You’ve probably heard of climate change, global warming, or something similar. But whenever you hear of it, you probably just shrug it off and think it won’t affect you. However, is that really the case? Will climate change really affect the way we live?
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is a long-term change in Earth’s weather patterns. For example, a change in the climate may look something like the winter coming earlier or it is raining instead of snowing. However, contrary to popular belief, climate change and global warming are two different things. Global warming is only an aspect of climate change, and it refers to the long-term rise in temperature.
What evidence do we have of it?
Earth’s climate has changed a lot in its history. However, Earth’s climate hasn’t changed this much in the last 10,000 years. That means we are heading towards doom at an alarming rate! A lot of naysayers say that Earth’s climate has changed a lot over its history. Ice ages and warmer periods are all examples of this. However, the rate at which the climate is changing is unprecedented for millennia.
What is causing it?
Climate change is being caused by greenhouse gasses generated by human activities, including agriculture, transportation, energy, and more. Greenhouse gasses are gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere and warm up our world. This excess heat (global warming) creates an imbalance in the atmosphere, thus causing climate change. We have a lot of evidence saying that it is being caused by humans. Scientists unanimously agree that it is being caused by humans, as we can see a direct correlation between the Earth’s warming and the amount of greenhouse gasses present.
What effects does it have on us?
Climate Change will have a lot of effects on us, including hotter temperatures, rising sea levels, more acidic oceans, and more. It will likely have a dramatic impact on our daily lives. A lot of cities will sink, and unless we take major action soon, we’re cooked.
What Can We Do?
We can recycle, since plastic is made of crude oil which is a fossil fuel and it is not very renewable. Plastic can be renewed and made into a new product. You can also bike to school instead of riding a car, as cars produce more greenhouse gasses. Another thing you can do is consuming less animal products, as they also produce greenhouse gasses. The last thing you can do to help the planet is use a search engine called Ecosia. Ecosia is a search engine, like Google, that instead of using the money it makes for profit, it plants trees. Trees are good for the environment because they do the opposite of cars.Instead of putting out carbon dioxide, it absorbs these greenhouse gasses making the Earth cooler instead of warmer.
So, climate change is very real, and we’re probably cooked. However, you can do some things to help the planet. Every little bit goes a long way. What are your thoughts on climate change? Leave a comment!
