At some point in their childhoods, almost every child will encounter climate change hazards like air pollution, cyclones, disease and heatwaves; those in poverty tend to bear the brunt. Such threats threaten vital services like clean water supply, nutritious meals and secure shelter that are integral components of child wellbeing.
Humans are contributing to global temperatures rising by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas which emit greenhouse gases that trap solar heat within Earth’s atmosphere and cause it to build up over time.
What is climate change?
Climate change occurs when Earth’s natural processes shift, altering everything we depend on – from global temperatures rising to weather patterns shifting and sea level rise. Climate change is caused by humans adding heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere via activities like burning fossil fuels for factories, cars and airplanes, clearing forests or using agricultural land for growing crops.
Gases blanket the Earth like a greenhouse, trapping solar radiation and warming it further. Some of these emissions come from forests and wetlands burning or when coal, oil and gas are burned for electricity production; others include methane, nitrous oxide, CFCs and HFCs – chemicals used in refrigeration or aerosol sprays – along with CFCs/HFCs used in refrigeration or aerosol sprays used throughout refrigerators or aerosol cans used in refrigerators – CFCs/HFCs have increased temperatures worldwide by over one degree Celsius since 1900 due to these emissions.
Warming due to increased greenhouse gases has had wide-reaching climate-related repercussions, including warming air and ocean temperatures; melting of Arctic, sea, and mountain glacier ice; changing rain patterns; and changes to wind, snowfall, and cloud cover.
These climate change impacts are expected to worsen unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly. According to experts, keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius or even less is the optimal way to mitigate climate change impacts.
Climate change affects people worldwide, from those displaced by storms and floods to farmers whose crops fail due to changing weather patterns. Because the global climate is interdependent, impacts in one part can have far-reaching repercussions for everyone – for instance when food prices spike due to crop failures caused by drought. It is for this reason that climate change needs to be tackled collaboratively – hundreds of countries signed on to the Paris Agreement which pledges to limit future climate change while strengthening energy security.
Why is climate change happening?
Scientists overwhelmingly acknowledge that human activities are driving climate change and already causing negative consequences worldwide. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas emits vast quantities of greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide (CO2). This heat trapping effect traps solar heat on Earth to raise temperatures around 1 degree Celsius worldwide since 1904.
These warming trends will only worsen without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and it would be wise to limit temperature rise to 1.5C to reduce most of its harmful impacts and avoid passing so-called “tipping points”, where changes accelerate beyond what would normally be deemed safe.
Climate change presents many risks for all species and humans alike, from rising temperatures and extreme weather events that disrupt habitats to altered food sources and migration routes, all the way through to changing ecosystems that support life on this planet.
Climate change poses serious health and economic threats for humans. Rising temperatures increase the incidence of heat-related illnesses like heart and lung disease; air pollution caused by wildfires or climate change-related pollutants exacerbates respiratory ailments like asthma or hay fever; rising sea levels threaten coastline communities with flooding and erosion; more intense storms may damage critical infrastructure resulting in population displacement;
Climate change impacts every community differently; those with more resources may be better able to shield themselves from certain impacts and adapt accordingly, while climate crises disproportionately afflict low-income and marginalized people worldwide.
Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities. While wealthy nations have historically produced most greenhouse gas emissions, they’re also at least partly responsible for its costs and effects – especially as our planet warms, especially those living in low-income or Indigenous communities, or those relying on natural resources like fisheries or forests that are being degraded by global warming events. As our planet heats, those most at risk will bear its consequences the hardest – including those dependent on these natural resources like fisheries or forests which are being degraded due to global warming events.
What are the impacts of climate change?
Climate change is already having a global impact, negatively affecting human health and well-being. As temperatures increase and temperatures reach dangerous “tipping points”, which define how much warming Earth can take without suffering negative repercussions like biodiversity loss, water shortages or rising sea levels.
Globally, climate change has already had devastating consequences, decreasing food production and fueling hunger and malnutrition. Furthermore, freshwater availability is falling drastically, increasing water-borne disease risks, as well as damaging homes, roads and infrastructure with floods and storms.
Climate change is making accessing healthcare services increasingly challenging. Over 930 million people – roughly 12 percent of the global population – currently spend at least 10 percent of their household income on healthcare costs, yet climate change threatens efforts towards universal coverage. Climate shocks due to heatwaves, droughts, floods or wildfires exacerbate existing barriers and make life even harder for some communities, leading to poverty or increasing health disparities between and within populations.
People living in poor nations that have contributed less to climate change are particularly susceptible to its impacts, as they lack resources necessary to respond and adapt. Their livelihoods also rely more heavily on an intact natural environment as many work in agriculture or other ecosystem-based economies.
Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities by compounding existing disparities and disproportionalities, especially between low-income communities and communities of color. Droughts and flooding may wreak havoc with food supplies and access to medical services; droughts increase mortality rates, restrict crop yields and lead to decreased human productivity – leading directly to more disparate treatment of vulnerable groups such as vulnerable communities of color.
Good news is that we possess both the technology and expertise to dramatically lower carbon emissions and stop climate change. While achieving this will take international cooperation and transformational actions, it is doable and necessary if we want to avoid climate change’s worst impacts and protect natural systems for generations to come. It is time for real, immediate, transformative action!
What can we do to make a difference?
Over 97% of scientists agree that human activities are responsible for climate change – burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas as well as cutting down forests (which play an integral part in maintaining global carbon management systems) to produce greenhouse gases such as CO2. Such greenhouse gases trap solar heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming by trapping heat in its orbital path before dispersion back onto Earth; furthermore they cause glaciers and ice sheets to melt, sea level rise, and changes to rainfall patterns.
Climate change impacts us all; its impacts include more frequent and intense heat waves, reduced availability of fresh water and food supplies, biodiversity loss acceleration and conflict over land resources that drives mass migration as well as international peace and security threats.
The global community has reached consensus that warming should not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, otherwise its consequences – such as heatwaves, flooding, drought, water shortages, wildfires, species extinction and crop failures – become harder to manage.
Countries must act immediately to halt climate change’s harmful impacts, by ramping up efforts to cut emissions by setting more aggressive reduction targets and investing more heavily in renewable energy sources. They should also support developing countries in doing the same by sharing knowledge, expertise and financial assistance.
Human health is also vulnerable. Climate change endangers essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and adequate shelter – and makes disease more prevalent. Malnutrition, diarrhoea and malaria become even more pervasive due to climate change; decades of progress made towards public health initiatives are at stake due to this threat.
Reversal of current trends is imperative, with countries making an immediate commitment to shift away from fossil fuels and stop wasting precious time. It is both morally and economically imperative to act now – failing to do so, future generations may pay an even higher price than anticipated.
