Climate Change is happening NOW

…it’s not just a threat for the future.

Although climate change (to a small degree) is a natural phenomenon, in the recent age, it has grown to be a major concern for the global community. It entails multiple adverse consequences for the planet in the present, as well as in the future. Global warming has increased immensely, and ecosystems all over the world are suffering because of its ramifications. The main cause of this is human activity, which has led to increased emission of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This explains why global temperature has increased by almost 1.5 ℃ since the 18th century ,when the industrial revolution began.

More than 1.2 billion people face the risk of displacement within the next 50 years, directly or indirectly because of the climate crisis. Even though the climate change movement has gained momentum in the current decade, we have already crossed the threshold of reversible environmental damage.

There is a dire need to replace ignorance with awareness and bridge the knowledge action gap that exists.

1. The first and foremost fact that needs to be accepted is that climate change is happening now. It is just not a threat for the future. It has already adversely affected our planet and its biodiversity. Human displacement, rising sea level, contamination of fresh water and extinction of species are just some of the ways in which climate change is wreaking havoc.
2. The second thing that we often fail to realize is the extent of the rising sea level. It has risen by 4 to 8 inches in the last 100 years. This is causing huge scale displacement of the human population since human settlements are mainly concentrated on the coasts. We are facing an even greater threat of displacement in the future if the climate crisis continues to worsen.
3. There is a general misconception that global warming is mainly due to carbon dioxide emissions. This is far from true because methane, another greenhouse gas, has a far greater warming potential, which is as much as 56 times more. Nitrous oxide, which is even more lethal, has a global warming potential that is 280 times that of carbon dioxide. An equal (if not more) focus should be given on reducing these emissions. This is the third gap in our understanding of the issue.

It is vital that we bridge these knowledge-action gaps.

The need to adopt alternative sources of energy is now greater than ever. This is because we can no longer rely on fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. To fulfil the commitment of keeping the temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius (as agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement), we can only use 18% of the fossil fuels available today. This means we have to rely more on technologies like solar panels (which we have already mastered).

The Bottom Line

The rate of climate change in the present era is unprecedented. Increased urbanization and industrialization has resulted in record-high concentration levels of greenhouse gases.

The ill effects of climate change have been observed in the form of prolonged heat waves and droughts, increased floods and cyclones and perhaps most importantly increased global warming and rising sea levels. The global temperature has been rising at an alarming rate of 1.7℃ per century. This needs to change, and it needs to change NOW.

Also read — Will we fall off the climate cliff?