Climate Change 

by: Anisha Sharma 

     Have you ever wondered why the temperature around you has changed? How it’s different from when you were a child? This is due to something called climate change. Climate change is a complicated and pressing issue affecting today’s society, environment, and economy. The climate system is a complex interplay between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, which determines the Earth's climate and its variations. Understanding Climate Change and its effects is crucial for the future of our species. It is also important that we find solutions that can help us lessen the impacts of climate change. 

     Climate Change is caused by burning fossil fuels. fossil fuels are non-renewable wastes. They consist of coal, coal products, natural gas, derived gas, crude oil, and petroleum products. Deforestation and industrial processes also play a huge part in provoking climate change. The Greenhouse effect has an immense impact on global warming. The greenhouse effect is when certain gasses in the earth’s atmosphere trap heat, just enough to let life thrive on Earth. But, human activity such as burning fossil fuels, makes the gasses trap heat from solar radiation leading to global warming. Global warming is a gradual, long-term increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. Global warming changes the weather, ecosystems, and sea levels, which impacts human society. Evidence of Climate Change shows that average temperatures worldwide have increased by about 34.16 Fahrenheit since the 19th century. Antarctica has an average of losing 150 billion tons of ice per year. We have lost 95% of the Arctic sea ice in the past 30 years. Due to all the ice caps and glaciers melting, the sea levels have risen a colossal amount. Extreme weather patterns have increased a lot in the past 10 years such as tornadoes, flash floods, blizzards, heat waves, fires, and heavy rainfall. Not only has nature been impacted but societies and economics also. The loss of water and resources forces societies to move and be displaced. Economics has caused much damage to infrastructure and agriculture. Not to mention the amount of money spent on fixing the damages. 

     Although Climate Change is increasing quickly and progressively, people are working on small changes that can lead to a better non-polluted world. There is no one fix-all solution that can fix everything. Katie Davis once said, “Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world” We need small changes that will happen at the same time so that it can be everlasting. People of all ages can do something, just like Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”. Five things that people of all ages can do are be mindful of their consumption, conserve energy, Sustainable Transportation, Educate and Advocate, and Support Green Initiatives. Being mindful of our consumption means that we should try and reduce waste, buy less, and choose well. We can work on buying sustainable and eco-friendly products instead of buying something that will be used once and thrown away. We can be smart about our usage of lights, and electric devices, and use energy-efficient appliances. People can start using renewable energy such as solar and hydro. We can use the wind through windmills, and biomass produced on natural things that are renewable. We can be mindful about our transportation, we can bike or take public transportation to stop the pollution that comes from vehicles. People can educate themselves about climate change by reading articles like this or by reading books and going to local clubs/classes. We can make other people aware of this problem and can help out in local projects that happen around us and our communities. People can start supporting green investments such as renewable energy projects or companies that are trying to help. Everybody can help, even me and you, if just a small group of people start then others will start as well just like a chain reaction. 

     Climate Change is hard to slow down but not impossible. But not just one person can fix this, we need everybody. Climate change is caused in many different ways, but it also affects the Earth and the world we live in various ways. But we have ways to stop it as well. But if no one takes initiative then it will get worse and will affect people from across the world. The temperature levels could reach a point where living is impossible. So, next time you see somebody littering or not being attentive to the world around you, try to help them see the consequences of what they're doing. It may seem impossible but don’t give up! As Nelson Mandela said, “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference”. So let’s make a difference together!