The Reality of Climate Change

Before we start talking about climate change, let’s get one opinion out of the way(the one
which states that climate change does not exist). This is due to the fact that scientific studies and
measurements in the past 150 years state that the globe has warmed by 1 degree Celsius and is
expected to rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052. This rise in global temperatures
has caused the weather to destabilize that could cause bigger storms and also the sea levels to
rise by almost 20cm which if not stopped would cause the compulsory evacuation of 10 million
people. This would be a massive tragedy, not only to us humans, but also to everything else that
lives in Earth. 99% of the world’s coral reefs are expected to be lost. That would result to the
death of most tropical marine life!

There are many factors that contribute to climate change. One of the most prevalent
factors is the Greenhouse Effect which is what happens when certain gasses trap the heat given
off by the sun instead of letting it escape to the outer space. The Greenhouse effect isn’t
necessarily a bad thing, after all, it is essential for the existence of life in Earth. The problem
however is that there is an excessive amount of Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and this
causes the Earth to be warmer than it should be. There are 3 main Greenhouse gasses that are
present in the atmosphere. These gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These
gasses are produce naturally, but humanity has produced an ever increasing amount of these
gasses so nature is taking a toll.

There are ways in order to counter climate change. There are the clichéd ways that
include using less plastics and not burning them. Now these, of course, should be practiced as
often as possible. There are also the lesser known ways that may delay, or even prevent the
impending doom that humanity could cast unto itself. One of them would be consuming less
meat. This may sound strange, but a cow could produce about 200 liters of methane. Methane
could stay in the atmosphere for up to 12 years and it absorbs 100 times more heat than carbon
dioxide. Through simple math, we could calculate that a cow produces what’s equivalent of
about 20,000 liters of carbon dioxide every single day! There are many other possible ways to
counter climate change which include spreading awareness, research and simply starting with
oneself. We need to save our planet. Let’s never forget the fact that when our planet dies, it’s
going to take all of us with it.