Climate change has been called the most pressing problem facing humanity in the modern era. This information will help you understand why.
What is climate change?
Climate change is a term that refers to climate alterations as a result of human activities that release “green house gasses” into the atmosphere. It’s also referred to global warming, because these greenhouse gasses trap heat and generally warm the planet. However, this heat is not dispersed equally, and some places may get colder as others grow much hotter. The result of disruption to Jet streams and ocean currents. For example, Europe is warmer than it should be, based on its latitude because of an ocean current that brings warm water and heat up from the tropics. As melting glaciers disrupt or eliminate, Europe could get much colder than it is today.
Why climate change gets so much attention and is considered such a serious problem
The biggest problem with climate change isn’t the heat itself, but how these climatic changes are likely to affect Earth’s eco systems. For instance, all coral reefs are expected to die out with the warming of oceans projected over the next 50 years, and a few degrees of warming can mean the difference between survival and extinction for many plant and animal species resulting in a wave of mass extinctions.
The effects and consequences of climate change
Climate change holds a number of problems for humans also. As glaciers melt, sea levels rise flooding costal cities. A full melt of all glaciers would result in nearly 200 feet of sea level rise, vastly shrinking the available land mass. Climate change makes extreme weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes more common and more severe. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means some areas get dumped on while others are starved of rain, leading to both drought and flooding at the same time. Wildfires increase, and crop production goes down as temperatures rise, resulting in famine. Extreme heat waves kill more people and lead to commercial disruptions, electrical blackouts, and grounded planes.
More information on climate change
Click on the links below for additional information on climate change.