How is the climate changing?
Climate change is also known as Global Warming, which calls attention to the abruptly rising of the average temperatures of the Earth. An enormous number of scientific researches and studies conclude that the sudden change in the climatic conditions is due to mainly because of the humans profusely using fossil fuels, which leads to an excessive amount of emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the air. The emission of these gases into the atmosphere leads to the heat getting trapped in the atmosphere. The trapped heat has the potential to affect a wide variety of ecosystems, including the rise in sea levels, severe natural calamities and droughts, which contribute to the landscapes being more vulnerable to wildfires.
Climate change is undoubtedly for real, and there is no argumentation regarding the same. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency all conclude that the change in climatic conditions is happening and further changes are inevitable. These changes are indeed due to the activities of humankind.
The causes behind the climatic changes
The leading cause of the climatic changes is the burning of fossil fuels, like coal and gas, excessively, which leads to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The other human activities which escalate the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change is deforestation and agriculture.
Little quantities of these gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, and it is the primary factor when it comes to controlling the temperature of the Earth. Between the emergence of human civilisation approximately 10,000 years ago and 1990, the concentration of CO2 in the air did not rise above 300 parts per million. But today, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is almost 400ppm, and this level did not reach in more than 400000 years.
The repercussions of climate change
Even the slightest of increase in the Earth’s average temperature can potentially cause severe damage to the Earth’s climatic conditions, affecting the global weather, and the entire ecosystem of the planet. Over the past century, the average temperature of the Earth has gradually risen by 1.4 degrees F and scientists and environmentalists calculate as much as 11.5 degrees F rise in temperature over the next century. The temperature changes might seem trivial, but during the Ice Age, the average temperature of the Earth was about 4 degrees less than what it is today. The difference in the global average temperature is the reason behind the melting of the polar ice caps, which in turn leads to the rising of the sea level. The rise in the sea level plays a vital part in the stronger damages by storms, as the warming of the oceanic temperature directly relates with more intense and frequent storms, apart from catastrophic rainfall especially during extreme natural weather calamities. The excessive rain causes flood in the region, including other damages like loss of animal and human life.
Apart from rainfall, droughts in certain regions become extreme, which causes the wildfire. Wildfires are an imminent threat to the habitats, lives and homes of the people. Plus, the heatwave results in the death of the humans, amongst other things.
The evidence we have for the rapid climatic changes
Nearly several or all of the scientists, government, and scientific organisations agree that the changes in the climatic conditions are occurring and human activities are to blame it, a small handful of voices questions the validations of such statements and chooses to raise suspicions on the predominating evidence. The deniers of climate change declared that the changes in climate associated with the activities of humans are nothing but a part of the natural alternatives to the Earth’s atmosphere and the temperature of the weather. The fact that these human activities have any connection or a direct link with the changes in the climatic conditions or any single natural calamity such as a tornado is not supportable. Even though the latter may be true in general, there are data and analytical reports for decades if not centuries to claim the reality of the change in the climatic conditions; finally concluding the human activities are at fault.
The rise in the global temperature, the shrinking ice sheets, the warming of the oceans, decreased snow cover, glacial retreat, declining of the Arctic Sea Ice, rise in sea level, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events are some of the effects of global warming. They are numerous compelling evidence to prove the fact. Sooner or later, everyone will agree that human activities are responsible for global warming
, but it may be too late then if it already isn’t. Many scientists also claim that the effect of global warming is becoming irreversible and that it is high time that we opt to conservative methods to survive.
Author: Frank Taylor