Learn about climate change, how we contribute to it, and how we can do our part to reduce it.

    Climate change refers to “long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns,” as said by the UN. This can be a result of natural activity, with solar energy released from the sun slightly impacting the temperature as well as volcanoes erupting around the globe. 

    However, as debunked by NASA, the sun is not the main perpetrator of climate change, with NASA’S satellite sensors revealing that there has been no “upward trend in the amount of solar energy reaching our planet.” Having said this, it’s valid to assume that the primary influence on climate change is humans.

    A prime example of the impact climate change has on our environment is the well-known greenhouse effect. As many have learned prior to reading, the greenhouse effect is “a process that occurs when gasses in Earth’s atmosphere trap the sun’s heat” (NASA.com).

    These gasses are released through the usage of fossil fuels, which are non-renewable energy sources such as coal, natural gasses and oil. These are utilized by the majority of people throughout their everyday lives in ways like using oil to cook, staying warm with electricity and fueling cars with gasoline.

    This, in theory, seems to be extremely beneficial to people’s lives in the short term. However, in practice, it’s doing the exact opposite for our environment. Going back to the greenhouse gas example, it’s clear that the earth is getting warmer. 

    This seems harmless, as the temperature is only rising 0.23 degrees per decade, as reported by NOAA.gov. Although, when we compare 2014’s Halloween highs on the east coast, which were in the 40s, to this year’s average high of 82, it’s clear that the temperatures are fluctuating in a not-so harmless way.

    Another example of climate change’s impacts includes hazardous storms, which is directly related to the escalating temperatures. With “increasing global surface temperatures,” more “water vapor is evaporating into the atmosphere,” becoming fuel for more powerful storms to develop ( usgs.gov). These storms are heavily impacting coastal populations in negative ways, with the loss of property and life, as well as more long term impacts like sea-line erosion. 

    This can be seen with the more recent example of hurricane Milton, which caused significant flooding throughout the state of Florida. Furthermore, 8 out of 10 of the world’s largest and most populated cities are near a coast, as stated by the U.N’s Atlas of the Oceans. This is dangerous because potential upcoming storms could affect millions of people worldwide, not just the population of Florida. 

    The impact climate change provides us is an uncertainty that looms over humans and will continue to do so unless we limit our carbon footprint. 

    Using reusable bags, switching to clean energy sources, and reducing consumption in general are a few simple ways to limit our carbon footprint. Although this is only done on an individual scale, if many people contribute, the impacts of climate change could be significantly minimized. The question remains: how will climate change continue to impact earth?