activity or solar cycle

Changes in Earth’s orbit and rotation

Volcanic eruptions

Greenhouse gases

Human causes

Since the 1800s human activities are the main driver of climate change, we are generating power for manufacturing goods, using transportation, producing food in factories, and powering and heating buildings, all this primarily by burning fossil fuels like coal, petrol, and diesel.

Industrial processes (green houses coming out of factories)

Air pollution caused by automobiles (release of green house gasses)

Cutting down forests by thousands of square kms

Testing nuclear weapons by thousands on land, air, and sea. According to a report more than 2000 nuclear weapon tests have been carried out in our planets atmosphere so far. We can imagine the impact they had.

Decomposition of different types of wastes in landfills

All the above steps lead to the increase of some of the top greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, etc. These gasses become trapped in the atmosphere, intensify in heat, and then re-radiate back to Earth. This phenomenon is referred to as The Greenhouse Effect. This phenomenon leads to global warming which leads to Climate Change eventually.

CONSEQUENCES

A rise in temperature worldwide

Increase in the sea water levels

More severe storms, increase the frequency and intensity of tropical storms

Longer periods of drought in some regions

More frequent wildfires

Extinction or loss of species

A worldwide shortage of food because the climate will not remain suitable for growing most of the crops or maybe because of the shortage of water for irrigation purposes.
More health risks, a shorter average life span.
Poverty and displacement. which also leads to an increase in the crime rate.

According to a report by WHO published in Oct 2021, Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.

NEGLIGENCE

It is a bitter truth that we did turn our back on this problem for decades. We had time to contain the damage it has caused eventually. The matter of Global warming and Climate Change was risen by some individuals and non-government organizations from time to time, but none of the world leaders cared.

The reason was just to keep generating power and keep making profits from fossil fuels. According to a group of scientists known as the Union Of Concerned Scientists, given mid-level scenarios for global warming and climate change, the Maldives is projected to experience sea level rise on the order of 1.5 feet and to lose around 77% of its land area by around the year 2100, along with many other places getting affected in different parts of the world in different ways.