Everything You Need to Know About Climate Change
What is Climate Change?
In the past 50 years, global temperatures have risen faster than they have at any other point in human history. A lot of people call this global warming, but the planet isn't just getting warmer - our whole climate is changing. Rising temps are leading to more frequent intense storms, prompting worse flooding and worse droughts (depending on where you live), making the oceans more acidic (bye bye coral), changing our growing seasons and doing so. much. more.
Why is this happening?
The primary cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are emitted mostly through burning fossil fuels (think: oil, natural gas and coal). Most places on Earth burn fossil fuels for energy, which means your house, your car and basically your whole life are likely contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. The more fossil fuel energy we use, the more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere and the warmer our planet gets.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. These are called greenhouse gases because they make the Earth behave like a greenhouse. When sunlight shines on Earth, particles that aren't greenhouse gases simply reflect infrared light back into space without heating it up first. BUT greenhouse gases collect this infrared light from the sun and radiate it back out into the atmosphere in the form of heat. The greater the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the hotter out planet gets.
Throughout history, these atmospheric greenhouse gases have made our planet warm enough to live on, but now this heat is starting to get out of hand. Our globe’s average temp is rising and rising as corporations and ordinary people continue to burn fossil fuels for energy and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
are we really sure the climate is changing?
Yes, we are sure. The basic science of climate change has been known since the 1800s, thanks to an Irish physicist named John Tyndall who studied the interaction between infrared light and greenhouse gases. Old Johnny's science has stood the test of time, with 97% of climate scientists agreeing that the Earth's climate is changing due to the greenhouse effect. This stat is pretty amazing considering scientists basically like to fight about everything.
Some people argue that the science of climate change is uncertain, but this is most def not a 50/50 argument. These "climate deniers" are few and far between, but they're a pretty noisy bunch. Climate deniers are often funded or promoted by companies that produce a lot of greenhouse gases (looking at you, ExxonMobil...), so these companies can keep emitting more than their share of greenhouse gases with less push back. The funny thing is, a lot of these dirty companies are actually planning for climate change as they are funding climate deniers. They know climate change is happening and they're getting ready for it, but they're trying to protect their business in the meantime.
What should we expect?
Climate change is already leading to a host of ill effects, including but not at all limited to:
Flooding and destruction of coastal cities, island nations, and other flood prone areas
Increased frequency of deadly storms
Decreased fresh water availability
Deadly heat waves
Insane amounts of species extinction
Ocean acidification (which is really bad for the fishies)
Melting permafrost and glaciers in the Arctic
Dirty air, more lung disease and more asthma
Increased wildfires
Infrastructure damage and destruction
In all of these consequences, the people who have contributed to climate change the least (read: everyone except developed nations) are likely to suffer the most. This is one of the cruelest ironies of climate change. However, climate change is going to effect everyone whether they want it or not. Although much of the damage is already done, we can still make a difference. Our job is to mitigate climate change while there is still time.
What can you do to help?
There are loads of ways you can spread awareness about climate change. First and foremost, write or call up your representatives in local, state and federal government. Ask them to push for more strict environmental policies and more planning for climate change mitigation and adaptation. You can also donate to causes like 350.org, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth or your environmental organization of choice.
Individual action also matters and there are tons of things you can do to reduce your contribution to climate change. Buy less, use less and waste less. When you must buy things, buy high-quality products from companies you trust. Use public transportation. Stop wasting water. Shut off the lights when you leave the room. Install solar panels. Walk to the farmers market. Plant your own food. Live in a tiny house. Go to an environmental protest. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your neighbors. Live like our climate matters.