If you are here and reading this post and want to know about Climate Change then you must be serious about this problem and I am pleased that you are thinking about this because a small step is the beginning of a big change. Because if we do not see it now the life of the future generation is going to be very difficult.
What is climate change? The change in temperature and weather behavior over a long period of time is called climate change. This can happen due to many reasons, some of which are natural such as the activity of the Sun and massive volcanic eruptions.
But according to the data of the last few years, Human’s race for modern technology and use of natural things fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas without thinking remains the biggest reason for this.
The whole problem starts with the use of fossil fuels Which we mostly use to drive cars and generate electricity in power plants. When gases like carbon dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere and these gases act like a blanket around the Earth, preventing the heat received from the Sun from escaping, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise, which is also known as the greenhouse effect.
We are cutting countless trees and forests every day for our needs, due to which the balance of gases in our atmosphere is getting disturbed.
Causes of Climate Change
200 years of history have shown that human activities are the main drivers of climate change. There are many factors that have been proven by scientists that they are playing a role in climate change on high levels.
How Burning Of Fossils Fuels and Industrialization Causing Climate Change?
It started around 1760, That time is considered to be the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and since then fossil fuels have been used as an energy source in areas of industry such as factories and power plants.
Burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, due to which the heat coming from the Sun cannot escape from the earth and is a major cause of warming of the earth.
From heating our homes to generating electricity, from transportation to the manufacturing industry, we have become so dependent on technology in almost every aspect of our lifestyle that we are using it without knowing its consequences. Which is playing a huge role in climate change.
How is Deforestation causing Climate Change?
We have been reading since childhood that how important trees are for us, but still we are cutting them every day to set up industries and to get land for our daily needs. They play an important role in maintaining the balance of carbon dioxide on the earth.
Right now we are taking steps without thinking just to meet today’s needs. To control the carbon dioxide gas that is being released due to the use of fossil fuels, we should plant more trees, whereas the opposite is happening and by cutting trees, the amount of carbon dioxide is increasing further. And by burning and decomposing the trees that are being cut, the carbon dioxide present inside them is also released.
Impacts of Climate Change
Heat waves are also a big problem which is causing even worse effects due to global warming. Its major impact is on human health, agricultural land and our natural ecosystem. Its worst effect is on the weak people of old age as it can cause heart or respiratory problems.
While rural areas are protected from its effects to an extent due to the surrounding natural environment, urban areas are more affected due to their man-made environment consisting of concrete buildings that absorb these heat waves and the impact is increased even more.
Melting Ice Caps and Glaciers
Since the temperature is rising, the ice of the Arctic and Antarctica is continuously melting in large quantities, resulting in the sea level also rising. which will further lead to the cause of floods and might be possible it would be impossible to live in the areas which are low-lying (land that is at, near, or below sea level).
Rivers like the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra originated from the melted water of glaciers. As the glaciers are shrinking it can lead to a huge conflict of water resources for billions of people.
How is the change in weather causing problems?
Climate change completely affects the weather patterns, which leads to many problems. The rise in the temperature of the sea surface causes more hurricanes. Due to changes in rain patterns and the rise in temperature, it’s leading to drought conditions and on the other hand in some places it is causing floods in the forest area, which is causing conditions favorable for wildfires.
Climate change’s effect on our daily life
Climate change is leading to changes in environmental conditions at a speed that a lot of species are not able to adapt to and are nowhere to be found at the current time.
It’s also affecting the most important part of our lives. Due to the change in weather and frequency of extreme weather affects food production. We can simply say high demand and less production will only lead to higher prices of food.
Solutions and Mitigation
Renewable energy resources can be the best solution to prevent climate change. There are three major resources available widely, one is solar energy, another is wind energy and the last is hydro energy.
Solar energy can be generated in almost every area of the world as it only requires sunlight and can produce enough energy as long as the area is under the light of the sun.
Wind energy is also a good source of renewable energy but it comes with a few limitations the wind power plant can only be installed in an area where there is enough wind to produce energy.
Hydro energy is widely used in almost every country by forming Dams means collecting water at a place and then using it to produce energy when released.
Sustainable Practices
Energy efficiency refers to the term that energy consumption should be less to complete the same task or obtain the same outcome. It will help in lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Waste reduction can play a really important role in this and by doing that we can reduce the impact of our consumption on the environment. We should avoid using products in which waste parts will stay in the environment for a longer period, instead of that we need to use the material which is biodegradable, can be recycled or can be used for a longer period.
The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement was adopted by almost every country in 2015 under UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Its main purpose is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, aiming for 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. Under this, every country makes a plan that how they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions term named as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This agreement presented the idea of financial support to developing countries from the developed countries. The Paris Agreement was signed in Paris, France.
Conclusion
The reality is the problem of Climate change can not be ignored, it’s a matter of concern for each individual, community and Nation.
It’s clear that it’s all the result of human actions like the use of fossil fuel, deforestation and pollution from industry and with each passing day, we are nearing the worst situation. We are already seeing the results of our past mistakes in the form of Floods, Frequently worsening weather conditions, droughts and Economic crises.
But still, there is a way that we can fight it by reducing the use of fossil fuels and by shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy and hydro energy, instead of using pesticides by doing farming in a natural way. The Paris Agreement is an example that we are serious about the situation, and need to support developing countries financially.
Each and every human being is playing their role and every single step is counted. Our actions today will decide the kind of future generations will live in.
