We should begin by understanding what climate change is…. but that itself is actually pretty complicated. When introducing climate change, we often jump straight into explaining the complicated science of gasses and solar insolation and yes, of course it is important, but really, we have spent far too long going over and over the science. Science has said the same thing for a long time now: human activity is causing our planet to warm, our Earth is changing and our way of life is threatened.
So the science is established. What should we do now?
We should act.
What are the negative effects?
Climate change is important because its effects are so significant. These can be hugely varied and confusing to understand, but here are some key consequences of a warming atmosphere…
- Increased crop failure and famine
- Extinctions of species (e.g. polar bears, bees, whales, elephants, giraffes etc.)
- Sea-level rise and coastal flooding
- Increased likelihood of war & conflict (e.g. because of climate-induced mass migrations or a restricted availability of resources)
- Loss of coral reefs (and other biodiverse areas)
- Risks to human health (e.g. a spread of malaria and other diseases including into Europe)
- Ocean acidification (which harms sea life)
- More frequent natural disasters (e.g. wildfires)
- More extreme weather events and new patterns (e.g. droughts and hurricanes)
**There is a tendency to separate the effects on humans from those of the natural world, but I have purposefully combined the two because viewing ourselves as separate from nature makes the problem easier to ignore. The world should be considered one interconnected system.
The Greenhouse Gas Effect
What causes these negative effects to occur? … Ok, now we can talk about the science.
Here is a pretty diagram I have drawn many, many times at school
The greenhouse gas effect is a natural process. Radiation (heat energy) from the sun enters our atmosphere, reflects off Earth’s surface and back out into space. Some of that outgoing radiation however, gets trapped by an invisible, natural layer of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm, just as the glass in a greenhouse traps the sun’s heat.
When humans burn fossil fuels (coal, oil & gas) during activities such as driving cars and heating their homes, they release additional greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide). These gasses enhance the natural layer , causing more outgoing solar radiation to remain trapped within the atmosphere… bad news.
Most importantly: WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
Reading this page and the blog are a good start because you are educating yourself about the problem. But here are some more ideas…
- Be less STUFF-focused: Take Christmas for example, why not buy people experiences rather than material items? Also, do you really need all those extra, unused napkins, plastics spoons and coffee stirrers when you go to McDonald’s? If you do need to buy STUFF, get it second-hand and avoid buying online. It is cheaper and allows you to enjoy more valuable things in life such as your friends and memorable experiences.
- Go veggie or vegan or at least eat less meat: Read my blog post about it; changing your diet is one of the single most effective things an individual can do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. If you really love meat however, at least try cutting down- its better than nothing!
- Be a responsible consumer: Another relatively effective method is that, as well as buying less stuff, buy eco-friendly stuff. This could be clothes, food or anything really. Think about where the materials come from, who makes them and if they are recyclable. Buy less online (so much packaging!) or at least, bulk order all in one go. Switch to a renewable energy provider (I found this to genuinely be not that much more expensive).
- Make you career eco-friendly: After all, it’s what you probably devote most of your time towards.
- And don’t forget the classics: Reduce, reuse, recycle, drive less (try this?), turn the tap off when you brush your teeth … etc.
“But these are only little things. Will they actually make a difference?” — In my opinion? Yes.
- WE ARE TOO PERFECTIONIST: We often think that, because our individual actions cannot solve the problem and ‘save the planet’ on their own, they are futile. But take a positive spin on it; this doesn’t mean all your little actions aren’t doing good. Just because we cannot solve it alone doesn’t mean that we can’t solve it together through collective action.
- WE ALSO EDUCATE OTHERS: So how do we get collective action? Head out into your community e.g. workplace, family, neighbours, housemates, Scout/Guide groups and talk! When people close to you see that you care, they might start to care too. I only turned veggie because I was inspired by friends. If you’re feeling brave you could even join protests, lobbies or write to your local MP!
Interesting Sources
- PODCAST- Martha Kearney ‘Antarctica: a look at climate change’ (BBC Radio 4): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07wx1y5
- IPLAYER- Liz Bonnin ‘Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?’ (BBC 1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000bqsh/meat-a-threat-to-our-planet
- IPLAYER- David Attenborough ‘Climate Change – The Facts’ (BBC 1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00049b1/climate-change-the-facts
A Climate Change GUIDE 