Climate Change

Weather? Climate?

Right from the start, let’s go through the difference between weather and climate,

Weather: weather is a short term phenomenon, describing atmosphere, ocean and land conditions hourly or daily. Weather is not constant. It is dynamic and always changing.

Climate: changes in the long term averages of daily weather defines climate of the region. Climate is generally defined as average weather.

As we all know climate change causes many issues on our environment these days. And it reflects very seriously as well.

What is meant by Climate Change?

As per the United Nations, Climate Change is the defining problem of our time and we are at a defining moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more complex and expensive. 

Causes of climate change

Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rain-forests and farming livestock. This includes enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Greenhouse gases - Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space. Many of these gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, e.g.:- carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases, etc.

Global warming - The current global average temperature is 0.85ºC higher than it was in the late 19th century. Each of the past three decades has been warmer than any preceding decade since records began in 1850.

Burning coal, oil and gas - Produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

Increasing livestock farming - Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.

Fertilizers containing nitrogen - Produce nitrous oxide emissions.

Fluorinated gases - Produce a very strong warming effect.

How does climate change effects the planet?

      1. More heat alters ice, weather and oceans.

• The frozen water on the earth is melting

 A warmer atmosphere causes the planet's snow-pack, glaciers and sea and freshwater ice to melt rapidly. Melting glaciers and polar ice sheets contribute to unprecedented sea level rise. 

• Weather is getting more extreme.

Heat waves are more frequent worldwide. The increased evaporation of water is like fuel for storms, exacerbating extreme weather events, such as hurricanes. Rising sea levels make storm surges capable of much greater damage. In more naturally arid areas, droughts and wildfires are intensifying. 

• Oceans are getting hotter, expanding and becoming more acidic.

They are getting hotter because they absorb 90 percent of the extra heat in the climate. Nearly a third of carbon dioxide emissions end up in the oceans, triggering a chemical change that makes the water more acidic, dissolving the shells of sea creatures. The ocean is almost 40 percent more acidic than it used to be. 

      2. Human life and prosperity suffer.

• Climate change is a major threat to agriculture.

Where, how and when we grow food is vitally connected to our climate's normal patterns. Worldwide, farmers are struggling to keep up with shifting weather patterns and increasingly unpredictable water supplies. Farms are more likely to face attacks from weeds, diseases and pests, which affect yield. Extreme events also threaten crop yields, such as through flooding or reduced water supply. 

• Warmer, polluted air affects our health.

A warmer atmosphere increases the formation of ground-level ozone or smog in polluted regions. Smog irritates lungs and triggers asthma attacks. Smoke from wildfires further degrades the air. Extreme summer heat means more deaths during heat waves. Warmer freshwater makes it easier for disease-causing agents (such as bacteria) to grow and contaminate drinking water.

• Infrastructure and transportation are at risk.

Hot weather, flooding and other extreme weather events damage infrastructure, put heavy burdens on electrical supplies and disrupt how we travel and commute.

      3. Natural habitats become hostile.

• The ice Arctic animals need is vanishing.

As sea ice disappears, ice-dependent mammals such as walruses and polar bears struggle to survive.

• Coral and shellfish are suffering.

Coral reefs are highly sensitive to small changes in ocean temperatures. The heat stresses the algae that nourish the corals and provide their vibrant colors. The algae then leave, and the corals eventually starve – an event known as bleaching. As coral reefs are home to many other species, such as fish, their collapse would disrupt the entire ecosystem. Also, a more acidic ocean affects the normal calcium balance, meaning creatures with calcified shells, such as shellfish and coral, may not have enough calcium to grow.

• Forests are more prone to deadly infestations. 

Milder winters and longer summers allow tree-killing insects to thrive. Meanwhile, trees weakened by prolonged drought have lower defense mechanisms.

References

https://www.edf.org/climate/how-climate-change-plunders-planet

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/change/causes_en