The climate is changing constantly. For 4.5 billion years of the Earth’s existence, it has been much warmer and much colder than it is now. However, collecting all the available global temperature data, it is obvious that the growth rate has never been that high. Not absolute temperature values are unique, but the rate of their changes. The problem is that the climate is changing so fast, it makes almost impossible for our planet to adapt to it. Greenhouse gases are at the highest levels they have ever been over the last 800,000 years and global temperatures are rising at an unprecedented rate.
Why is it important? Because global warming is destroying the conditions in which our civilization has developed. Everything that our life depends on is threatened: clean water, weather, agriculture, biodiversity, infrastructure. In some parts of the world, hurricanes and floods are much more likely to occur and in others - droughts. Due to the increase in the World Ocean level, whole cities and countries can go underwater and other territories will become unsuitable for living due to the heat in the next decade. Food and drinking water problems may increase the number of refugees and armed conflicts.
The increase in the sea level is primarily due to the simple thermal expansion of water - like any substance, it expands when heated and on a global scale, it leads to an increase in ocean level. But while we tend to understand climate change through its effects on nature, we forget how many people already get affected by it. Global warming has created inequalities between developing and developed states, different ethnicities, classes, genders, generations, and communities. The poorest ones suffer the most taking the burden of severe weather conditions. In fact, due to climate change leaving people in poverty, one can lose what has been achieved during his whole life. For instance, global temperatures rise caused by human activities leads to:
negative impact on agriculture and threat to food security;
a further decrease in the amount of water and its quality in regions where most communities depend on rainwater used for drinking and agriculture;
the spread of malaria, fever, and other diseases in tropical and subtropical regions, an increase in mortality.
But mostly, sea-level rise caused by the expected rise in temperature will deprive tens of millions of people living in low-lying areas, as well as jeopardize the existence of small island states.
97% of researchers believe that the main cause of rapid climate change is a human activity. Global warming will continue to affect humanity if we do not act. The clear deadline to avoid a catastrophe is to halve the greenhouse emissions by 2030. If we succeed in limiting the increase of global temperature to only 1.5°C, we will protect millions of people both exposed to climate-related risks and susceptible to poverty.
Before we wait for new laws and reforms, we might want to change our ways of living. Green Mo. is consulting brands and individuals on how to reduce our total ecological footprint.