Ever wondered why there has been a sudden change in climate? Why does the earth experience extreme weather conditions? Why does the same month and time this year feel a lot warmer than last year?
In science classes we were only taught about climate change, its causes and effects on the earth and the human race. But today, in 2020, we see what climate change is doing to the environment. Everything we read in books in high school, we’re witnessing today.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change definition is a term relating to the earth’s environment, a notion which determines the extreme changes in the climate over a certain period of time. NASA scientists have observed Earth’s surface is warming, and many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years.
This unreasonable change in climate is definitely problematic, and it is because of global warming. The thinning of the ozone layer is what causes extreme temperatures that are observed even in the coldest parts of the planet.
When did Climate Change start?
Climate change isn’t something that happened over night, or in the past few years. This has been in effects since centuries, where the earth’s climate has drastically changed over the years. Climate change started somewhat around 11,700 years ago and just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era- and of human civilization.
The current warming pattern is of specific significance in light of the fact that the vast majority of it is very likely (more noteworthy than 95% likelihood) to be the aftereffect of human movement since the mid-twentieth century and continuing at a rate that is exceptional over a long time to millennia.
Earth-orbiting satellites and other innovative advances have empowered researchers to see the higher perspective, gathering various sorts of data about our planet and its atmosphere on a worldwide scale. This assortment of information, gathered over numerous years, uncovers the signs of an evolving atmosphere.
Causes of Climate Change
The major cause of climate change is the human population. Without even realizing, the way of life of humans is actually what’s causing distress to the environment. The burning of fossil fuel, air and water pollution, deforestation and so many more reasons how humans are ignoring the needs of nature.
All of these careless activities cause the thinning of the ozone layer and global warming which has a tremendous effect on climate change. And this isn’t good news.
The melting of glaciers, warming up of cold parts of the planet, polluted air to breathe in is all causing the environment to really take a toll and have the worst effect. What we don’t realize is that what we’re doing to the environment is in turn affecting us: smog, unhealthy air to breathe in, diseases, extreme temperatures etc are affecting humans too.
Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain icy masses show that Earth’s atmosphere reacts to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Antiquated proof can likewise be found in tree rings, sea silt, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks. This antiquated, or paleoclimate, proof uncovers that global warming is happening approximately multiple times quicker than the normal pace of ice-age-recuperation warming. Carbon dioxide from human movement is expanding in excess of multiple times quicker than it did from common sources after the last Ice Age.
Examples of Climate Change
Climate change is seen in many different variations in our daily lives, things that seem too insignificant for us to notice, are causing permanent distress to the environment. The major types of physical evidence for climate change are:
Melting glaciers: Glaciers in Greenland, Antarctica and Switzerland have been melting at a faster pace as a result of global warming. Human activity is producing more carbon dioxide than greenhouse gases which is melting snow peaks and ice sheets in the North Pole.
Rise in sea level: Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year.
Warming oceans: The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.33 degrees Celsius) since 1969. Earth stores 90% of the extra energy in the ocean.
Changes in bird migration patterns: A study released yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change suggested that rising temperatures are causing birds to migrate a little earlier each spring. It finds that the journey home is shifting forward by a little less than two days each decade.
Changes in rainfall and weather patterns: As temperatures rise and the air becomes warmer, more moisture evaporates from land and water into the atmosphere. That’s because climate change causes shifts in air and ocean currents, which can change weather patterns.
How to prevent Climate Change?
Now that it’s evident that human activity is causing so much trouble to the environment,it is our civic duty to make sure we heal nature. The earth is slowly depleting each year because of carelessness and irresponsibility from our side, but there are ways to change this pattern and avoid climate change.
Starting today, we must recycle. Recycle all our scraps into new stuff and use recyclable material. Plastic usage needs to be avoided at all costs because it takes decades for one piece of plastic to decompose in landfills and in the soil, and burning it releases harmful substances which affects the air we breathe in and the ozone layer too. Plastic sheets, bottles and packaging must be avoided- instead biodegradable packaging and storage boxes must be encouraged.
We must invest in energy-efficient power sources rather than being solely dependent on electricity. Power saver bulbs and solar systems should be used for electricity, and we must make use of natural sunlight in daytime rather than switching on lights during the day.
Stop pollution! Air pollution needs to be reduced from cars and factory smoke, sources of mass transit are effective rather than having an influx of individual cars on the road. Water pollution is honestly heartbreaking, because it is not just polluting the water we’re consuming, but is also killing marine life. Thousands of species live in the water and our pollutants from factory waste and other waste is killing them. It is time to not only act responsibly for our planet, but also for animals and other life.
Conclusion
It is just the basic change in our routine activities that will eventually create a change of such big magnitude. Everyone needs to start slow, but start somewhere. Avoiding plastic is very easy; just stop buying water bottles outside, instead bring your own bottles. Avoid shopping in plastic sheets but bring your canvas bags or shop in brown paper bags. Save energy by switching off lights in daytime and consume water efficiently. Our small action today can help the earth heal and make it sustainable and livable for future generations to come.
