The Impact of Climate Change

Global warming is perhaps one of the greatest challenges that people all over the world are currently facing. The planet Earth has been experiencing climate change at an accelerated rate in the last few decades mainly because of various human activities specifically the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. 

This results in higher concentrations of other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, thereby entailing to retain more heat from the sun. Failure to address climate change implies that the situation will become worst hence having adverse effects on the citizens and the physical world. 

What we can do to help for Climate change?

Climate change can also be caused by other factors such as the following:

Human activity – particularly the combustion of fossil fuels – is the leading driver of climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution beginning in the 1800s and the use of coal, oil and gas in factories, transport and generating electricity for human needs the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by over 40% (Ingpen et al., 1995). Methane and nitrous oxide other greenhouse gases have also risen due to human influence through their farming practices and alteration of the land use. Each of these gases in effect surround the earth with a blanket that retains more heat from the sun. This emission of greenhouse gases by humans is the main reason why the world is getting warmer.

what effects of climate change: 

Global warming is not a debatable theory it is a fact that is evident from the negative impacts that have been caused on the climate of the world. Some of the most notable consequence includes: Glaciers and polar ice caps melting resulting to increased sea levels that pose a threat to coastal regions, heat waves, storms, and flooding, changes in precipitation patterns that causes increased incidents of droughts and fire outbreaks in some areas, decline in agricultural productivity and food security, and adverse effects on ecosystems and species since they can barely cope with the fluctuating climate conditions. These effects are expected to worsen with increasing global temperatures, and they pose a risk to water and foods, human health, and live hood for those in the vulnerable groups. There is an urgent need to take actions that would minimize climate change effects as they are severe.  

Actions that can be taken by citizens

While climate change is a problem on a global level and involves policy change that is beyond the ordinary citizen, there are many things that an individual can do in his or her day to day life to go green and reduce his or her carbon footprint. Some of the measures that individuals can take include; Reducing car usage by using public transport, cycling, and walking are examples of sustainable changes in ones’ lifestyle that one can embrace Reducing energy usage at home by putting on efficient regulators, turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, and embracing renewable energy sources are some of the simple changes that everyone can make. 

It also depends on the conscious choices made in consuming sustainably – this means reducing our meat and dairy intake, eating fresh produce that are grown locally during different seasons, and avoiding the use of plastics that are disposable. Reducing the amount of time spent flying by offering car and train transportation options also results in carbon reduction as well. If millions of ‘awakened’ citizens of the world embrace such small everyday actions, it will help to mitigate the levels of greenhouse gases emissions. Informing ourselves with climate science and policy, discussing it with others, and lastly but most importantly voting for the right political leaders who will support climate change legislation are also important. A combination of individual life adjustments and social activism can exert pressure on corporations and governments to respond appropriately to the climate change issue.

Government policies required: 

Although the various measures involve individual approaches, the scale of the changes needed to prevent the adverse effects of climate change involves policy shifts across the globe by governments. Some of the critical governmental interventions required include – putting a price on carbon to discourage use of fossil fuels, passing more stringent laws on industrial emissions, supporting community transition from fossil fuels to other sources of energy, encouraging and subsidizing better transport infrastructure while discouraging private car usage in densely populated cities through charges on parking and congestion, supporting sustainable management of land issues which include deforestation and agriculture and supporting climate change adaptation fund.

International policies or agreements of the changes need to be enacted across the nations and through international treaties such as the Paris Agreement. The flow of climate finance from the developed nations to the developing nations is necessary for them to foster the shift to the usage of clean energy as they continue to grow to be socially and economically empowered. The adaptation measures include, but are not limited to, policies in the government sectors to adopt stringent emission reduction measures and change energy, transport and land management practices in order to limit global warming to 1. 5 degrees Celsius or less to avoid highly damaging climate change.

Technology and renewables

Combating the effects of climate change also entails shifting from fossil energy to green energy which includes solar, wind and hydro power among others. Automobiles, power storage for renewables, smart grids and meters for electricity utilization and newer concepts like green hydrogen and carbon capture also needs to be developed. The climate crisis cannot be addressed by technology only but investing in the quick advancement and diffusion of existing and new technologies around the world can support the global reduction of emissions especially from the power generation sector as well as the industrial, transport and buildings sectors. 

Indeed, shifting to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind is especially important when making electricity production in the world. This entails policy frameworks on development of renewable energy technologies, expansion of renewable energy manufacturing facilities including those of solar panels and wind turbines and promotion of consumers’ adoption of renewable energy technologies at the community and household levels. Global adoption of electric vehicles and the use of electricity, especially from renewable sources, for heating can significantly decrease demand for fossil fuels. Sustaining and improving clean technologies which systematically involves publicly and privately funded research and development as well as mass deployment is therefore not only an important policy tool to advance climate change mitigation efforts in the United States but is also part of the government strategy in this effort.

why collective action is important 

Finally, it is crucial to note that preventing catastrophic global warming entails coordinated efforts of the governments, business entities, and citizens. It requires a systemic shift that changes how we produce electricity, control transportation, create products, manage territories and cultivate crops. As no silver bullet for a problem of as systemic a nature as climate change exists, the adoption of a range of identified and effective currently practices such as emissions standards, carbon taxes, and renewable energy targets in addition to the indicated promising technological advancements can limit further temperature increase. 

Above all, climate actions are required to be fair and any reduction in emissions or the use of fossil fuels must be led by the developed countries while they should aid other parts of the world which are likely to be more affected. But with sustained collaboration, there is still time, the so-called ‘window of opportunity’ to quickly introduce policies and technologies to avert climate disaster. But the time is quickly fading away, and ambitious climate solutions during this critical decade is the only way to ensure humanity’s survival in a planet that is becoming hostile to life.

The article lays emphasis on the primary fields of climate change – the human causes of change, current and future effects, measures that can be taken by an individual and the society to decrease the carbon footprint, the part played by the governmental policies, clean technologies, and renewable energy sources and why there is a need for large-scale cooperative action in the shortest time frame to avoid potentially disastrous climate change impacts.