When Industrial Revolution began, we learned a term called “Global Warming”. Suddenly this term become a word that we use for every kind of issue that is related to the environment. Well, what is this climate change, and why do we use it that much in today’s world, are there any ways to cope with that?
Global warming refers to long-term changes in temperatures and weather conditions. These changes might be seen as natural changes but as human activities in nature are a factor that triggers global warming, it was mostly because of the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases. 1 When we look at the history behind global warming, we see that in the 1800s, experiments suggested that human-driven carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases could collect in the atmosphere and isolate the Earth. It was met with more curiosity than concern back then. By the late 1950s, research about CO2 concentration would present some of the first data to support the global warming theory. In the end, an abundance of data, along with climate modeling would show not only that global warming was something that is real, but that it also presented a host of catastrophic results. 2 Later on, all of us learned that global warming is something that is strong enough to end our life. Because greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest levels in 2 million years, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising of sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, declining biodiversity, and several disasters like that are seen. 3
As the situation on Earth is critical, some agreements like The Paris Agreement were ratified. Most countries in the world (196 Parties to be exact) agreed to try to keep the increase in the planet’s global temperature below 2°C and limit it to 1.5°C. 4 Besides that everyone can help to limit global warming by changing their routine just a bit. So what we should do? Here are some things out of 10 that we should do to prevent global warming that is presented by UN (United Nations). Firstly, we should use energy-efficient energy sources like LED light bulbs and energy-efficient electric appliances. Secondly, we should prefer walking or cycling instead of using a private vehicle. For longer distances, we should consider using public transportation like buses or trains. This will help to reduce greenhouse emissions. As producing plant-based foods generally results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less energy, we should eat more vegetables, fruits rather than dairy products.5
Now is the time to act while we still have a chance to save the world. Of course, we alone cannot contribute to the world. But there’s nothing we can’t do if we all get to work. As a result, we can save our house -world- together, just as we declare wars together.
Citations:
1: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
2: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/history-of-climate-change
3: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
5: https://www.un.org/en/actnow/ten-actions
