Climate change is a global threat that threatens all living things and everything we value, such as water, energy, food forests wildlife and ecosystems. Climate change contributes to higher temperatures, sea level rise drought flooding as well as other consequences such as increased storm activity.
Many people mistake climate change and global warming to be one-in-the-same; these two terms do not correspond. While climate change refers to long-term trends of weather conditions, global warming refers to an increase in Earth’s temperature due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Definition
Climate Change refers to an increase in Earth’s average temperature caused by humans, affecting everything we use from energy and water resources to snowmelt, rising sea levels and altered weather patterns. Understanding climate change will enable us to make wiser choices that protect both the environment and ourselves in the future.
Climate is defined as the average weather conditions present at any given time in a given place, such as temperatures, rainfall patterns and wind patterns. While local conditions may differ greatly during a given year’s worth of observations, both places usually experience similar climate conditions over a longer timescale.
Over history, Earth’s climate has always changed at an ever-slower pace compared to how fast it’s changing now. Natural climate shifts often take thousands or millions of years; in contrast, in the last 100 years alone its temperature has been steadily increasing primarily due to human activities – like burning fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal that release greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun and warm our planet.
Other contributors to global warming include deforestation and pollution. Air pollution generated from burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air, making breathing harder for people while increasing allergenic pollutants such as mold spores and pollen levels.
Climate change is impacting all living things on Earth, prompting plants and animals to relocate to cooler climates or higher altitudes, which disrupts their ecosystems and altering habitats in ways that force certain species into new forms of existence or cause others to adapt or die out altogether. To protect our planet from these adverse changes it’s vital that we use less energy and water, recycle, plant trees and protect wildlife while decreasing fossil fuel consumption – which we should also do!
Causes
Climate change is caused by humans releasing heat-trapping pollution into Earth’s atmosphere, warming it significantly and prompting it to warm further. This is predominantly driven by human activities like burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for energy production and transportation purposes; deforestation, agriculture and land-use changes all add pollution gases known as greenhouse gases into the air that trap heat rather than allow it to escape back into space; other factors may also impact Earth temperature, including ocean currents, natural disasters or volcanic eruptions.
Warming of the planet isn’t happening evenly across its surface, leaving certain people more susceptible to its effects than others. Poorer countries and communities without access to affordable energy will likely feel its brunt first – often as those least responsible for contributing to its causes have difficulty adapting if climate change occurs in their lives.
A warmer climate typically results in higher temperatures, more heat waves, fewer cold days and increased rainfall or snowfall. These changes may have direct impacts on health such as increased cases of infectious mosquito-borne disease transmission or crop failures that reduce marine fish populations – all having negative implications on food security and income security.
Changes to climate include longer growing seasons for some plants and expanding ranges for animals such as lionfish and ticks; other changes include longer winter seasons for these invasive species. While some living organisms can adapt to these changes, others will struggle or have to relocate due to climate change.
Climate change has already had devastating impacts on some parts of the globe, and these risks will only increase with global warming. Low-income and disadvantaged communities are at greater risk from flooding and extreme heat waves which threaten their health and well-being due to various factors including their sensitivity to heat exposure levels and how quickly they adapt.
Impacts
Climate change impacts can already be felt around the globe, not only by increases in temperatures but also changes in rainfall patterns, sea level rise, habitat loss and shifting weather events such as drought and floods. All these effects can have direct repercussions for human health as well as natural ecosystems; even changes in one area affect changes elsewhere.
Human activities have contributed significantly to accelerating Earth’s warming over the last two millennia. Greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane from burning fossil fuels for energy production, transportation and building – not forgetting land clearing and agriculture which also release large amounts of these emissions – are responsible for this rapid warming trend. They prevent heat escaping into space which causes an unhealthy greenhouse effect which warms our planet further.
Since 1901, global temperatures have already seen an increase of 1.98degF – and hot days now occur more frequently than before. As greenhouse gas production continues, temperatures will only continue their upward trajectory.
Temperature increases are leading to melting glaciers and ice sheets around the world, expanding ocean waters, raising sea levels and endangering coastal communities and infrastructure in every country bordered by ocean waters.
Heatwave temperatures also lead to longer wildfire seasons and increased ozone smog levels, both of which are harmful for human health and can particularly impact elderly, infant populations and those with existing respiratory or heart conditions. More frequent heat waves also increase injury risks from dehydration, heatstroke and cardiovascular disease – all potentially life-threatening events for all populations involved.
Climate change has the largest impact in low-income countries that are least responsible for its creation. When climate change renders areas inhospitable to their inhabitants, people will move away, further exacerbating existing socioeconomic disparities and potentially sparking conflicts over resources and land ownership.
Climate change is increasing outbreaks of pests and pathogens that threaten forests and savannahs as well as their biodiversity, making adaptation more challenging, potentially leading to their collapse.
Adaptation
Adaptation refers to the process of responding to and adapting to climate change by mitigating risks and capitalizing on opportunities that come with climate change. Adaptation takes many forms; from building sea walls along coastlines against rising sea levels to cultivating drought-resistant crops. Shifting behavior such as using less energy or purchasing flood insurance policies may also help. The ability to adapt to climate change is known as “adaptive capacity”, and countries with a high adaptive capacity have greater capabilities to deal with climate changes while taking advantage of them. Economic prosperity, strong institutions and healthy populations all help contribute to Australia’s success; however, the IPCC has found that even highly capable nations such as Australia are vulnerable to climate change and must continue working on adaptation efforts.
Steps towards adaptation require an in-depth knowledge of what is at risk and its potential effects, balancing multiple values, considering both future (which will change with climate change) and present risks; appreciating interdependencies among species, land uses and water resources at local, national, regional and international scales – this approach to climate adaptation is known as whole system management.
Climate change impacts will vary significantly across regions and people alike, leaving some more vulnerable than others vulnerable. That is why the Paris Agreement seeks to make adaptation a fair and equitable process and support actions which reduce vulnerability and build resilience among vulnerable nations such as those underdeveloped or with limited capacity for adaptation.
As global warming advances, adaptation strategies must be supplemented by measures to decrease greenhouse gas emissions; otherwise the warming trend will only accelerate and diminish their effectiveness.
Es is imperative that ambition for adaptation increases, including through co-benefits that provide additional advantages like improving air quality or expanding carbon sinks. Furthermore, Africa and Asia, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, must receive special consideration in their accelerated adaptation efforts.
