Date Global Climate Change
Climate change is one of the significant challenges facing the world today and causes a considerable strain on the environment. The average temperature variation destabilizes the Earth’s temperature stability. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the present-day amount of greenhouse gas emissions is likely to trigger average temperatures to increase by 0.2˚C per decade. Therefore, by 2050, the threshold of 2˚C above pre-industrial altitudes will be attained. Apart from the effects of climate change on the environment, the impacts are a threat to poverty reduction and could also undo the developments that have been attained. Thus, although human beings strive to make the world a better place through the utilization of natural resources and industrial development, human actions that lead to climate change, such as emission of greenhouse gases must be controlled since without radical action currently, adjusting to the impacts in the future will be more challenging.
Scientific evidence shows that the climate is changing. Some of the indicators of climate change include increased direct surface temperature scales, variations in rainfall and weather patterns, a rise in extreme weather patterns and sea-level rise, among others. Changes that have been witnessed in the Earth’s climate are primarily caused by human activities (Trenberth 1). Fossil fuel burning, which is a primary human action upsurges heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere; thus, increasing the average Earth’s surface temperature. The human-instigated temperature escalations entail global warming. Contrariwise, natural causes of climate change include the sun’s intensity, volcanic discharges, and variations in naturally occurring greenhouse gas absorptions. Therefore, although natural occurrences can cause climate change, human actions play a critical role in emitting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that intensifies the weather problem being witnessed currently.
Numerous scientific studies have been performed to measure the extent of climate change over a period of time. Research by NASA, using temperature data showed hasty warming in the past few decades, with the latest data of 2019. According to the scientific investigation, temperatures from 1880 to 2019 were analyzed. The highest temperature was witnessed in 2016. Furthermore, as shown in the graph, the ten years with high temperatures in the 140-year record have all been experienced after 2005. Thus, as the years progress, the rate of climate change continues to increase.
(Sources: NASA).
Climate change will have adverse effects in the future world. As the temperature increases, the atmosphere accumulates, retains, and releases more water, thus altering weather patterns. The rise in temperature also make wet areas damper and dry areas drier. An increase in temperature also triggers the occurrence of several catastrophes, such as storms, tidal waves, heat waves, and droughts. These occurrences have overwhelming and costly effects, for instance, contaminates drinking water, cause uncontrolled wildfires, destroy property, create precarious spills, pollute the air, and lead to loss of lives. According to the World Health Organization, “climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year” between 2030 and 2050 (Retner). Some of the deaths as a result of high global temperatures are associated with heat stress, heat stroke, cardiovascular, and kidney disorders. Warm and acidic water bodies also affect aquatic life. Climate change also subjects wildlife to changing habitat, which can have negative implications on their growth and reproduction. Overall, climate change will harm people, other living organisms and the environment in the future.
Numerous actions are being undertaken to control climate change. Environmental organizations are encouraging a reduction of human activities that cause greenhouse emissions and preservation of rain forests to lower global discharges. At an individual level, individuals are called upon to support renewable energy projects and opt for fuel and energy efficiency that will reduce carbon emissions and encourage clean replacements to dirty fossil fuels. The United States has put in place several climate change laws, such as the recent Trump’s “Energy Independence” executive order, that curbs carbon emissions (Volcovici and Mason). Other laws include the 2015 Paris Agreement, Clean Air Act 1963, Energy Policy Act 2005, Energy Independence and Security Act 2007, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and Methane and Waste Prevention Regulation 2016.
Whereas human beings strive to develop the world through the utilization of natural resources and industrial development, they should consider the impact the actions have on the environment. Currently, the effects of climate change can be witnessed. Therefore, since the impacts are affecting the entire world and ecosystems, there is a need to initiate campaigns that would stop activities that lead to global warming. The responsibility to protect the environment is for everyone and not the government since the future belongs to us all and our generations.