At the end of June 2021, a heat wave swept the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The wildfire caused by the heat wave spread at an extremely fast speed. Due to the heat wave, the temperature in British Columbia rose to 121 degrees–the highest record temperature in Canada. As a result, hundreds of people died and the town of Lytton was swallowed up by the fire (Ramirez). The occurrence of heat wave is unexpected:“scientists say the heat wave would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without human-caused climate change” (Ramirez). The impact of climate changeis becoming larger and more extreme. People are often exposed to some information about climate change, or at least have heard about climate change. But people do not realize how much their actions affect the climate. Fortunately, some progress had been made. Some plans for SDG13, Climate Action, are being promoted to all. To solve the problem of climate change and involve everyone in this action, people need to recognize how humans are affecting climate change and fundamentally solve the problem of it; however, it is more important to first understand what climate change is, its causes, and impacts.
Climate Is Different From Weather
Most of the time, people often confuse the weather with the climate, unaware that there is an essential difference between the two. To better understand what can be done, people need to know what climate is and distinguish it from the weather. What everyone sees and feels outside every day and can change in a short time is the weather. Climate is the usual weather of a particular place, usually, it takes hundreds or millions of years to change (May). However, there is also a term called Earth’s climate. Earth’s climate is the combination of all the climates around the planet: “Earth’s climate is always changing…these times can last thousands or millions of years” (May). Weather, climate, and Earth’s climate are all different, having a better understanding of climate will help to understand all other aspects of climate change later.
The Causes of Climate Change
Every person might know some causes of climate, but the main concept is about the level of greenhouse gases. Due to its function, greenhouse gases determine the change of the climate. The planet is warming up due to the increase of greenhouse gases level, which trap the Earth’s outgoing heat: “This heat trapping causes changes in the radiative balance of the Earth…that alter climate and weather patterns at global and regional scales” (EPA). Thus, greenhouse gases became the number one important cause of climate change. That being so, where do these greenhouse gases that have such a great impact come from? It is divided into two kinds: natural greenhouse gases and anthropogenic greenhouse gases. The former exists a long time ago, like water vapor, and the latter is the synthetic chemicals that occur naturally. But due to human inputs, it has reached the current high level (EPA). Now, human influence on the climate is becoming greater and greater. Led the impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gases has been far greater than that of natural greenhouse gases. Most of the greenhouse gases that exist today are created by us. In addition, only a few people realize that their daily behavior is affecting the climate. Moreover, according to most scientists, humans can affect Earth’s climate: “One way we get energy is by burning coal, oil and gas. Burning these things puts gases into the air…cause the air to heat up” (May). In the meantime, carbon dioxide is one of the major types of greenhouse gases. It plays an important role in climate change, and many different events will release CO2 into the atmosphere. By only burning fossil fuels, 62% of CO2 is released and built on the natural greenhouse gases, which means it causes more than half of the climate change. However, CO2 is produced not only by burning fossil fuels produce, but also by chemistry and deforestation. (Foley). Greenhouse gases include other gases too. Same as carbon dioxide, they have been released into the atmosphere too. Another two major types of greenhouse gases that trap more heat than CO2 does is Methane and Nitrous oxide. It is primarily produced by agriculture and industry (Foley). Greenhouse gases are closely related to climatechange. Every move people make today may affect climate change.
Impacts and Threats of Climate Change
People were always talking about climate change. Why? For the most important reason that its impacts are too dangerous, everyone wants to avoid the worst. Climate change over a long period, nevertheless, the impact of these changes cannot be underestimated. Since the 19th century, extreme disasters have become increasingly common, such as deteriorating floods, droughts, wildfires, and ecosystem collapse. These are caused by an average temperature rise of 1.1 degrees Celsius (Plumer). 1.1 does not seem like a big number, but it can cause an enormous change on our planet. Extreme disasters are just like a signal of natural; however, the message they send was about asking for help. As everyone knows, the global temperature has increased about 1 degree Celsius so far: “If we keep going another 2, 3, or 4 degrees, that could be a world we could not recognize” (Foley). Temperature, weather, and climate are parts of the world. People have an intimate relationship with them. Although everyone is influencing them, they are also influencing the Earth and every person. Our water, food, air, health, security, and economy, all the things people care about are affected by the weather and climate (Foley). With the development of science and technology, people began to produce more and more anthropogenic greenhouse gases, even reaching an unprecedented level in the past hundreds of thousands of years. This is growing at an alarming rate: “While carbon dioxide…has been accumulating in the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate as a byproduct of the burning of fossil fuels by automobiles, power plants, and factories. Concentrations of the heat-trapping gas are 40 percent higher than in pre-industrial times” (Warrick). People kept adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere until it had bad consequences. Then, people began to pay attention to its impacts. Nonetheless, it is impossible to stop adding directly, but everyone should also attach importance to it. Based on the report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the author explains, “Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts” (Warrick). To save the world and save every person, people should take climate change seriously and try to minimize its impacts. Now, it is time to take the next step.
Solutions to Climate Change
Many different solutions to climate change were established by different people; however, all the solutions revolved around preventing the increase of greenhouse gases level to solve climate change. Imagine that the causes are “sources”, and the things that reduce sources are “sinks”. The way they work is very easy to understand: “Sources add to the stock, sink remove the stock” (Foley). To use this concept, scientist finds a way to solve the problem of stopping the increase of greenhouse gases level, which help stop climate change. If the sinks are bigger than the sources, the greenhouse gases level will go back down (Foley).
