Photographer : Lakerae
Climate change is the worldwide gradual temperature increase due to change in the earth’s atmosphere. Recent scientific evidence has shown that humans have contributed to climate change by pumping greenhouse gases into the air with coal electric plants, petrol-guzzling cars, and inefficient energy consumption.
What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are gaseous compounds in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which heat the earth through the “greenhouse effect.” These gases effectively allow heat from the sun to enter earth’s atmosphere, but not to leave.
It is normal to have a certain amount of greenhouse gases, and good—we’d be rather cold without them! However, since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve been burning so much fossil fuel that the levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases are higher than any other point in history.
Do all scientists agree that climate change is caused by human activities?
No, although the scientists who disagree are in a miniscule minority. They propose that climate change is caused by natural processes rather than human influence. So far, only ten climatologists have vocalised this opinion in recent years.
What are the effects of climate change?
We’re already beginning to see some of the effects. The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990, and the stark increase in number of high-powered cyclones and hurricanes—like Larry and Katrina—has been directly attributed to climate change. We can expect to see an even greater number of hard-hitting storms in the near future.
But that’s just the beginning. An increase of just a few degrees could have a wide range of effects, including making the ocean too warm for the Great Barrier Reef to survive, increasing the area that malaria-spreading mosquitoes can live, and destroying agriculture in certain areas.
If we let global warming go unchecked for too long, the effects will be even more catastrophic than that. Melting of polar icecaps will cause the sea level to rise, some say by several meters. This would put major cities like Sydney literally underwater, and small islands such as Vanuatu would disappear completely.
What is being done to combat the problem of climate change?
At the global level, efforts are being made to combat the problem of climate change with the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty calling for a reduction of greenhouse emissions. So far, the only UN countries not to ratify the treaty are Australia and the United States.
Outside of the political arena, a few key figures are working diligently to combat global warming. Major research in sustainable energy takes place in Australia, electric cars are about to make a resurgence in the car market, and documentaries about climate change are popping up in cinemas.
Now action needs to be taken to the personal level. People tend to be reluctant to make any lifestyle change, whether it be changing light globes, using public transport, or asking their energy company if they supply green power. We need to realise that these changes are relatively small—in some cases they’re even beneficial for your wallet—but more importantly, these are crucial changes we need to make for the welfare of the planet.
This issue page was updated by
Trappleton.
