Let us understand what stress humans are putting on our only home planet, Earth aka the pale blue dot (Respect to Carl Sagan)
What is climate change / global warming ?
Climate change or Global Warming is the clear change in the global weather patterns which have been extremely evident since the mid to late 20th Century due to human activity by the generation and dumping of high levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by the use of fossil fuels such as Coal, Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene, LPG etc.
how does greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide affect the weather?
(Image: NASA website)
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor acts as a thermal blanket for the Earth by absorbing heat and warming the surface to a life-supporting average of 15 degrees Celsius. There was a perfect balance of these gases until the Industrial revolution where humans started generating large amounts of CO2, which has been increasing exponentially, causing a major imbalance in the composition of the atmosphere.
The first law of thermodynamics, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. The amount of heat energy that is being trapped by the Greenhouse gases is tremendous and we see that energy in the form of intense weather systems and other adverse effects.
The CO2 absorbs a large amount the heat from the sun and does not reflect it back into space. The total energy (heat) of the atmospheric system has been rising causing polar ice caps to melt which leads to rising sea levels and change in composition of sea water to due influx of fresh ice water. This in turn changes the sea currents which affects the temperature of a region, which in turn changes the air temperature of the region. This directly affects local weather patterns, rainfall abnormality (which our affecting our Indian farmers tremendously), storms and cyclones/hurricanes. The effects are endless and we have been witnessing these huge climate disasters in a frequent manner in the last few decades.
Levels of carbon dioxide
During the mid-20th Century, the onset of the Industrial revolution started the trend of humans expelling greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate, which has never happened in the history of the planet in atleast 4,00,000 years.
Data derived from calculating Carbon dioxide levels in ice cores. The deeper the Ice Cores are extracted from the ground, the older is the ice. (Image: NASA website)
EPILOGUE
There is enormous amount of scientific consensus showing that humans are directly causing climate change which is affecting almost every natural system there is on this planet. We have started and already in the process of another Mass Extinction since many sensitive species have had their habitat destroyed and/or affected by abnormal weather conditions which have ceased their existence.
If we do not control and start reversing the damage and climate change, humans will inevitably be extinct as well.
Let's be a part of the reversal and move towards a much sustainable future. If you want this future for your future generation: It starts with you.