Thus, the first step is to reduce the sources. There are about six major sources of greenhouse gases: electricity production, agriculture, industry, transportation, buildings, and other emissions (Foley). To achieve the goal of “sinks bigger than sources”, people can reduce the sources and bring emissions to zero by stopping pollution. To limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the task is intimidating: “But the task……require nations to collectively reduce their planet-warming emissions roughly 43% by 2030 and to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere altogether by the early 2050s” (Plumer). Although CH4—also known as methane—and Nitrous oxide are other two major types of greenhouse gases, the difference between them affects the plan to reduce planet-warming emissions. However, due to the difference in lifetime and strength between different greenhouse gases, like CO2 and CH4, people need to think about which gas they want to focus on the most. And this depends on what period of climate change people are most concerned about (Foley). According to the goal said earlier and the fact mentioned above, CO2 is the main target for people to reduce emissions in a short time to improve climate change. As time goes by, some actions are being taken. People can solve the problem by changing to clean energy. The energy industry was one of the main causes of climate change. To solve that, Aaron Gregg explains, “Investors, regulators, and activists for years have been pressing the energy industry……to transition toward cleaner fuels.” In recent years, every person should have heard about clean energy a lot. Of course, this move is being gradually promoted. Plans begin to be realized. The problem of climate change can be solved by the actions taken by the energy industry. Many companies have started plans toward the goal of a net-zero carbon dioxide target: “ A database compiled by the investment bank Raymond James counts 19 oil companies that have already committed to bringing their operations to net-zero by 2050” (Gregg). The idea of replacing fossil energy with clean energy is feasible, which can not only reduce pollution but also bring more benefits. In the article “Scientific Advances Give Me Hope for Climate”, the author’s point of view gives people a clearer idea about clean energy: “It is now cheaper to pay off a wind or solar farm in much of the world than to buy coal to put in an existing power station. Published studies show that the world could eliminate fossil fuels entirely by 2050, while creating millions of new jobs, saving millions of lives by reduced air pollution, and maintaining production with reduced total energy because electricity is more efficient” (Liley). These actions are taken to address climate change from the perspective of preventing the increase of greenhouse gas levels by reducing sources. In addition, sometimes changing the point of view and looking from a different perspective may also help solve the problem.
While reducing the sources to decrease the entry of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, support sinks is another good solution to address climate change. If there are sources, there must be sinks. Natural sinks help humans to address sources, but at the same time, it is hurt by these sources and makes a great sacrifice. Rising ocean temperatures, melting glaciers and rising sea levels are all due to the ocean absorbing most of the excess greenhouse gases, thereby reducing the impact of greenhouse gases (Warrick). While people are reducing the sources, people can also support the sinks. Natural sinks, as the name suggests, it is the way for nature to decrease greenhouse gases level. Bring down the pressure on sinks can make it work better, consequently, the author explained that “Supporting natural carbon cycle… look on land and oceans about what controls their ability to take up carbon, and how can humans support that, and maybe even augment it, making it stronger in the future” (Foley). However, so far, there is no detailed plan in this regard. People’s primary goal is to reduce carbon emissions, but in the future, humans are likely to turn this part into a part of the Climate Action.
Join Climate Action
By understanding climate change, its causes, and its impacts, humans have taken a big step toward how to address climate change. Reducing the sources—taking carbon emissions to zero—and supporting the sink are the best ways forward to solve climate change. Each person is one of the causes of climate change; hence, to help our planet for a brighter future, join in the climate action will be the best. Everyone can participate in climate action just by only a small contribution is well enough. Maybe one day, people can avoid frequent extreme weather events and save more lives. At least, each one will live up to the hundreds of people who left the world forever in that heat wave.
Works Cited
Foley, Jonathan, editor. “Climate Solutions 101. Unit 2: Stopping Climate Change.” drawdown.org, www.drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101/unit-2-how-to-stop-climate-change. Accessed 11 May 2022.
Gregg, Aaron. “ExxonMobil Commits to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050.” Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2022. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2621076550?accountid=4047.
Liley, Ben. “Scientific Advances Give Me Hope for Climate.” Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand), 10 Jan. 2022, p. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2626089972?accountid=4047.
May, Sandra, editor. “What Is Climate Change?” nasa.gov, 7 Aug. 2017, www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-change-k4.html. Accessed 11 May 2022.
Plumer, Brad, and Raymond Zhong. “Stopping Climate Change Is Doable, but Time Is Short, U.N. Panel Warns.” New York Times, 4 Apr. 2022. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2647787870?accountid=4047.
Ramirez, Rachel, et al. “From floods and wildfires to inaction and urgency: These are the top climate and weather stories of 2021.” CNN, 22 Dec. 2021, edition.cnn.com/2021/12/22/us/top-climate-weather-stories-of-2021/index.html. Accessed 31 May 2022.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Greenhouse Gases.” EPA.gov, www.epa.gov/report-environment/greenhouse-gases. Accessed 26 May 2022.
Warrick, Joby, and Chris Mooney. “Effects of Climate Change ‘Irreversible,’ Panel Says.” Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2014. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2266166265?accountid=4047.