Climate Change: What is Climate Change? How and why is it happening? A simple explanation of the matter
Climate Change: What is Climate Change? How and why is it happening? A simple explanation of the matter
Two words that have been heard a lot lately are – climate change. What is the matter?
The average pattern of weather in a place over the years is called climate. Climate change is the known change in weather patterns.
The world is warming, and as a result, long-known weather patterns are rapidly changing.
What are the consequences of climate change?
Humans – Humans first ie what does this change mean for us? Scientists say that this change in climate will change our way of life. There will be a water crisis. Food production will become difficult.
Some regions will heat up to dangerous levels, and sea levels will rise, flooding many areas. As a result, all those places will become uninhabitable.
Extreme Weather – Excessive heat along with heavy rains and storms will continue to increase abnormally. As a result, lives and livelihoods will be threatened. Poor countries have less capacity to deal with these hazards and will be hit the hardest by this extreme weather.
Environment – Arctic ice caps and glaciers are melting faster as temperatures rise. As a result, the low-lying areas of the peninsula are at risk of drowning due to the rise in sea level.
In addition, as the ice accumulated on the ground in regions like Siberia melts, the methane gas trapped under the ice will be released into the atmosphere. As a result, another greenhouse gas like methane will increase climate change. Global warming will increase, and the risk of forest fires will increase.
Nature - Many animals will move or try to move to new places due to climate change in their familiar habitats.
But this change in climate is happening now at such a rapid rate that many species will become extinct. For example, the existence of the polar bear or the polar bear is endangered due to the melting of the ice.
Also, Atlantic salmon will be endangered, as the rivers they enter to spawn are warming.
Coral reefs in tropical regions may disappear as excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mixes with seawater, increasing the acidity of the water.
Why is this climate change?
Climate naturally changes due to natural causes. But human activities are largely responsible for the rate at which temperatures are rising now.
Earth's temperature is now 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than when humans started burning oil, gas, and coal to run factories and vehicles or to keep homes warm in the winter.
Carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has increased by 50 percent since the 19th century. It has increased by 12 percent in the last two decades.
Deforestation also increases greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Plants store carbon. As a result, when those trees are cut down or burned, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere.
What will happen in the future?
Scientists believe that if global temperatures are kept to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a major threat can be avoided. If not, nature, the environment, and human life will become dangerous.
Many scientists fear that there is no way to prevent this dire outcome and that the world temperature will rise by three degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Then the impact will be different in different parts of the world:
- Rainfall levels in Britain will increase significantly and cause frequent flooding.
- Many small islands or island states in the Pacific Ocean may disappear due to rising sea levels.
- Droughts may increase in many African countries and result in food crises.
- Australia may experience extreme heat and drought.
What are governments doing?
Countries are asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the middle of the current century, i.e. by 2050. That is, the amount of gas that will be released should be balanced by planting additional trees.
If countries can do that, it is hoped that the catastrophic consequences of climate change will be avoided by slowing the rapid rate of temperature increase.
What are scientists doing?
Much research is being done on climate change and knowledge about the subject is increasing.
Scientists are now able to find links between climate change and extreme weather behavior in a place, such as extreme rainfall or extreme heat. As a result, predicting such extreme weather events is expected to become easier in the future.
What can people do?
- Reduce dependence on cars and increase the use of bicycles or public transport.
- Measures can be taken to reduce heat or cold in the house.
- Can reduce meat and dairy foods.
- Can reduce air travel.
Source: BBC
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