A topic many are scared to hear, but is climate change the marmite of the world? Some people love to talk about it, whilst others hate it. So, while many agree with it, others make it their mission to continue burning fossil fuels, frack to their heart’s content and drill for oil as if their life depends on it.
With increased levels of pollution and a reduction in air quality, there is an undeniable impact on people’s health. Many have resorted to air purifiers and closed doors and windows as a safe haven for clean air, trapping themselves indoors. This time, covid can’t be blamed.
Over decades of discussions about climate change and since the first climate agreement in 1992, it’s still a topic of discussion. With limited action, false promises, and targets continuously being set – is there an end in site?
The history
According to the United Nations (UN), ‘Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns.’ Shifts can be natural, but according to the UN, since the 1800s, the main driver of these shifts has been the result of human activities. These include fossil fuel burning like coal, oil and gas. Thus, emitting greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane impact and affect changes in the atmosphere.
The breakdown
The loss of natural forests being cleared for agriculture and construction also increases this CO2. So why is CO2 so important?
Carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas, aids the Earth’s greenhouse effect by keeping global surface temperatures above freezing.
So, if humans are helping global average temperatures stay above freezing and keeping the Earth warm, what’s the issue? Isn’t more carbon dioxide necessary for the atmosphere?
NOAA’s News & Feature article by Rebecca Lindsey on Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, highlights the problem. According to NOAA, adding more CO2 to the atmosphere means that people are ‘supercharging the natural greenhouse effect, causing global temperatures to rise.’ Furthermore, the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), suggests that this means the Earth’s natural climate systems are affected. This in turn results in more unstable conditions and extreme weather conditions more likely, such as droughts and heatwaves, to name a few.
Many would say that changes like this have always happened on Earth and that it’s all natural. If that’s the logic, then if someone burned their house down tomorrow, they could also use that same excuse and say: ‘it’s all natural’ (please don’t actually burn any houses down). Maybe the world is quite happy with the way things are. Some people are busy trying to provide for families and have little means, whilst others are trying to enjoy life. We’re in a consumer-based society which doesn’t always consider the ‘care part’ as it’s more interested in the ‘money part’.
How does it impact us?
With so many charities, climate change legislations, agreements, and sustainable development goals, to name a few, why are targets no closer to being met? In an oil and gas-dependent world, changing companies and people’s habits, whether it’s food, clothing, or the type of car they drive, won’t happen overnight. That won’t change any time soon.
According to NASA, rising temperatures in oceans and across the globe have present and future effects such as increased wildfires, water levels, flooding, droughts, hurricanes and other disasters. These result in the loss of food and agriculture across the world. However, the Genetically Modified (GM) market will be ready with all our food concerns, available at a hefty price and cost to human health.
India’s suspension of rice exports due to heavy monsoon rainfall, reported by The Washington Post as recently as July 24th 2023 is an example highlighting food scarcity due to changes in the climate. This impacts the global population. The recent heatwave in Europe and wildfires raging worldwide indicates unstable changes within the planet.
All this talk about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), basically UFOs, and questions of whether they are a threat is doubtful. With all that technology and decades to have caused us harm if they wanted, they haven’t. Maybe they’re the only hope of restoring a planet literally on the verge of a complete meltdown.