Most of us don’t really understand what climate change is. Its more of threats being given to us by scientists . We see it as predictions and hence fail to give it the attention it needs.
I read somewhere how someone thinks that climate change is just some science crap that will never happen. He went ahead to illustrate how none of the predictions made by the scientist really come to pass. His advise was that we just live and stop worrying about such predictions.
Then I thought to myself, was he living under a rock ? Who hasn’t seen the climate change effects all over the planet. How many species have we lost? The weather patterns are messed up nowadays. Farmers are unable to predict the short and long rains like before. Temperatures have increased to a point of melting the glaciers. So what did he check again?
Anyway, what is this climate change? It is defined as a change in our weather conditions / patterns that extends for a very long time. The changes replaces what we have been expressing in our weather patterns.
Factors contributing to climate change
- Biological processes
- Solar radiation from planet earth
- Volcanic eruption whereby lava, tephra and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic fissure or vent.
- Plate tectonics which are composed of oceanic lithosphere and thicker continental lithosphere.
Note: Human activities are considered to be the primary cause of climate change. This is what we refer to as global warming.
These questions will help us understand climate change better.
Which of the following is a greenhouse gas?
- CO2
- CH4
- Water vapor
- All of the above
Greenhouse gases are gases that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. The gases includes the water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
a)The name of climate change legislation that passed by congress
b) When you paint your house green to become an environmentalist
c) When the gasses in our atmosphere trap heat and block it from escaping our planet
d)When you build a greenhouse
The greenhouse gases are responsible for the increasing temperatures in our planet. They tend to prevent heat from escaping the atmosphere.
Which of the following are consequences associated with climate change?
a)The ice sheets are declining, glaciers are in retreat globally, and our oceans are more acidic than ever
b)Surface temperatures are setting new heat records about each year
c)More extreme weather like droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes
d) Global sea levels are rising at an alarmingly fast rate — 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century alone and going higher.
e)All of the above
All of the mentioned consequences are due to climate change. Human activities are the major contributors to the global warming. Results of climate change includes extreme weather events, heat waves, droughts, floods as well as rising of the sea levels.
What can you do to help fight climate change?
a)Divest from fossil fuel companies
b) Engage yourself in the science behind climate change
c)Vote for political candidates who will advocate for climate-related legislation and policy improvements
d)All of the above
All of the above will provide a very vital helping hand toward fighting climate change. You are best example to start with as you engage others.
Is climate change real and caused by humans.
According to many scientists and scientific organizations, this is true.
What was agreed to in the “Paris Agreement” that came out of COP-21, held in Paris in 2015?
a)To protect biodiversity and end the deforestation of the world’s rain forests
b) To keep global temperature rise well below 2? pre-industrial levels and to pursue a path to limit warming to 1.5?
c)To limit sea level rise to 3 feet above current levels
d)To pursue a goal of 100% clean, renewable energy
The Paris Agreement aims to keep the overall increase in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, with the hope of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Scientists believe that these are the largest increases in global temperature that we could experience without causing catastrophic change to the Earth’s climate.
Which of these countries emits the most carbon dioxide?
a)China
b) USA
c) UK
d)Russia
According to the EPA, China is currently the top emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 30% of global carbon emissions. The United States ranks as the second top emitter at 15%.
The questions are courtesy of the www.earthday.org . Visit the site for more mind-blowing questions that helps you know how well you understand nature. It also provides solutions and suggestions helpful while saving environment.
Many people find the idea of climate change too overwhelming and try to look away, but the effects can’t be ignored, wherever we are. Unfortunately the burden of climate change is borne by the poor, at least in the first instance.
Your blog is very informative.
Thank you very much. It is very unfortunate that the burden is heavily felt by the poor in the community. The harmful human activities are mainly undertaken by the rich. They don’t suffer and end up ignoring consequences of their actions.
Great job breaking it down!
Thanks