Climate Change is A Matter Of Worry

Climate change is a critical issue in this day and age. We have struck a crucial hour in determining our planet's future. Basically, the climate is how much, on an average, a type of weather will occur over a longer period of time, which differs from the term ‘weather’ which refers to short-term atmospheric conditions, such as snow or rain, occurring in a place at a particular moment in time. Dr. Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute, explains climate change refers to how the attributes of the weather we experience in a certain place change. Sometimes, it can get a very high temperature or a very low temperature on average, or sometimes there is more concentrated rain in a short period, but eventually, get longer dry periods. All of that can be the consequence of climate change.

The term ‘Global warming’ is often used interchangeably with climate change. However, the latter term is referred owing to the constantly heating atmosphere and oceans which are merely some of the impacts we see. In like manner, it is not just about temperature. The places are also becoming scorchingly hot or extremely cold and in some places, the seasons are changing unusually. One of the major drivers of climate change is the emanation of greenhouse gases, most substantially methane and carbon dioxide. The greenhouse gases are primarily released when fossil fuels are combusted. In addition to that, the production of cement and other industrial processes, such as the production and usage of fertilizers, as well as meat and dairy production, also give vent to greenhouse gases, which further trap heat in our atmosphere.

Noticeably, all kinds of major climate changes, counting natural ones as well, are troublesome too. All the climate changes that occurred in the past paved its way to the extinction of many species, migration of population, and evident variations in the land surface and ocean dissemination. Even though climate change in the current times is much faster in its pace in comparison to most of the past events, thereby making it more complicated for human communities and the natural world to adapt. As per the recent estimates, there is an elevation in global average temperature since the end of the last ice age is 4 to 5 °C or 7 to 9 °F. That transition took place, originating 18,000 years ago, over a period of about 7,000 years. The level of carbon dioxide has soared more than 40% in just the past 200 years, a major part of which was since the 1970s, chipping into the human variation of the planet’s energy budget that has so far heated up Earth by approximately 1 °C (1.8 °F).

Moreover, if we continue to turn a blind eye to the elevation in carbon dioxide in the environment, heating of the exact intensity as the escalation out of the ice age can be estimated by the end of this century or after a while. The pace at which the planet earth is warming up is more than ten times that at the completion of an ice age, which is, notably, the fastest known natural sustained change on a global scale. Belief and direct observation, one or the other, have reiterated that global warming is associated with larger heating over land in comparison to oceans, humidifying of the atmosphere, alterations in local precipitation patterns, altitudes in extreme weather events, acidification of the ocean, thawing glaciers, and increasing sea levels, that further soars the risk of coastal alluvion and storm surge.

By this time already, the intensely extreme temperatures are by and large considerably surpassing extremely depleted temperatures, the dry places are turning drier as the moist places are turning more moistening, ponderous rainstorms have become bulkier, and snowpacks, which is an essential source of fresh water for several regions are declining. These consequences are estimated to rise with increasing heating up of surroundings and is expected to jeopardize freshwater supplies, food production, offshore infrastructure, and particularly the well-being of the huge community currently living in low-lying areas.

Despite the fact that certain regions may fulfill some regional benefit from the heating up, apparently, the long-lasting implications entirely will be turbulent. Over the past few decades only, these surging temperatures have exacerbated drastic weather occurrences, fragments of ice in the Antarctic have cracked apart, wildfire seasons long for months, coral reefs have been washed-out of their colors, and mosquitoes are developing extensively, that is able to spread harmful diseases.

We are privileged to live on a delightful, disparate, nourishing, and awe-inspiring planet. Our successors, and all our future generations, are worthy of the same. Several millions of people are working together for our planet. Various events and campaigns for spreading awareness and getting together for saving our planet are a magnificent prompt that together, mankind have the potential of great things, and we all can make change happen for the right reasons.