climate change is changes caused in the environment due to global warming, which is the rise in the average temperature of planet Earth.
With the rapid rise in temperatures due to human action, climate phenomena, biodiversity and ecosystems are affected, causing imbalances.
If measures are not taken to contain global warming at a planetary level, the consequences for life on Earth could be catastrophic. Rising temperatures could affect food production and access to water, and environmental disasters will become more frequent.
Cause of climate change: global warming
Global warming is at the origin of climate change and it happens due to intensification of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that allows part of the solar energy to remain in the atmosphere, maintaining the planet's temperature suitable for life.
As the name implies, this phenomenon works like a greenhouse, which retains part of the sun's rays that enter the atmosphere, heating the earth's surface. If all the energy were reflected back out of the atmosphere, the planet would be too cold, making life impossible.
This greenhouse effect is made possible by a layer of greenhouse gases that prevent all the sun's rays from reflecting. These gases are naturally present in the atmosphere, but their concentration is being intensified by human action, especially by the burning of fossil fuels.
The emission of greenhouse gases intensified from the Industrial Revolution and the increased demand for resources to supply production on this new scale. It starts with burning charcoal, which is a fossil fuel, just like oil.
In addition to burning fossil fuels, greenhouse gases (GHG) they are also emitted by burning and the decomposition of garbage. Deforestation and forest degradation is another aggravating cause of global warming, as plants are responsible for absorbing CO2.
Among the greenhouse gases we have:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane gas (CH4)
- Ozone3)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
know more about greenhouse effect and global warming.
Consequences of climate change
The position most accepted by the scientific community is that global warming is a natural phenomenon, but it is intensified by human action. This intensification happens very quickly, which causes serious imbalances in the environment.
According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), a United Nations organization responsible for conducting research on climate change. climate change, the planet's temperature varied 0.85º C between 1880 and 2012 and the sea level rose by 19 cm between 1901 and 2010.
This variation seems small, but it has serious consequences for sustainability, since naturally this rise in temperature would happen much more slowly.
And the projection for the future is worrying: if the emission of greenhouse gases is not reduced, within 100 years, the global average temperature could rise by around 4º C.
As a result of the rise in temperature, the ecosystems are destabilized and nature ceases to operate according to established standards. See some of the effects of climate change:
- Species extinction;
- Increased frequency of storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and heavy rains;
- Floods and disappearance of coastal cities and islands;
- Occurrence of prolonged droughts;
- Biodiversity alteration;
- Scarcity of water and food and as a consequence the possibility of conflicts;
- Melting of polar ice caps;
- Irregular vegetation distribution.
Data on the impacts of human action on the planet
The current mode of production has had a great impact on nature, see some data on what happens in the world every hour:
- The world population increases by 9,000 people;
- 4,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) are issued;
- 3 species are extinct;
- 1,700,000 kg of reactive nitrogen are emitted;
- 1,200 hectares of forests are cut down.
See also the meaning of carbon dioxide.
What is being done to contain climate change?
Since the early 1990s, several initiatives at the international level have sought to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in order to curb global warming, see some examples:
Rio 92 or Earth Summit
THE United Nations Conference on Environment and Development it took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro and aimed to create strategies that would combine the economic development of countries with the sustainable use of natural resources.
Since that conference, almost every country in the world has signed the treaty United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which determined the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases, but did not set limits or obligations to countries, which would be established later in the Kyoto Protocol.
Learn more about greenhouse effect.
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in 2005, establishes goals and obligations for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the signatory countries. The goals are differentiated for developing countries and developed countries, which are the ones that contributed the most to global warming over the last decades.
According to the protocol, the reduction of the emission of these gases should be achieved with reforms in the sectors of transport and energy, with the encouragement of the use of renewable energy sources and protection of forests, by example.
know more about renewable energy.
Paris Agreement
The Paris agreement is a continuation of what was established in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Negotiated in Paris, during the COP21, this agreement was approved in 2015, with nearly 200 signatory countries.
This treaty has as aim to ensure that the planet's average temperature does not exceed 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels and continue with the reduction effort so that this variation is only 1.5º C.
For the Paris Agreement, each country defined its goals for contributing to the reduction of global warming. See what were the goals set by Brazil:
- 37% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2025;
- 18% increase in sustainable bioenergy use by 2030;
- Restoration and reforestation of 12 million hectares of forests;
- Achieve a share of 45% of renewable energy in its energy matrix.
Actions to prevent climate change
The consequences for life on the planet could be disastrous if actions are not taken to reduce climate change caused by the increase in global temperature.
International treaties are important, but for them to be effective, they must be created public policy in the countries.
Policies that encourage low carbon technologies, electricity generation from renewable sources and increased energy efficiency are some examples. In addition, it is necessary to create incentives for the use of public transport or vehicles that do not emit greenhouse gases.
Individuals can also contribute to avoid the intensification of this phenomenon, see some tips:
- Save on the use of water and electricity;
- Reduce the use of concrete on the floor of houses to facilitate water absorption;
- Do not waste food and buy only what is necessary;
- Separate the garbage and compost the rest of the organic food;
- Support local producers;
- Consume smaller amounts of beef, whose production has a major impact on global warming;
- Use public transport and bicycle;
- Avoid buying products from companies that do not respect environmental rules.
See also the meaning of atmospheric pollution and preservation of the environment.
