Change Your World Week Fall 2021 (Archived)

Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollution:

Cities are contributors to air pollution which has a major effect on climate change. Up to 78% of the world's energy is used by cities and as a result, produce more than half of greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere. Urban landscapes are also responsible for air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels causes global warming by the released carbon dioxide into the air. The production of every day items such as cement, clothes,steel, and electronics require the energy from burning fossil fuels from the manufacturers. While carbon dioxide is also produced by various natural processes such as volcanic eruptions and respiration; " humans have increased atmospheric CO₂ concentration by 48% since the Industrial Revolution began." (https://climate.nasa.gov/) These increased carbon levels are one of a few different gases that contribute to the greenhouse gasses that effect our atmosphere. Other greenhouse gasses involved include, methane (produced by decomposition of trash in landfills and agriculture), nitrous oxide (produced by commercial and organic fertilizers, as well as fossil fuel combustion), and chlorofluorocarbons (help trap heat in the lower atmosphere, which contributes to the warming of the Earth). Chlorofluorocarbons are also responsible for the changing weather/ climate of the Earth.

Deforestation

We rely on our forests in order to produce paper, materials for buildings, medicine, and most importantly to breathe. Trees help filter the carbon in the air and release the oxygen we need to breathe. By cutting them down, we're increasing the amount of emissions of carbon in the air especially since after each tree is cut down, it releases that absorbed carbon.

The Sun

Studies have show that the amount of energy produced by the sun has been changing since 1750. For example, there was a decrease in solar activity from 1650-1850 which caused an increase in volcanic activity which is believed to be responsible for a small Ice Age that occurred around the same time.

Climate change has affected seasonal temperatures. As we all know, temperature increases throughout the year, but climate change has increased the temperature in certain seasons. The average winter temperatures in the United States have increased by 3 degrees. The spring temperatures have increased about 2 degrees. Summer and fall temperatures have increased by 1.4 degrees. This has all happened since 1896. As global temperatures are rising, the number of places impacted by extreme heat are also rising. Extreme heat causes the need for air conditioning, fueling carbon pollution and putting a strain on our energy system that can lead to blackouts. This is also very bad and causes a serious health threat especially to people with very weak immune systems.

We learn that climate change has also affected precipitation. Between 1910 and 1980, single day precipitation stayed steady but has risen a lot since then. In 1996, one of the top ten years for extreme one day precipitation events have occurred since then. In the United States in 2018 rainfall averages 36.2 inches over a 12-month period, this was more than 6 inches about average and breaking a record. 

 Between the 1930s and the 1950s were the most widespread droughts. Within the last 50 years, they have typically been wetter than average. The west has experienced more drought and the Midwest and northeast have been wetter. High temperatures boost evaporation, so it dries out the soil in the summer which intensifies drought in many areas. When the temperatures are high this leads to drier conditions. When the temperature rises, moisture evaporates from water and soil. Thanks to climate change, droughts have become more severe and long lasting. 

https://www.edf.org/climate/climate-change-and-extreme-weather

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate

https://earthjustice.org/features/how-climate-change-is-fueling-extreme-weather  

Climate Change Is sometimes only look at as an effect on the weather, But there are many effects is has on society as well. There are some areas of the world where it might be a benefit to have a slight increase in warming, but the negative impacts will be greater than any positive impact. The amount of research on climate changes effects on society has doubled from 2005-2010 and has led to more information that is easy to access for the general public. 

Climate change will lead to a decrease in global income, increase in wars due to a lack of resources, global water inequality, and many other negative effects. 

Even though economic forecasts are difficult to predict normally, there could be a 0.2-2% decrease in the global economy with just a two degree celsius change. Any imbalance in the economy could lead to catastrophic events that would harm the working class and even the upper class if the temperature continues to rise. We also have to take into account all of the money put towards natural disasters due to climate change. In the figure bellow it can be see that in the past decade the amount of disasters that close over a billion dollars to fix, has increased significantly.

The effect of global warming will also effect our farmers. Increased temperatures will help the farmers with certain crops, but our major crop production (Rice, Maize, and wheat) will also fall with a two degree celsius change. This might not seem like a big problem but this will reduce the amount of food accessible to people, which will increase the amount of undernourished people.

We will see the effects of global warming all over the world but the ones most effected by it will be developing nations disproportionately to more wealthy nations. The world will also see a decline in the global water quality but, the tropical and subtropical areas of the world experiencing more frequent droughts due to the increase of temperature. This will lead to a reduced access to clean and safe drinking water which is necessary for human life.

In order to help stop climate change, there are things we need to do. One way is to reduce deforestation. Trees are a very essential tool in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. During photosynthesis, plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen which is very helpful to all life. There are so many ways to help reduce your carbon footprint, above there is a link to find out what more you can do!

Companies doing their part to erase carbon footprint

Large companies like Amazon are doing their part to help reduce their carbon footprint. Amazon predicts that they will have net-zero carbon emission by the year 2040. Amazon has achieved 65% across their stores, which has grown from 45% back in 2019. With large companies doing their part, this can be a major advancement for fighting against climate change. 

Here are a list of multiple companies doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint: 

Starbucks, Google, McDonalds, BMW, Ford, Disney, Taco Bell, Target, Walmart... want to see more companies doing their part? Check out the link below to see 101 Companies being apart of the solution. 

Change can start from anyone... Why not you? 

Now that you have learned a little bit more about Climate Change, you can take the next step in solving the problem. What will you go out and do? Our world is in our hands, the question is what are we going to do with it? 

Climate change is a issue that cannot go away just because you start to recycle, or stop buying plastic straws. This is going to be solved by all of us working together to enact social change through effort and policies. You can take the first step right now and sign our petition that we are presenting to you. Right now, a company you’ve probably never heard of is lobbying the Department of Interior to speed through environmental impact surveys so they can drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Home to polar bears and caribou, and the Gwich'in Athabascan Native Americans. It’s the last untouched slice of nature in the United States.

If you feel strongly about the information that we have presented to you, then take initiative and help us heal the world. One step at a time. 

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-solutions/cities-pollution

https://www.un.org/en/observances/forests-and-trees-day

https://vni.s3.amazonaws.com/190205131041971.png

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/time-series

Healey J. Climate Change Crisis. The Spinney Press; 2014. Accessed November 4, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e700xna&AN=818254&site=ehost-live&scope=site

https://climate.nasa.gov/