Climate change: Anthropogenic factors and causes
The formation of our planet Earth can be traced back to 4.54 billion years. Studies of fossils and patterns of current climatic changes by the scientists suggest that it was hot and its temperature used to fluctuate constantly at the same time. reverse engineering helped scientists to analyze and jot down the heat waves, distribution of wetlands, and melting of glaciers in the past. With thepassage of time and the evolution of living species, it gradually started to cool down and became a hub to support the ecosystem. It helped it to enrich itself with lots of flora and fauna.
Climate change: Anthropogenic factors and causesThe formation of our planet Earth can be traced back to 4.54 billion years. Studies of fossils and patterns of current climatic changes by the scientists suggest that it was hot and its temperature used to fluctuate constantly at the same time. reverse engineering helped scientists to analyze and jot down the heat waves, distribution of wetlands, and melting of glaciers in the past. With thepassage of time and the evolution of living species, it gradually started to cool down and became a hub to support the ecosystem. It helped it to enrich itself with lots of flora and fauna.But as it is rightly said that Every positive value has its price in negative terms, the evolution of humans and the human population caused a lot of adverse effects on the climate. With the onset of the industrial revolution in the 1880s, the burning of fossil fuels, emission of greenhouse gases has led to an abrupt increase in the average temperature of our planet. Greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are constantly causing the planet to heat up. Here are some of the prominent factors of the average increase in the temperature of our environment:
- Burning of fossil fuels: Fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal emit carbon dioxide which is believed to be one of the main factors of the increase in temperature. Combustion of fossil fuels leads to SO2 into the atmosphere which ultimately combines with water vapors to form tiny droplets (aerosols) which reflect sunlight. They remain in the air for quite a reasonable time and become a cause of acid rain too.
-Deforestation and land degradation: A decrease in the forest cover of the Earth has resulted in an imbalance in the natural habitat and ecosystem. It has made a direct impact on the average temperatures. With less forest cover, it means there is less absorption of atmospheric CO2 and onto it, burning of trees releases carbon in the atmosphere.
-Nitrogen-based fertilizers produce nitrous oxide which results in an increase in temperature.
The above-mentioned causes are just a few of several thousand caused by humans. It has resulted in an increase in average temperature by more than one degree Fahrenheit globally. The global sea level has increased by roughly eight inches over the past century and is accelerating with time. It may be a key factorof high degrees of floods in near future. Melting of sea ice and changes in precipitation patterns will lead to floods and droughts respectively. The oceans have absorbed a large fraction of the CO2 through the burning of fossil fuels. It has significantly changed the pH levels and is causing the death of sea animals. Pathogens with their hosts are thriving in higher temperatures, they will soon be spreading new diseases. Loss of wetlands is another threat to our existence.
In the modern era, when we have solutions for every problem, climate change can also be dealt with. We can switch to renewable sources of energy instead of burning down fossil fuels. Renewable sources include solar, wind, tidal methods of generating energy. Investing in energy-efficient appliances and slowing down the deforestation rate would certainly help us to battle climate changes. Using public transport instead of using personal vehicles can definitely be adopted at individual levels by us. Growing more and more trees, recycling adaptations can also play a major role in overcoming this issue.