Climate Change Battle: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

What Is Climate Change

You have probably heard the terms climate change and global warming used interchangeably. That’s
because both describe changes in earth’s climate. While global warming focuses on the rising average
temperature of the planet, climate change usually refers to the shifts in things like precipitation, wind
patterns, and temperatures over a given period. Measured changes in climate could last a few years,
decades, or even millions of years.

Climate change has occurred for as long as the earth has existed. It happens anytime earth’s climate
patterns change and remain in place for a measurable amount of time. This has notably manifested itself
in natural cycles of cooling and warming. Before human causes started to shift the global climate, five
main factors interacted with one another as climate changes occurred. These five factors include: [1]

Atmosphere (air)

Biosphere (living things)

Cryosphere (ice and permafrost)

Hydrosphere (water)

Lithosphere (earth’s crust and upper mantle)

Climate Change

What Are the Causes of Climate Change?

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has stated, “The scientific evidence is clear:
global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society.”
[2]

Below are a few of the ways humans are accelerating climate change.
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the earth’s climate cycles. As the planet gets hit with the sun’s rays,
some of the energy is absorbed, and the rest of that energy and heat gets reflected into space.
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap the reflected energy, redirecting it back down to the earth and
eventually contributing to global warming. Various gases play this role, including:[3]

Water vapor

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Methane

Nitrous oxide

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

While some of these greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, are naturally occurring, others, such as
CFCs, are synthetic. CO2 is released into the atmosphere from both natural and human-made causes and
is one of the leading contributors to climate change. CO2 has been increasing at an alarming rate and has
the potential to stay in the earth’s atmosphere for thousands of years unless it gets absorbed by the
ocean, land, trees, and other sources. [4] However, as CO2 production has steadily risen, the earth’s
natural resources to absorb it has also been diminished. This is already occurring in many ways as eath’s
resources are disappearing from things like deforestation. Some studies even predict that plants and soil
will be able to absorb less CO2 as the eath continues to warm—possibly accelerating climate change
even further. [5]

Deforestation

Deforestation and climate change often go hand in hand. Not only does climate change increase
deforestation by way of wildfires and other extreme weather, but deforestation is also a major
contributor to global warming. According to the Earth Day Network, deforestation is the second leading
contributor to global greenhouse gasses. [8] Many people and organizations fighting against climate
change point to reducing deforestation as one of, if not the most, important issues that must be
addressed to slow or prevent climate change. [9]
Human Activity

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most significant contributor to climate change in
the United States is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Of these factors,
transportation in the form of cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes emits the largest percentage of CO2–
speeding up global warming and remaining a significant cause of climate change.

Livestock

While interconnected to many of the agricultural and deforestation issues we have already touched on,
livestock in the form of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry play a significant role in climate change.
According to one study, “Livestock and Climate Change,” livestock around the world is responsible for
51% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.

Immediate Effects of Climate Change

From melting glaciers to more extreme weather patterns, people everywhere are beginning to take
notice of the real impacts of climate change. While some nations around the world are taking action
with initiatives such as the Paris Climate Agreement, others are continuing business as usual–pumping
millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere year after year. While the long-term consequences are
still to be seen, for now, climate change continues to cause extreme weather as well as safety and
economic challenges on a global scale.

Extreme Weather
Changes to weather are perhaps the most noticeable effect of climate change for the average person.
One reason for this is the financial impact severe weather events can have. So far in the U.S. during
2019, there have been six climate disasters, most costing more than $1 billion. [12] According to the
National Climate Assessment, extreme weather events will continue to increase in frequency and
intensity as climate change continues to happen. [13] Extreme weather influenced by climate change
includes:

Stronger storms & hurricanes

Heatwaves
Wildfires

More flooding

Heavier droughts

Safety & Economic Challenges

In 2014 the U.S. Department of Defense released a report that stated climate change posed a severe and
immediate threat to national security. According to former Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, “Rising
global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels, and more extreme weather
events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict.” [14]

Furthermore, climate change is likely to cause economic challenges in many parts of the world. Some
estimates have the U.S. already spending around $240 billion annually due to human-caused climate
change, and future costs are projected to be even higher. [15] However, putting an exact number on the
real costs of climate change is difficult once you consider the staggering costs of losing natural resources
like clean air and water.

Long Term Impact of Climate Change

The long term impact of climate change could be absolutely devastating to the planet and everyone and
everything living on it. If the world continues on its current trajectory, then we will likely continue to see
increasing effects on everyday life.

Health

There are many ways in which climate change could impact people’s health. Depending on age, location,
and economic status, climate change is already affecting the health of many and has the potential to
impact millions more. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, climate change-
related health risks may include: [16]

Heat-related illness

Injuries and fatalities from severe weather

Asthma & cardiovascular disease from air pollution

Respiratory problems from increased allergens

Diseases from poor water quality

Water & food supply insecurities

Negative Impact in Ecosystems

Ecosystems are interconnected webs of living organisms that help support all kinds of plant and
biological life. Climate change is already changing seasonal weather patterns and disrupting food
distribution for plants and animals throughout the world, potentially causing mass extinction events.
Some studies estimate that nearly 30% of plant and animal species are at risk of extinction if global
temperatures continue to rise. [17]

Water & Food Resources

Climate change could have a significant impact on food and water supplies. Severe weather and
increased temperatures will continue to limit crop productivity and increase the demand for water. With
food demand expected to increase by nearly 70% by 2050, the problem will likely only get worse. [18]

