Since the Industrial Revolution, the world's annual temperature has risen just over 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, in total. Between 1880, the year that accurate data logging began, and 1980, it increased an average of 0.07 degrees Celsius every decade.
Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: Over the past 40 years, we've seen global annual temperatures rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius per decade.
The result? A planet that has never been so hot. Nine of the ten hottest years since 1880 have occurred since 2005, and the five hottest years on record have all occurred since 2015. Climate change deniers have argued that there has been a "pause" or "slowdown" in the rise in global temperatures.
Still, numerous studies, including a 2018 article published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, have refuted this affirmation. The impacts of global warming are already harming people around the world.
1. Travel & Transportation
Burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) causes the Earth's atmosphere to warm resulting in a climate change that we are already starting to see today.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation account for approximately 29% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Between 1990 and 2019, greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector increased in absolute terms more than any other sector.
2. Industrialization
Industrialization is when a particular economy changes from a traditional economy based on agriculture to the industrial production of materials. The process of industrialization has changed almost all structures of society.
According to experts, there is a direct relationship between industrialization and global warming. The Earth's temperature has risen by 1 ° C since the industrial revolution of 1750. This is clear evidence that industrialization is a direct cause of global warming.
Although 1'C may not seem like much, it is a massive amount for the lifespan of the Earth. The limits of 1.5 ° C and 2 ° C were set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the highest land that can reach before the onset of global disasters.
3. Deforestation
Millions of acres of forest are cleared each year, either to harvest timber to produce lumber or paper, to clear land for agriculture and ranching, or to make way for residential and industrial areas.
Forests store vast amounts of carbon, removing it primarily from the air and preventing it from being absorbed into the atmosphere. This is especially true of tropical rainforests, which are even more threatened than d' other regions.
In addition to losing the natural air-washing function of trees, deforestation reduces biodiversity, which can have ripple effects in entire ecosystems, putting whole species at risk.
4. Livestock Production
While much of the world is focused on transitioning from fossil fuels as a way to tackle climate change, there is another, often overlooked, culprit of climate change: animal agriculture and its environmental impact. Animal agriculture is the second-largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions after fossil fuels and is a significant cause of deforestation, water and air pollution, and land loss.
To house the 70 billion animals reared for human consumption each year, a third of the planet's ice-free land surface, as well as nearly 16% of the world's freshwater, is dedicated to animal husbandry. By 2050, the consumption of meat and dairy products is expected to increase by 76% and 64%, respectively, which will increase the resource load on the industry.
5. Use of Aerosols
Like many types of dust from crushed rock, some aerosols are light in color and even somewhat reflective. When the sun's rays shine on them, they bounce off the atmosphere, preventing heat from reaching the Earth's surface.
But other aerosols, such as small grains of black charcoal from burnt charcoal or wood, do the opposite, absorbing heat from the sun when it hits. This ends up heating the atmosphere, although it cools the Earth's surface by preventing heat from globally.
This effect is probably less than the cooling induced by most aerosols. It is far from nonexistent, and the more carbonaceous matter accumulates in the atmosphere, the warmer the atmosphere is.
You must be logged in to post a comment.