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Human causes of rapid climate change, Screenshot_2020-12-20-17-34-09-1,…
Human causes of rapid climate change
Emission of greenhouse gases
Climate change caused by humans occurs because of high levels of greenhouse gases being released into the environment from factories, cars, coal-fired power stations, and other industrial activities.
The most common of these gases are carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH2) and nitrous oxide ( N2O).
While the presence of a certain amount of greenhouse gases is required to keep the temperature of the Earth warm enough for the survival of humans and other species, the process of industrialization is releasing too much of them into the atmosphere, causing climate change that threatens to alter ecosystems on Earth forever.
Global warming and its affects
Along with the term climate change, global warming describes an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans.
Although there is some debate among scientists about climate change, over 200 scientific organizations worldwide agree that the planet is warming more quickly than it has for thousands of years and that this warming is due to human activities.
Data collected between 1880 and 2012 show the average temperature of the Earth has risen between 0.65°C and 1.6°C. Over the same period, oceans have become warmer and amounts of polar snow and ice have decreased. Some scientists have predicted that average global temperatures could increase between 1.4 and 5.8°C by the year 2100.
Increased temperatures
Earth has become progressively warmer over the last three decades and climate experts see the end as accelerating. Records show that the ten warmest years since weather record keeping began in 1880, have all occurred since 2000, except for 1998. The year 2015/2016 has been the warmest on record. A warmer Earth means changes to regional climates, which in turn affects the animals and plants living in these areas and can lead to species loss and the breakdown of ecosystems. Hotter weather leads to water shortages and more human deaths from heat-related causes and new illnesses,
Extreme weather
The weather has become less predictable and will become even more extreme. As well as creating severe heat waves, forest fires, and more frequent droughts, there will be heavier rainfall, more powerful hurricanes and the continued melting of glaciers and polar ice.
Rising sea levels
Melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms have led to global sea levels rising by about 20 centimetes since 1880. They are projected to rise another metre by 2100. Since 2002, about 134 billion tonnes of ice from Antarctica has melted into the sea each year. In the next decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise to increase flooding in many regions. Sea levels will continue to rise in 2100 because the oceans take a long time to warm up and to cool down. This means that, even if greenhouse gases decrease ocean waters will continue to stay warm and sea levels will continue to rise for many centuries at similar or higher rates than in this century
Deforestation
Deforestation is the destruction of forests through the cutting down of trees to make the land available for other uses, such as agriculture or human habitation. Forests are also cut down to provide fodder for animals.
Deforestation can lead to landslides, floods, and droughts. If deforestation accurs on sloping land, the soil becomes destabilized due to me uprooting of trees, and when heavy rain falls it can lead to landslides.
Normally, the rate of runoff rainwater is slowed down by forests because rainfall lands on leaves, then trickles down to the ground where it is absorbed by the soil acting like a sponge. However, in places where trees have been cut down, the runoff rate of rainfall is high. The flow of the rainwater is so rapid that it overflows the banks of the rivers and hence causes foods.
Deforestation can lead to droughts through the removal of moisture from the forest. Forests naturally store moisture hat evaporates and forms clouds. These clouds then provide rainfall. Without the trees there is no moisture. The trees also provide shade, which allows moisture to remain longer in the atmosphere, so by removing trees, moisture is also removed from the atmosphere, which leads to drier weather conditions. As a result, droughts occur and it is harder to grow crops.
Overgrazing
When animals eat all the grass and other pasture plants over a long period of time it is called overgrazing.
When there is no vegetation left on the land, the wind erodes the top soil which makes the land unfertile. Consequently, green pastures turn into deserts.
Infact, large areas in the Qinhai province of China have become deserts due to overgrazing.
Sustainable development
Activities related to economic and social development are primarily responsible for triggering climate change. Environmentalists have proposed that for such developmental projects countries should find ways to preserve the resources of the Earth for future generations. This approach to development is known as sustainable development.
It requires a commitment to limit the use of non renewable resources and use alternative resources that may not necessarily be the cheapest or the most readily available, but this will protect the Earth. For example, coal is a cheap energy source, but the burning of coal releases an enormous amount of harmful greenhouse gases. Alternative renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, can be more expensive than coal but are not harmful to the environment to the same extent.
The most important natural resource that needs to be preserved is clean drinking water. According to the United Nations, more than 1.7 billion people live in areas where water is being used faster than it is being replaced. If this continues, two thirds of the world's population will be living with not enough water within a decade.
Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability goals address the global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