Sea Levels Rising

Rising sea levels could have far-reaching effects on coastal cities and habitats. Increasing ocean
temperatures and melting ice sheets have steadily contributed to the rise of sea levels on a global scale.
At current rates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate sea levels to rise by at
least 8 inches by 2100, potentially causing increased flooding and decrease in ocean and wetland
habitats. [19]

Shrinking Ice Sheets

While contributing to rising sea levels, shrinking ice sheets present their own set of unique problems,
including increased global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change has driven
summer melt of the ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica to increase by nearly 30% since 1979.
[20]

Ocean Acidification
The ocean is one of the main ways in which CO2 gets absorbed. While at first glance that may sound like
a net positive, the increasingly human-caused CO2 is pushing the world’s oceans to their limits and
causing increased acidity. As pH levels in the ocean decrease, shellfish have difficulty reproducing, and
much of the oceans’ food cycle becomes disrupted. [21]

Solutions for Climate Change

While the effects of climate change can seem bleak, there is still hope. By taking immediate action to
curb climate change, we may never see the worst consequences. Likewise, as the world adopts cleaner,
more sustainable energy solutions, there may be millions of new jobs created and billions of dollars of
economic benefits. Below are some practical ways you can battle climate change, including:

Purchase Renewable Energy Certificate for your home power needs

Make your home energy efficient

Buy carbon offsets

Adopt a plant-based diet

Reduce food waste

Recycle

Stop using fossil fuels

Stop deforestation

How does climate change affect humanity and the earth?

An uninhabitable Earth. That’s what we can expect if we keep following our polluting rhythm. The
temperature will heavily be increased, causing a lot of irreversible effects. Sea levels will rise up because
of ice melting and the expansion of oceans induced by higher temperatures. A lot of islands and shores
will be overflowed. Some of them will even fully disappear causing millions of climate refugees and a real
disaster for biodiversity.

3. Control Measure of Global Warming:

There are numerous ways to stop global warming:

i. Plant More Trees and Stop Contributing to Deforestation:

This is by far the easiest measure to save our planet from the hazards of global warming. Global warming
can be attributed to the large scale concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That being said
planting trees can help in absorbing this harmful gas and help in regulating its amount in the atmosphere
and help in preventing global warming by lessening green house effect.

ii. Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs:

Every household which uses incandescent bulbs contributes to global warming on a large scale. On the
whole, these bulbs add 300 lbs of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. Replacing incandescent
bulbs with energy saving Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) can help in reducing carbon dioxide
generation and help you to save 60 per cent of energy.

iii. Reuse and Recycle Products:

Reusing and recycling various products which we use in our day to day life can also help you in doing
your bit to stop global warming. For instance, recycling paper will make sure that the large scale felling of
trees to produce paper is stopped, and these trees will in turn absorb the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and reduce global warming.

iv. Unplug Appliances:

Unplugging appliances to save energy is yet another effective way to address the problems of global
warming. Simply unplugging all the electronic devices which are not in use can help in saving 20 per cent
energy. More importantly, it will also help in reducing your electricity bill by 10 per cent every month.

v. Avoid Keeping Electrical Appliances on Standby:

Similarly, keeping electronic appliances on standby also contributes to loss of energy and global
warming, and therefore is best avoided. One may feel that keeping a single computer on standby won’t
make a big difference, but when millions of people think in this manner it does make a drastic difference.

vi. Use a Programmable Thermostat:

A thermostat helps in regulating the temperature by altering heat supply. Make sure that you keep your
thermostat as low as possible during the winter, and as high as possible during the summer. Lowering
the thermostat by 2 degrees in winter and increasing it by 2 degrees in summer can help in keeping
2,000 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

vii. Promote the use of organic products:

Promoting the use of organic foods is also one of the effective ways to prevent global warming. The
tendency of organic soils to capture carbon dioxide far exceeds that of the soil used in conventional
farming. Estimates suggest that we can get rid of 580 billion lbs of carbon dioxide if we resort to organic
farming for food production.

viii. Use Vehicles Efficiently:

One of the leading causes of pollution, vehicles dump a great amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. If we stop using vehicle we can cut down of great amount of pollution. If you can’t resist
vehicle, you can opt to efficient driving tips, such as turning the engine off at red lights and driving at
moderate speeds, and contribute in curbing global warming. Ideally though, you should opt for public
transport or other environment friendly modes of transportation such as cycling.

ix. Resort to Alternative Sources of Energy:

One of the most talked about global warming solution is to switch to alternative energy sources s uch as
solar power and wind power. You can easily harness these sources of nature to generate power, and
replace fossil fuels with it. Doing away with fossil fuels alone will help in reducing the huge amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every day.

x. Become a Responsible Citizen:

This is the most important among the various measures to curb global warming. We need to
acknowledge the fact that we are responsible for this menace to a great extent. Just implementing the
simple steps to stop global warming mentioned above can make a huge difference. You can also come up
with your own novel ways to contribute for this cause.

For instance, one of our readers had made a valid point by saying, “If we sacrifice the unnecessary
luxuries in our life, we can contribute in saving the tremendous amount of energy which goes in their
production.” Resorting to these 10 ways to stop global warming can help us to curb the problem to a
significant extent.
by TaboolaPromoted Links

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