What is Climate Change?
Climate change is an extremely impactful problem that the earth is facing and has been for many years. So what actually is climate change? Long story short it is a long term shift in rising temperatures and inconsistent weather patterns. More frequent and tragic natural disasters have been occurring in the recent years. This is due to the atmosphere being hotter so the ocean surface levels are rising and increasing wind speeds in tropical storms. The largest contributor's of climate change are fossil fuels. The burning of coal, oil and gas count for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions almost act as a blanket around the earth. This causes it to trap the suns heat leading to climate change.
It's current impact on the world
One of the most significant impacts of climate change is the rising temperatures. Its causing glaciers and ice caps to melt leading to rising sea levels and flooding. Heatwaves, drought, hurricanes and floods are becoming more frequent and are all causing severe damage to human health, infrastructure and agricultural productions. Due to this, different species are struggling to adapt to the changes that are happening so many organisms are going extinct. The inconsistent weather patterns are having a huge impact on agriculture and fishing industries. Farmers are struggling to grow crops which is leading to shortages within many different regions around the world. In the coming years this is going to become a major problem as it is going to leave millions of humans around the world starving. The severe impact it is having on human health is concerning. The death toll is rising every year due to air pollution, heat related illnesses and a high spread of diseases. Since 1880 the combined land and ocean temperature's average rate was 0.14 degrees Fahrenheit. This rises every single decade. However in 1981 it was found that the average temperate had increased to 0.32f every decade which is over double what it was. If our actions continue, centuries to come, we won't be able to survive on our planet. Hurricanes alone have done so much damage. Direct and indirect deaths have rapidly increasing due to how often they are occurring. Family homes and work places are being destroyed leaving people with no houses and they can't afford to fix or buy a new one as they are left with no job.
What is going to happen in the future?
The future of climate change depends on the actions that humanity takes in the coming years. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the current rate, then he planet is likely to warm significantly, leading to more severe impacts such as more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts and storms. Even worse than they already are. The rising deal levels will take over and flood costal towns meaning millions of people will have to move out of their homes. Everything that is happening now is just going to get 10 times worse. If we want to stop these issues from getting worse we need to make a change now.
Prevention
There are so many simple changes that can be made across all sectors to help prevent climate change from getting any worse. Transitioning to energy sources to solar, wind and hydropower to generate electricity and heat can make significant difference. Also actually reducing the energy demand by improving building insulations so people are using less heat. People tend to waste a lot of food especially meats which is a major problem. By reducing meat consumption and using sustainable farming practices will recede food waste hugely. Another prevention is to implement carbon pricing. Even though this would not be a popular option for the public it defiantly would make a huge difference as people would have to change their ways. By applying an economic incentive for companies and individuals would almost force people to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Everything would become more expensive so they would a lot more weary on how they spend their money. So they wouldn't waste food and would choose more sufficient ways to use their energy. Even if we make all these changes climate change won't instantly stop. So to adapt there are certain measures that can be put in place. Creating sea walls and flood barriers around coastal towns will prevent the initial flooding from happening. By developing drought resistant crops will help with food shortages as they will have adapted to the new climate. Everyone needs to help make and implement these changes so we can have a more sustainable future.
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