The causes and effects of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is the long-term shift of temperatures and weather in an area (Society, 2021). The. climatic conditions of a particular place include wind patterns, average rainfall, and seasonal temperatures. Sometimes it is linked with destructive weather occurrences, for example, floods, winter storms, and hurricanes (Society, 2021). This paper will discuss about climate change and the focus will be on the causes and effects.
Causes
Firstly, human activities are the leading causes of climate change. Humans usually cause climate change through their day-to-day activities and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and this increases global warming (“Causes of climate change”, 2021). These human activities include agriculture, burning fossil fuels, dumping waste materials in landmines, and deforestation. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal emits carbon dioxide in the atmosphere whereas, deforestation makes the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere be higher because trees usually absorb this carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. When these waste materials dumped in the landmines decompose, they release methane gas into the atmosphere which eventually leads to global warming (“Causes of climate change”, 2021).
Secondly, greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect also affect the climatic conditions of a particular place. These gases usually trap, retain, and prevent heat from escaping into space. They act as a blanket responsible for warming the earth and this is regarded as the “greenhouse effect” (“Causes of climate change”, 2021). In the recent past, more gases are being added into the air mainly by human activities and instead of keeping the earth warm they are retaining excessive heat making the planet to have unstable temperatures and this is amongst the major causes of climatic changes globally.
Thirdly, natural changes and forces to the climate too cause climate change. These earthy factors lead to global warming in the atmosphere. The natural forcings that have led to climate changes include; volcanic mountains eruptions and solar irradiances which means the dynamic energy from the sun (“Causes of climate change”, 2021).
Effects
The drastic rise of sea levels is one of the impacts of climate change globally. In the past one hundred years, the moderate sea level has risen by more than 20 centimeters. These rising levels are caused by the melting of ice mass and ice sheets and the expansion of the seawaters (Primer, 2021). Storms and torrential downpours are also impacts of climate change. That is because climate change most of the time affects the levels of moisture in the atmosphere therefore, instead of steady showers when violent downpours are experienced which causes flooding (Primer, 2021).
Thirdly, excessive heat waves and dryness in particular areas are the main effects of the long-term shift of climatic conditions. Despite the heavy rainfalls in some areas, drought and excessive heat waves are becoming common in other areas globally (Primer, 2021). Global warming is disturbing the entire weather system making dry areas get hotter and drier. Other places that were once temperate and used to receive regular rainfall are also becoming much dry and hot.
In conclusion, climate change may lead to unpredictability in the weather patterns. Throughout world history, climatic conditions have continually changed, human activities are currently the leading causes of climate change globally (Society, 2021). Furthermore, it has changed the whole ecosystem. This is because it is interfering with how species live, interact, and other biological events. In some parts of the world, for example, Europe, thousands of plant species will soon disappear while others will move hundreds of miles away. That is due to the complete ecological change caused by climate change. (Primer, 2021).
References
Causes of climate change. Met Office. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/causes-of-climate-change.
Primer. (2021). Climate change, what is it? Understanding the basic facts about global warming. Warm Heart Worldwide. Retrieved from https://warmheartworldwide.org/climate-change/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_L6LBhBbEiwA4c46ughtjzr92D_iviOebmTu2WFGo9FzUy4hZdVNLNeG1YmRNxr6cM_-LhoCTYkQAvD_BwE.
Society, N. (2021). Climate Change. National Geographic Society. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/climate-change/.