WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change is the long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. This is driven largely by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
These activities release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Thus, trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing rising temperatures. These activities shift weather patterns and cause extreme events such as droughts, storms, and wildfires. As a result, glaciers melt, sea levels rise, biodiversity is lost, and food and water security is threatened.
According to NASA, the average temperature of planet earth is 16°C (61°F) (“Solar System Temperatures”, NASA, updated June 26, 2020). The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that by 2017, earth warming caused by people had already increased temperatures by approximately 1°C compared to pre-industrial times. The pre-industrial era is the period between 1850 and 1900.
Climate.gov, in their article “Climate Change: Global Temperature” (published on January 18, 2024), reported that 2023 was the warmest year on record since the pre-industrial era.
EVERYDAY PROBLEMS FACED BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Some of the issues faced around the world as a result of climate change are:
- Floods
- Droughts
- Heatwaves
- Cold waves
- Soil depletion and other agricultural problems
According to the World Bank, climate change significantly increases the risks to water supplies, food production, energy security, ecosystems, and infrastructure. People in developing countries feel the greatest impact of extreme weather and other climate change disasters. This is because they are less equipped to properly manage the problems. Extreme weather like heat waves will be the norm in 2100 (“Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2020: From World Development Indicators”,Pirlea et al., World Bank).
As early as 1988, a NASA scientist by the name of James Hansen raised warnings of catastrophic impact that greenhouse gas emissions would have on the climate. Thus, if these emissions were not reduced, problems that would occur include extreme weather, sea level rise, damage to human settlements, and destruction of the ecosystems (“Why did the IPCC choose 2° C as the goal for limiting global warming?”, MIT Climate). Arguably, these problems have materialized.
Climate change is causing many problems that affect our daily lives. For example, it leads to more extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and heatwaves, which can harm communities and disrupt our way of life. Additionally, climate change can lead to soil depletion and other agricultural problems, making it harder to grow the food we need.
These challenges are especially difficult for people in developing countries, who may not have the resources to effectively manage these problems. If we don't take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these issues are expected to become more severe in the future.