The Dangers of Climate Change
Climate change is typically a natural long-term shift in weather and temperature patterns. Due to human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, climate change has become a heightened concern since the 1800s. From the melting of icebergs, to wildfires rapidly spreading, our world is getting torn apart at our feet and we have to do our best to limit this and eventually make it go away. It is a very hard task as a lot of issues have risen since the start of this issue, but we definitely need to try to make a significant change.
The factors that play into climate change
Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s average temperature has increased tremendously. Greenhouse gases protect our atmosphere by trapping the sun’s heat. This is called the Greenhouse Effect where Earth maintains a stable temperature for life to exist. This is usually helpful for the Earth to maintain its temperature. When humans add emissions to the atmosphere, like gasoline from a car, these gases accumulate and begin to have a detrimental effect on the Earth. This is what eventually produces a warming effect.
During the Industrial Revolution, Great Britain transitioned from rural society to an economy reliant on the quick production of goods. The rise of machinery in factory production allowed for products to be created at an increased rate, and this eventually became a staple of the economy…
Humans’ growing laziness has made us extremely dependent on the convenience of modern technology. These advancements have made life less arduous by decreasing the amount of back-breaking work. However, cleaning up the remnants of our mess may prove to be even more laborious.
Air pollution is only exacerbating this issue… The burning of fossil fuels and the excessive trash in our oceans only increases the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. We breathe in this air as well, which can increase our chances of respiratory disease, according to the European Commission. However, chemicals such as black carbon, a pollutant from combustion, contribute to the unusually warm temperatures on Earth.
Science & Information For A Climate-Smart Nation reports that the sea levels have risen 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880. Erosion, hazardous storms, and heavy rainfall are all triggered by warm temperatures, which then leads to why these sea levels are causing floods destroying our agriculture and our safety.
The warm climate has also made our waters evaporate faster than usual. We are losing surface water, vegetation, and homes for other animals. With such dry air, there has been an increase of wildfires along specifically the West Coast; this is detrimental to our living conditions.
There are numerous issues involved and we have to get better control over this issue to reduce life-threatening problems.
How we can improve
It will take a lot of work. It is overwhelming. But for us to ensure the health of this Earth, we all need to start somewhere. Even something as small as following your 3 R’s that you learned in elementary school: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Try buying sustainable products, plant a tree or build a garden, turn off electricity when you are not using it, volunteer to clean the ocean and land, eat more vegetables, use public transportation, ride a bike, or walk, switch to renewable and greener energy sources such as solar, hydroelectric, or wind energy. There is so much we can do to help make our world a better, healthier place. Our future depends on the actions we take. We are the problem, so we have to be the solution.