In a recent press conference, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said:
“Natural disasters are becoming more and more intense, more frequent with devastating consequences. The dramatic impacts of droughts in different parts of the world, all of this is creating a situation that is a real-time threat to humankind. And we are not doing enough!”
This is an issue that poses a threat to the very existence of humankind. We are taught about it in schools, we hear about it in the news, yet we choose to ignore it. It is the issue of ‘Climate Change’. People are calling it the crisis of our times, and indeed it is.
How Did Climate Change Begin?
Since 1870s, due to large-scale extraction of fossil fuels, cement production, and land use combined, humans have put around 2,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. We have been burning more and more fossil fuels — like oil and coal — which release CO2 to power our homes, factories, aeroplanes, and cars. Also, as our global population grows, humanity’s effect on the planet has increased exponentially.
With a greater population consuming more and more of the natural resources, emissions of greenhouse gases like methane (CH4) and chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) have increased drastically. All these gases entrap the sunlight into our atmosphere, causing an increase in the global temperature. This effect is called the greenhouse effect, and the phenomenon of the rising of the Earth’s temperature is called global warming.
However, the concern is not that the Earth is getting warmer, but that it is happening at such an alarming rate. Researchers believe that the world is now one degree hotter than the pre-industrial era about 200 years ago. Right now, we are on the track to hit 1.5 degrees in 10 years. If we don’t slow down, it would mean a catastrophe.
Due to human activities — deforestation, usage of chemical fertilisers, depletion of industrial waste, releasing sewage water into oceans — the Earth’s ability to replenish its natural resources in order to counter global warming has been destroyed. This has caused a change in the climate of places across the globe. We are witnessing extreme meteorological changes around us. Winters are becoming chilling cold and summers are getting unbearably hot. Rains are turning into floods and droughts are becoming more frequent.
While the rapid rate of climate change is caused by humans, humans are also the ones who can combat it. If we work to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like hydro, solar, and wind, which do not produce any pollutants, we might be able to prevent some of the worst effects of climate change.
About the author: Aaditya is an inquisitive XII grade science student from Eastwood International School, Doomwali, Punjab. He is a nature lover, and has his own YouTube channel ‘The Viking Show’.