Why We Can’t Ignore Climate Change Any Longer.If you’re reading this article in the hopes of learning how to stop climate change, you’re going to be disappointed. I am not here to tell you how to save the planet; there are plenty of other articles for that, and we can only really hope that they succeed. Instead, I want to talk about why climate change has become so ubiquitous despite our best efforts to keep it from the public eye. Not what we can do about it, but what we have been doing about it; why we must stop ignoring climate change and instead embrace the solution – renewable energy!
Signs of Impending Global Climate Change
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared that 2016 was the warmest year on record, as Earth’s average surface temperature reached 1.22 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than at any time in modern history. A changing climate has a significant effect on the water cycle, which we are already beginning to see with decreasing rain and snowfall in Western regions and more extreme droughts worldwide. The increase of energy from the sun due to atmospheric change is expected to decrease by 3% by the end of this century. These are all signs of imminent global climate change – we must do everything possible to reverse this trend before it gets out of hand.
There is no denying that humans are to blame for climate change. Our excessive use of fossil fuels is causing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane to build up in our atmosphere, trapping heat and changing Earth’s weather patterns. What makes climate change so urgent is that global warming will have drastic consequences if left unchecked, with experts predicting a 4°C increase in temperature before 2100. While we can’t turn back time, there are things we can do right now to stop it from worsening – such as using energy more efficiently and moving away from using fossil fuels.
22 Signs of Impending Global Climate Change: Another sign of impending global climate change is melting polar ice caps caused by warmer temperatures all around Antarctica and Greenland.
What Causes Global Warming and How Bad Will It Get?
To understand what causes global warming, we need to start with the greenhouse effect. Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat inside, much like the glass roof and walls of a greenhouse. There are two factors that cause global warming: increased solar radiation and increased levels of atmospheric gases. These two causes have combined with devastating results, especially since humans started burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil at an unprecedented rate around 250 years ago.
The Bigger Threat Behind Global Warming
Nations worldwide are taking steps to fight climate change, but our primary focus should be on adaptation because as nations seek to protect their citizens from severe effects of global warming, the economies of countries and their standard of living could suffer drastically. Droughts and other natural disasters can lead to lower crop yields and increased food prices, which can contribute to the escalating food insecurity. Decreased industrial output from resources such as coal and oil will result in fewer goods and services being produced in society with economic hardships across the board. Lower demand for manufactured goods will cause an impact not only domestically but internationally as well due to decreased exports and imports. Reductions in agricultural yield will lead to a loss in jobs especially in rural communities where farming is a large part of the economy.
What We Can Do About it!
In light of the recent election results, it can feel like there is nothing we can do to combat climate change. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. If we want to stop this growing threat to our planet, the best thing we can do is stay informed and take action. There are many things you can do to lower your carbon footprint and join in the fight against climate change. Here are just a few of them: • Go vegan or vegetarian – An animal-based diet uses more land and resources than a vegan or vegetarian one because producing meat requires large amounts of grains, crops and fresh water as well as produces greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
Our Last Hope Against Global Warming
Global warming is a pressing issue that deserves our utmost attention. It has been said before and will be said again: the world has never seen such an important decision that is so decisive of its future, as this one. Al Gore, the Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton in the 1990s, addressed this issue during his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007: the truth is tough, but we can handle it. The challenge posed by climate change may be more difficult than any other human enterprise yet attempted. Thankfully we’re not alone in taking responsibility for climate change and its repercussions; governments worldwide are now coming to accept the reality of global warming and even understanding our role in creating it.
Conclusion
We may not be able to control global climate change, but we can work to find ways that will prevent future warming and lessen its impacts. In order to do this, there are things we can all do in our own lives on a daily basis. For example, turning off lights when they aren’t needed and walking or biking instead of driving. These little changes might not seem like much, but they add up over time and have the potential to make an impact on the world’s overall energy consumption.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens if we ignore climate change?
In the simplest of terms, climate change is an issue that will only get worse if not addressed. This may sound like a lot of doom and gloom but in reality, it's actually motivating for you to take action. What can you do? You can educate yourself on how to reduce your carbon footprint. You can help others learn about what they can do too.
Why do we ignore climate change?
In a recent poll by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, participants were asked to rank how much they prioritize climate change as a major problem. Eight percent said it was the most important issue and 45% said it was an important problem but not a major one. This suggests that many people don’t view climate change as being significant, yet ignoring the consequences of climate change can have drastic and far-reaching effects on our planet and our lives.
Can climate change be avoided?
No matter what politicians and lobbyists say, the Earth is on a clear trajectory for global warming. At this point it's unclear whether our planet will be rendered uninhabitable as a result, but that doesn't mean we're without recourse. Today, we are still confronted with one of two choices: we can continue down the road of denial and destruction, or take action and change our fate.
How long do we have to stop global warming?
The sobering truth is that the time to make a difference is now, and our future depends on it. At some point in the not-too-distant future, society will have reached a tipping point with climate change: what happens beyond that point is up for debate. The worse-case scenario is climate disaster on an unprecedented scale.
