What is Climate Change?
Climate change is known as a major shift in average weather conditions over several decades or more, such as circumstances becoming warmer, wetter, or drier. Climate change is distinguished from natural weather fluctuation by its longer-term tendency.
The major source of human-generated emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas for power, heat, and transportation. Deforestation is a second big source, as it releases stored carbon into the atmosphere. Logging, clearcutting, fires, and other kinds of forest degradation are thought to emit an average of 8.1 billion metric tons of CO2 each year, accounting for more than 20% of all CO2 emissions worldwide. Fertilizer usage (a significant source of nitrous oxide emissions), animal raising (cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats are important methane emitters), and some industrial operations that create fluorinated gases are all examples of human activities that pollute the air.
Despite the fact that our planet's woods and seas absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and other processes, they are unable to keep up with our escalating emissions. As a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases, the earth is warming at an alarmingly rapid rate. During the twentieth century, the earth's average temperature climbed by around 1 degree Fahrenheit. If you don't think that's a lot, consider this: Average temperatures were just 5 to 9 degrees lower than they are now when the last ice age ended and the northeastern United States was buried by more than 3,000 feet of ice.
The Effects of Global Climate Change
As air pollution increases, so does respiratory health—especially for the 300 million people globally who suffer from asthma; there's also more pollen and mold in the air to aggravate hay fever and allergy patients. Extreme weather occurrences, such as heavy storms and flooding, can result in injuries, contaminated drinking water, and storm damage, which might jeopardize essential infrastructure or cause population displacement. Indeed, historical models imply that the chance of being relocated by a disaster is currently 60% higher than it was four decades ago, with weather and climate-related disasters driving the highest increases in displacement.
Climate Action at Home
Combating global climate change requires worldwide cooperation as well as the efforts of towns, businesses, and people. To that end, many states, from California to Iowa, are championing clean energy industries like solar and wind; U.S. cities are taking action to mitigate climate change and strengthen climate resilience while putting equity first; and corporations, including some of the world's largest multinationals, are pledging to change the way they do business by 2040 to achieve net-zero emissions.
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