As the years continue to pass it is both seen and, more importantly, felt how the weather is changing. Not in the same manner as the seasons changing but the gradual rise of heat and the cold getting colder. I see this especially where I live, Arizona. This has been the hottest summer we have had in many years, and it predicted to get higher than this. The cause of this all is climate change.
Climate change is a long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns. This is natural due to changes in sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions; however, human activities have been the main driver of climate change since the nineteenth century due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. This causes greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. The main gases that cause it are carbon dioxide and methane that come from using gasoline for cars or coal for heat.
Clearing out land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases. Humans are responsible for virtually all global heating over the last 200 years. The average temperature of Earth’s surface is now 1.1ºC warmer than in the late 1800’s, before the industrial revolution, and warmer than any time in the last 100,000 years.
The last decade was the warmest on record. Each of the last four decades have been warmer than any previous decade since 1850, and temperature rise is only the beginning of the story. Consequences of climate change are intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity. This all affects our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety, and work. Conditions like sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion have advanced to the point where whole communities have had to relocate, and protracted droughts are putting people at risk of famine.
Limiting the rise to no more than 1.5ºC helps avoid the worst climate impacts and maintain a livable climate. Currently it is predicted to rise by 3º by the end of the century. Everyone has to take climate action, but people and countries creating more of the problem have greater responsibility to act first. There are solutions that are known: cutting emissions, adapting to climate impacts and financing required adjustments. This also includes switching energy systems from fossil fuels to renewable fuels, such as solar or wind. This is all for the ability to protect people, homes businesses, livelihoods, infrastructure, and natural ecosystems.
Global Environmental Change 