Global warming, climate change, or global climate crisis: each of these terms describes the fact that Earth's average temperature is increasing. As temperatures rise, multiple effects alter various components of Earth's climate, resulting in hotter summers, rising ocean temperatures, melting polar ice, and greater storm activity extending beyond seasonal variations in the weather.
Climate change is often characterized as a significant fluctuation in average weather conditions over several decades or more. Global temperatures rise due to human activity, and this currently affects every element of human life. As the frequency and intensity of these impacts increase, they will create--and in many cases already have created--crises for people and ecosystems worldwide. If left unchecked, these repercussions will spread and exacerbate, resulting in further wildlife extinction, water scarcity, and displacement of communities. Ninety-seven percent of scientists concur that people are responsible for climate change. Humanity's immediate consumption of fossil fuels and deforestation have resulted in dramatic increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. For millennia, scientists have known that gases in Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, behave like a greenhouse, keeping some heat radiation from escaping back to space. Carbon dioxide in particular increases the temperature of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels have fluctuated throughout Earth's history due to volcanic activity or the carbon cycle. Plants and animals take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, while microbes do the opposite. However, increases in temperature and carbon dioxide levels over the last century have been dramatic and are accelerating. Carbon dioxide emissions have reached their greatest level in 66 million years, and future warming is anticipated to be 250 times greater than the average over the last century. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends reducing carbon emissions to a level that limits global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (3 degrees Fahrenheit). To accomplish this, the world as a whole must commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. While science confirms that climate change is unavoidable, it also indicates that it is not too late to reverse the trend. This will require profound changes in every element of life, including growing food, using land, transporting commodities, and powering economies. Although technology has impacted climate change, innovative and efficient technologies can significantly cut net emissions and create a cleaner planet. Today, over 70 percent of emissions can be replaced with readily available technologies. Renewable energy is currently the cheapest source of electricity in many regions, and electric automobiles are on the verge of becoming commonplace. Meanwhile, nature-based solutions provide “breathing space” as humankind works to decarbonize the economy. These solutions enable offsetting a portion of the carbon footprint while promoting critical ecosystem services, biodiversity, access to safe drinking water, improved livelihoods, healthy diets, and food security. Improved farming techniques, land restoration and conservation efforts, and greening food supply chains (food production accounts for 25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions) are all examples of nature-based solutions. Scalable new technology and solutions based on nature will enable the planet to become cleaner and more resilient. If governments, corporations, civic society, youth, and academia come together, they can build a green future that alleviates suffering, upholds justice, and restores harmony between people and the planet.
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AuthorNew York Renewable Energy Entrepreneur Charles (Chuck) Hinckley. ArchivesCategories |