The earth’s climate is changing. Does that mean that we are all going to die?
Whether on the news, in passing or over the radio, we have all heard of the term climate change. It is this century’s buzzword and a major cause for global concern. For years there have been many debates and conflicting views surrounding the science behind climate change and the accuracy of the data being put forward. Climate change deniers insist it’s a conspiracy, governments fail to act and scientists continue to research and demand climate action.
It is important to note that our climate has always been changing. This has been proven with geological records which show that the earth’s average temperature has fluctuated throughout the planet’s 4.54 billion-year history, encompassing long cold periods (“ice ages”) and warm periods (“interglacials”) on 100,000-year cycles for at least the last million years. However, what we are witnessing today is the amplification of a natural process due to human activities. The rate and magnitude at which the climate is changing is what most people are concerned about. As the Former Secretary General of the UN said-
“The world is reaching the tipping point beyond which climate change may become irreversible. If this happens, we risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet – the whole of humanity stands to lose.” – Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of UN
Let’s start from the beginning. When talking about climate change, in order to fully grasp the complexity of climate change it is important to understand a few key concepts. Firstly, we need to understand and distinguish climate from weather. Weather refers to atmospheric conditions which exist in an area at a particular time. It can change from day to day or even within a few minutes and includes parameters such as temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, wind, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. Climate, on the other hand, looks at the average weather in a specific region, as well as its variations and extremes over many years usually over a 30-year period but sometimes over hundreds of thousands of years.
Another important concept we need to understand before moving forward is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This natural greenhouse effect keeps the earth’s average surface temperature 20–30 °C warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing for life on Earth to exist.
The problem however, lies with us humans and our ability to quickly spoil a good thing. In today’s world, greenhouse gas emissions are central to almost every aspect of life whether it be through agriculture, transportation and food production, to energy production, construction, urban development and water supply to name a few. These activities have tremendously increased the volume of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Imagine that the carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution. Typically, these changes in greenhouse gas concentrations take thousands of years to occur however they are now happening over the course of decades.
“It’s not that the world hasn’t had more carbon dioxide, it’s not that the world hasn’t been warmer. The problem is the speed at which things are changing. We are inducing a sixth mass extinction event kind of by accident and we don’t want to be the ‘extinctee.’” – Bill Nye, ‘The Science Guy’
This rapid rise in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a serious problem because it’s not only increasing the earth’s global temperatures – hence the term global warming, but is also responsible for changing the climate much faster than some living things can adapt to. This new, more unpredictable climate presents unique challenges to all life on earth, especially us humans.
“Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people, to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.” – Greta Thunberg, 17 year-old Swedish Activist
Previous warming episodes were triggered by small increases in the amount of sunlight which reached earth’s surface and then amplified by large releases of carbon dioxide from the oceans as they warmed (like the fizz escaping from a warm soda) but this is no longer the case.
Figure 1: Diagram showing the greenhouse effect
Now that we have a better understanding of climate, weather and the greenhouse effect, we can examine the differences between climate change and global warming.
The terms “global warming” and “climate change” are often used interchangeably but they are distinct concepts. Global warming refers to the rise in global average temperature while climate change is how the climate of different areas around the globe changes over time. While the global average temperature increase is mostly responsible for climate change due to effects it has on the water cycle, ice cover on land and in the polar oceans, ocean currents and biodiversity, climate change can also occur naturally due to changes in sunlight, the growth of mountains, and the movement of the continents across the earth over time. The rise in global average temperature does not mean the temperature will increase by the same amount everywhere or that everywhere in the world would get warmer it simply means that the average global temperature is increasing .
Warming has been found to be generally higher over land areas than oceans with the strongest warming occurring in the Arctic during its cools seasons, and in earth’s mid latitude regions during the warm season. In many regions of the world warming has unfortunately already surpassed 1.5 ℃ above pre-industrial levels (1880) with the long term global upward trend being very clear and unambiguous. Climate change however is more than just a change in temperature or warming, but rather a change in global weather patterns which has a domino effect for regions across the world. Presently, the global scientific consensus has solidified that climate change is inevitable and is impacting human societies throughout all regions of the world, showing no discrimination based on economic status, developmental status, availability of resources or location.
The impacts of climate change are however disproportionately distributed, with some countries expected to experience severe distress such as intense hurricanes, flooding or drought while others may have milder impacts. In the Caribbean, climate change is already evident with documented evidence of rising sea levels, longer dry spells, more intense rainfall, stronger hurricanes, and increased temperatures all affecting agriculture, water availability, health, fisheries, energy, tourism and cultural practices.
Some of the other global impacts of climate change include:
- Rising maximum temperatures
- Rising minimum temperatures
- Rising sea levels
- Higher ocean temperatures
- Changing ocean currents
- Increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events
- Shrinking glaciers
- Thawing permafrost
The indirect consequences of climate change which directly affect us humans and our environment, include:
- An increase in hunger and water crises, especially in developing countries
- Health risks through rising air temperatures and heatwaves
- Economic implications of dealing with secondary damage related to climate change
- Increased spread of pests, pathogens and diseases
- Loss of biodiversity due to limited adaptability and adaptability speed of flora and fauna
- Ocean acidification due to increased Hydrogen Carbonate (HCO3) concentrations in the water because of increased Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)concentrations
“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” – Barack Obama, Former US President
There is no doubt that climate change is the most dynamic and complex issue facing the globe at the moment so much so, it is often referred to as a “wicked problem”. However, it may not be too late to avoid or limit some of the worst effects of climate change. Scientists / professionals / many agree that tackling climate change will involve a two-tier approach:
1) “mitigation” – reducing the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
2) “adaptation” – learning to live with and adapt to, the climate change that has already been set in motion.
Because climate change is a global, complex problem with economic, social, political and moral ramifications, the solution will require both a globally-coordinated response, such as international policies and agreements between countries and local efforts on the national – and regional level.
It is up to us to determine what happens next. Are you ready to take climate action?
Written by: Khadija Stewart of Ecovybz Environmental Creatives
Click here to check out her page: https://ecovybz.blog