Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the world today.
It affects everyone, everywhere, every single day. And yet, despite its importance, climate change remains largely misunderstood.
In fact, there are still many misconceptions about what causes climate change, and what we should do about it.
Here are 10 causes of climate change.
1. Burning Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are used to generate electricity and heat homes. They release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. This leads to global warming.
2. Deforestation
Deforestation occurs when trees are cut down and burned. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it in their bodies. If trees are cut down, there is no longer an opportunity for the trees to absorb carbon dioxide.
3. Global Warming
Global warming occurs when the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises. As the level of carbon dioxide increases, the temperature of the planet rises.
4. Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidity is increasing due to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean. Ocean acidification makes it difficult for marine life to form shells and skeletons.
5. Agriculture
Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. When we grow food, we release methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 25 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. Methane is produced by cows, sheep, goats, camels, and other farm animals as they digest plants. Farmers can control methane levels by feeding their livestock diets rich in grasses instead of grains.
6. Transportation
Our cars, trucks, and airplanes also emit greenhouse gases. They produce over half of all the carbon dioxide emitted in the United States. Transportation accounts for 11% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
7. Water Use
Most of us don’t give much thought to where our drinking water comes from. The truth is that most public water systems are located in coastal areas. Coastal regions are vulnerable to rising sea levels. As oceans warm, saltwater flows inland. This leads to land subsidence, killing crops, and destroying property.
8. Waste Management
Waste management contributes to climate change. Landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas. Only 10% of waste gets recycled, The rest goes into landfills, where it produces methane.
9. Electricity Generation
Electricity generation is another major contributor to climate change. Coal-fired power plants are a leading source of mercury pollution. Mercury is toxic to humans and wildlife. Coal-powered plants also contribute to acid rain.
Acid rain damages lakes, streams, forests, and farmland.
Coal-generated electricity is expensive.
10. Air Pollution
Air pollution is unhealthy. It kills people. Children breathe air polluted with lead, arsenic, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and fine particulate matter. These Pollutants damage lungs, brain development, and heart health. Smog reduces lung capacity and makes asthma worse.
Ozone destroys vegetation and harms ecosystems.
Benefits of stopping Climate change
Climate change is real. It’s happening right now. And it’s going to affect us all.
But what does climate change really mean? What are its consequences? How do we stop it?
Here are 5 Benefits of arresting climate change now
1. Healthier Air
Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution kills 7 million people every year. That’s 1 out of 8 deaths. Pollution levels are especially bad in developing countries where poor people live close to major roads and power plants.
So, reducing air pollution would save lives and money.
2. Better Food
Food production has an enormous impact on our environment. Agriculture uses 70% of freshwater resources and 30% of land. That means food production takes up a huge amount of space and water. We produce too much food and waste too much food.
Every year, we throw away enough food to fill a garbage truck 250 miles long. This is completely unnecessary.
Today, there’s enough food to feed everyone in the world. But there’s still hunger and malnutrition.
3. Less Polluted Water
Water is life. Most people take clean water for granted. But in many parts of the world, water isn’t clean. In fact, 40 percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water, but 97 percent of it is dirty.
Dirty water is responsible for diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and others.
Over 3 billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water. That’s nearly half of the global population.
4. Fewer Natural Disasters
Natural disasters cause billions of dollars worth of damage to property and crops each year. They kill thousands of people and leave millions without homes and jobs.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and heat waves are all natural disasters caused by climate change. According to scientists, climate change makes extreme weather events worse. When it’s hotter, storms become stronger. When it rains more often, flooding becomes more common.When it‘s drier, wildfires spread faster and farther.
5. More Space for People
The human population continues to grow rapidly. There were 2.7 billion people living on Earth in 1950. Today, there are 6.8 billion people. By 2050, there could be 9 billion people. That’d be a lot of mouths to feed. But it doesn’t need to be this way. With better technology, we can feed everyone. More importantly, we can give everyone a home.
Our planet can support 10 times more people than it currently supports. But we won’t reach this goal unless we reduce emissions. So, let’s start today. Let’s stop climate change.
Let’s create a healthier future for ourselves and generations to come.
Conclusion
Climate change has become a major issue over the last decade. The question now is whether or not we can arrest the damage being done to our planet. We may not be able to stop it completely but we can slow it down till we find something that can even further stop or halt it, and/ or wait for technology to catch up and help save us from climate change. These are simples thing you can do to help in your own little way, let’s all pitch in for a brighter future for our kids.
