Understanding Climate Change

Watch this National Geographic video that explains what climate change is and learn about the human impact and consequences for the environment and our lives.

Over the past few years we have watched massive hurricanes destroy islands in the Caribbean and forest fires rage through California and Australia burning down homes and killing millions of animals. We watched a seventeen year old Swedish climate activist inspire students around the globe to demand political leaders take action to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions to stop climate change. And unfortunately, we have watched some world leaders deny that climate change is real or worse block policies to protect the environment with undermining science and misinformation. Who do we believe? What is happening to our world? What can we do?

What does Climate Change mean?

Climate change describes a change in the average conditions, such as temperature and rainfall, in a region over a long period of time. Climate change is about abnormal variations to the climate, and the effects of these variations on other parts of the Earth. NASA scientists have observed that the Earth’s surface is warming, and many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years.

Causes:

Scientists attribute the global warming trend observed since the mid 20th century to human expansion of the “greenhouse effect” which results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. There are four key elements that contribute to the greenhouse effect: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Water.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is released naturally through respiration and volcanic eruptions. It is also released through human activities such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), land use changes and deforestation. Human increased atmospheric CO2 concentration, from 280 parts per million to 412 parts per million over 150 years, is the most important long-lived “forcing” of climate change.

Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas but more importantly it acts as a feedback to climate. As the Earth’s atmosphere warms so does the increase of water evaporation and the possibility of precipitation creating a feedback mechanism to the greenhouse effect. In other words, droughts in some regions and flooding in others.

Methane is produced through natural sources and human activities such as decomposition of waste in landfills, agriculture (especially rice cultivation) as well as animal digestion and manure management.

Nitrous oxide is produced by fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and soil cultivation practices such as use of commercial or organic fertilizer.

Consequences:

On average the Earth will become warmer. A stronger greenhouse effect will trap heat and partially melt glaciers that would otherwise reflect sunlight back into space causing more heat from the sun to be trapped in our atmosphere. Glacier melt will increase the sea level causing coastal flooding. Warmer oceans will significantly reduce the food supply for other fish and marine wildlife. Warmer surface temperatures of land and sea will affect weather patterns causing stronger hurricanes, tornados, storms, heatwaves and drought. Although colder regions may welcome warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons, animals adapted to colder environments will suffer. Regions of the world already warm will experience more droughts and forest fires which will put more stress on humans and animals and their ecosystems.

Carbon drawdown:

The natural process of Earth keeping it’s CO2 balanced is through our oceans absorbing excess CO2 and plantlife utilizing CO2 to produce oxygen and drawing the carbon dioxide down into the soil. With the increase of land cultivation for agriculture and the rainforests being destroyed for cattle production and logging we are losing a critical mechanism to balance the CO2 in our atmosphere. The oceans are absorbing as much CO2 as possible which is causing acidification and the bleaching of reefs. Simply put we are overloading the Earth’s natural system of checks and balances.

How can you help?

Be an influencer at work or with local, regional or national organizations. Explore, innovate and insist on changes that will reduce carbon emissions. Already private companies such as Starbucks, Amazon, Siemens, Levi Strauss and Universities across the US have made a commitment to work towards reducing their carbon footprint and are rethinking how they build, package or deliver goods or consumables to customers.

Be a role model for your children and your community. Rethinking and reducing how we consume energy and materials at home is a great start. Properly recycling and composting is a gate-way activity for children to learn to care for their environment. Take it a step further and explore ways to make your home “greener”, eat less meat and dairy, reduce food waste, don’t use petroleum based fertilizer, don’t buy single use plastics, choose products out of recycled materials, and plant more trees in your community. And last but definitely not least, talk to your friends and neighbors. If we all work together we can affect change.

Educate Yourself – Our Recommendations:

• Video based on a 2015 article in the New York Times
• Educational website: NASA Global Climate Change
• Book for children: A Kid’s Guide to Climate Change and Global Warming by Jack L. Roberts
• Educational article: How to talk to your kids about climate change
• Book for adults: Drawdown by Paul Hawken and Drawdown.org