Let’s face it. Combating the changes taking place in the climate has become a matter of survival. Most of the changes that are happening in the climate pose a serious threat to every living thing on earth: humans, plants, animals, etc. It is widely believed that if the changes taking place are not somehow combated and controlled, they will soon become irreversible and, in the long run, the consequences are going be catastrophic.
Some of the changes would include much of Europe being covered by water due to the rise in sea levels caused by melting glaciers and eventually disappearing completely. In other parts of the world there would be an acute shortage of fresh water. There would be an increase of natural calamities like storms, floods, tsunamis, famines and earthquakes. These would take an immense toll on the economies of these nations and human population of earth as they struggle to cope with the damage.
Understanding the change taking place is important. It is our understanding that will help us in combating climate change. The change in climate has led to changes in rain and snowfall patterns. It seems each year the summers are hotter than the previous ones while the winter produces less snow and cold weather than previous years.
The temperature of the earth was by large constant till the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In the 250 years since the Industrial Revolution, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have led to the Greenhouse Effect which is rapidly changing the climate. Trees naturally convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, but with the dwindling number of trees there is a shortage of oxygen and an increase in carbon dioxide to go along with the methane gas that is release from landfills, and fertilizers whose use is ever increasing.
What can we do about combating climate change? Everyone has an equal responsibility and an equal opportunity. Some of the ways would be ensuring less use of machinery and electronics. Drying clothes in the sun instead of the washing machine is an example. It is a simple example, a simple, but never the less a very effective example. Any one can do that. It doesn’t take a corporate giant to do it.
Changes in the climate will have an effect on everything. Rainfall, snowfall, forest and wildlife, marine life, and weather will all be affected by changes in the climate. Make no mistake about it: combating climate change has become mankind’s most urgent agenda and responsibility. What is stopping you from finding out what steps you can take personally to help alleviate the effects of global warming on the Earth. Do you not think that you, your family, and all that you know should at least do their part to save and protect the Earth for future generations?
