The Devastating Effects of Climate Change –Is It Too Late to Save Our Planet?
Effects of Climate Change
Over the past few decades, there have been many negative effects caused by climate change. Even though Donald Trump would refute it, the world’s temperature is rising, along with the oceans. Because of this, climate change has become one of the biggest threats to humans ever. As Mark Ruffalo said, “Climate change is the greatest threat to our existence in our short history on this planet. Nobody’s buying their way out of its effects.”
One of the biggest problems with global warming is that the overall temperature in the world is rising. According to the Clean Foundation, between 1950 and 2010, the average temperature across Canada rose by 1.5 degrees Celsius. Because of this rise in temperature, 2020 was the warmest year on record.
This graph demonstrates the average global temperature per year in degrees Celsius between 1880 and 2018. You can see that the past five years are much higher than the rest of the graph because the average temperature is rising exponentially.
Another significant problem with climate change is the rising levels of the oceans all over the world. Because of rising temperatures, the water in the ocean is heating up, causing the water to expand and take up more space. The rising temperatures are also causing ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland to melt, which adds lots of water into the ocean. According to NASA, this extra water has caused the sea levels to rise by eight inches in the past century.
In the future, these effects will continue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that in the next century, the average temperature will rise by 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 to 5.6 degrees Celsius). The water will also continue to rise. By 2100, the sea level is projected to rise by one to eight feet. That volume of water will cover a lot of land. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences predicts that the sea level may rise by two meters. If that happens, then the land that could be covered is home to 240 million people. It is often said that “Venice is sinking”, but if the pattern continues, we need to worry about more than Venice. As the water rises, there will be much more erosion and flooding all around the world.
Causes of Climate Change
Climate change is caused by the greenhouse effect. This is a phenomenon where greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, rise up into the atmosphere and stay there. These gases trap the rays of the sun in the atmosphere causing the atmosphere and the planet to heat up. The greenhouse effect has occurred because humans have been adding more and more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for more than 100 years. Over time, the temperatures have continued to rise.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the United States (U.S.) is responsible for 25% of the whole world’s carbon dioxide emissions. This pie chart from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency depicts the greenhouse gas usage by the United States in 2019.
One of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, such as cars, airplanes, boats and trains. Transportation creates so much greenhouse gas because most of the fuel used by these vehicles creates greenhouse gases when used.
Another major cause of climate change is electricity. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that 62% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, which release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when burned.
Finally, the third largest contributor to climate change is industry. Industry mainly produces greenhouse gas through burning fossil fuels for energy, and through chemical reactions, which are used to make products from raw resources, such as cement, iron, and steel.
Things you can do to Stop Climate Change
There are many things that you can do in your home and at work to help fight climate change. These things may seem like they are small solutions that will not help. However, if everyone in the world makes a small change, it will make a big difference in the world.
One thing that you can do to help is to try to convince the government to take stronger action against climate change. You could do this by getting some people together and having a peaceful protest, or by signing a petition that will be sent to the government. However, if you don’t want to take political action, there are also multiple changes that you can make in your life to reduce your carbon footprint.
In your home, you can switch to more energy-efficient appliances. This will allow you to use much less energy than before. You can also buy more energy-efficient light bulbs, such as LED lights, to reduce your energy usage. Along with energy-efficient lights, you should turn off the lights in rooms where you don’t need them. You could also consider getting an electric lawnmower.
Another thing that you can change is the way you eat. You can do this by wasting less food. You can also reduce the amount of meat in your diet. This will help because animal agriculture and the meat industry create a lot of greenhouse gases. In particular, animals such as cows create a lot of methane gas when digesting their food.
Burning fossil fuels for energy is horrible for the environment. Therefore, you can make a difference by supporting companies that create green energy as well as companies that use green energy. Examples of green energy include solar power and wind power. You could also consider adding solar panels to your roof to use more green energy in your home.
Finally, you can improve your means of transportation. You could spend more time travelling on foot, on bikes or on public transport. You can also share rides with your friends and family when you are travelling to the same place. Finally, if you are going to drive a car, you should get a smaller car that uses much less gas. You could even get an electric car that uses no gas at all.
Call to Action
Climate change is real and poses an enormous threat to Earth and all of mankind. We need to work together to slow down the effects of climate change. We need to protect the Earth for our children and grandchildren. Many people making small changes at the same time can make a huge difference. We have to make a decision — do we fight for the Earth, or is it too late to save our planet?
As Greta Thunberg said, “Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming whether you like it or not.”
