What is Climate Change – Clear Explanation

Introduction

We have reached that stage where the doom of the planet Earth is brought upon it by its very own inhabitants. What’s more worrying is that most of us are still in denial or are entirely ignorant about the approaching doom. 

The United States wishes to withdraw from the Paris agreement on Climate further weakens the global fight against Climate Change. The havoc occurring in countries like Australia due to climate change is another cue for humankind to wake up.

But what is Climate Change? What causes it? How can we collectively solve a major problem like that? Is something being done about it currently? Let’s understand.

What is Climate Change?

Climate change is the rapid increase in Global Temperature. When the sun's radiation hits the Earth, some of the energy gets trapped inside the Earth's atmosphere rather than bouncing back to space, making it warmer exponentially.

This is also called as 'Greenhouse effect'. The leading players contributing to this phenomenon are Greenhouse Gases. The Greenhouse gases predominantly consist of:

Causes of Climate Change

As I've already mentioned, the main factor contributing to Climate Change is greenhouse gases. The prominent constituent of the greenhouse gases that results in climate change is Carbon Dioxide. There are some speculations that the reason for Climate Change is natural and out of our hands.

However, studies have shown that there is a 95% chance that human activity is the leading cause of climate change.

Carbon emission into the Earth's atmosphere is rising at an alarming rate. Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, carbon emission into Earth's atmosphere has increased exponentially.

This is adversely affecting the whole eco-system, involving you and me alike. Carbon is emitted into the atmosphere mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gases.

Moreover, another greenhouse gas that is adversely affecting the climate is Methane. The production of meat products such as beef, pork, turkey produces these pollutants. So, you see how every problem tracks back to us? 

Ramifications of Climate Change

According to recent findings, there are harrowing results of this catastrophe. Sea levels are rising around 3 millimeters per year due to the increasing temperature of the Earth’s surface, and the seawater expands, resulting from thermal expansion. Because of this, coastal cities are always the epicenter of major disasters.

If this continues to go on, cities like Miami and Osaka will be completely submerged in water in the coming years. This will have a catastrophic impact on agricultural life which is the source of our bread and butter. The Amazon rainforests are weeping because of our actions.

The warming up will result in the melting of various ice sheets and glaciers around the world. It has also been predicted that the Arctic is likely to become ice-free.

So is there nothing we can do to prevent that from happening? The answer is, there is a lot we can do.

How can the Problem of Climate Change be Solved?

While numerous countries are making plans to combat this disaster under the Paris Agreement, not much progress is being made.

It is said that if the Global Temperature is increased by 1.5% by the year 2100, mankind can still win the battle. But at the current rate, we will reach the mark and maybe more in just the next 10 years! It means, not all solutions are being used up.

These are a few solutions that need to be implemented on a national scale.

Conclusion

Climate is changing for the worse with every blink of our eyes, and the efforts that are being made are not enough to mitigate its effects.

The industries worldwide continue to be the major source of air pollution, and the people are not playing their role in battling this crisis.

It is important to be aware of Climate Change and its impact on our social, economic, and political life. Believe it or not, Climate Change is real, and it's happening.