Global Warming/Climate Change and Solutions

Global warming. Climate change. They’re longterm problems that have been going on for decades from humans polluting the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Only now, we are starting to see some of the devastating results. Hurricanes and tropical storms rage stronger, drought increases in drier places, causing wildfires, heat waves occur, monsoons and floods become more imminent in wetter climates and glaciers melt, raising sea levels worldwide. However, as we wait longer, it will only get worse and cause more irreversible damage. So, it is critical that we all come together to take action now to turn this thing around and make the best of the world to come.

Since the industrial revolution, humans have been polluting the atmosphere for decades. Fossil fuel emissions have slowly been warming the earth. Just 50 years ago in 1968, one of the first reports was issued by Stanford researchers to the American Petroleum Industry to raise awareness of global warming caused by emissions. “Stanford’s researchers warned if left unabated “could bring about climatic changes” like temperature increases, melting of ice caps and sea level rise,” (theguardian.com). Now, these warnings have become a reality. 

In result of global warming, ice caps have started to melt, causing sea level rises. This has increased flooding in coastal regions and has caused many animals in the Arctic and the Antarctic to lose their habitats. The global temperature has also risen by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit, which has caused the weather to intensify. In coastal regions, hurricanes have become more powerful than ever, droughts and wildfires have increased in drier areas and heat waves are becoming more common. Climate change has also directly affected us humans by increasing health issues, spreading insect-borne-diseases and sicknesses, and taking a toll on the economy due to damaged property and infrastructure. Changing climate has taken a toll on the environment and caused more animal and plant species to be at risk than nearly ever before. It has destroyed many animal and plant habitats, forcing them to migrate and try and adapt, which has led to decreased biodiversity and has disrupted their behaviors and their lives. Global food and resource shortages are also increasing because of crops and plants dying to climate change. This will increase hunger (especially since the earth is becoming more overpopulated than ever), which will, in turn, lead to fighting over food and cause wars. According to a report of studies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if we continue polluting at this rate, the global average temperature will have risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2040. At this point, the effects of climate change will be almost impossible to turn around.

Some people don’t believe climate change, saying that the earth’s climate goes through natural cycles and that humans cannot change them. The first argument is somewhat true in that there are natural changes in climate over time and the earth has been much colder and hotter than now. However, based on what scientists have observed, there is a clear correlation between fossil fuel emissions and climate change. The evidence definitely shows that humans have influenced climate change by polluting with fossil fuels. Plus, now that the results are now starting to be seen, ignoring climate change is a dangerous thing to do.

All that said, we can solve this problem. It all starts with action. On a small scale, we all have to put forth an effort to reduce our energy usage in our homes as well as other places we go to. We should only be using as much energy as we need to use so that we don’t waste it. At home, this can be accomplished by buying energy efficient appliances and products, taking shorter showers, turning off faucets, lights, and screens when we don’t need them, turning off the heat or air conditioning when unnecessary, better insulating the house to avoid heat loss, etc. Energy audits are a great way to get started by knowing exactly which appliances might need to be changed or where your house might need to be better insulated to save energy. When going to places, biking, walking and using other clean forms of transportation as much as we can effectively reduces our emissions. If driving is inevitable, we can at least carpool, or take public transportation instead of driving our cars individually to minimize our carbon footprint. Reducing energy usage is a very easy fix which saves the environment and slows down climate change. It also saves lots of money and helps you become more aware of ways that you can make smarter decisions and be a better individual.

On a large scale, the public needs to be aware of what is happening in order to cause change. As individuals, we need to speak up and educate others about what is happening so that everyone can be on the same page. Then, it is absolutely crucial that we vote for leaders in the government that have a clear plan of stopping climate change and will implement it as soon as possible. After that, we need to set up policies and restrictions to limit large industries and business from polluting. 

Once we are on the right track, we can start switching to renewable energy. In doing so, we will be able to generate electricity in a cleaner, more environmentally friendly way without polluting. On top of that, unlike fossil fuels, it will never run out. Some say that switching to renewable energy and shutting down industries that produce greenhouse gases will lose jobs and ruin the economy. But jobs won’t be ruined if the people working in those industries just switch to renewable energy jobs instead. In fact, jobs will be created. According to citizensclimatelobby.org, “In 2016, there were over three million jobs in non-fossil energy and energy efficiency, compared to only about one million in fossil energy.” There are many types of renewable energy sources we could use, including solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, hydropower, and geothermal energy. There are also many technologies to reverse global warming and do things such as capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it to prevent it from reaching the atmosphere. And as technology advances, there will be more solutions to implement. Among one of the easiest ways for individuals to switch includes installing solar panels on roofs to generate electricity for the home without releasing emissions by burning fossil fuels. There are also fully electric cars that are charged with electricity and don’t run off fuel. This allows you to get around with polluting. On a larger scale, solar farms, wind turbines, nuclear plants, and hydropower plants among other larger renewable energy installations can be built to produce energy which can be transferred to the power grid. This will allow cities and large communities to access clean energy as a whole. And eventually, once more research is done and the cost is lowered, everyone will be able to produce clean energy more efficiently and buy renewable energy technologies of all sorts to power their lives.

In conclusion, global warming and climate change are not problems that we can solve alone. It is important that we can unite forces to globally combat climate change. If we all rely on someone else solving the problem, nobody will do it. Regardless of our background, religion, social and economic status, or political beliefs we all need to take responsibility and contribute if we want to cause change.

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