The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole. Since 1906, the global average surface temperature has increased by more than 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius)—even more in sensitive polar regions. And the impacts of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future–the effects of global warming are appearing right now. The heat is melting glaciers and sea ice, shifting precipitation patterns, and setting animals on the move.
Many people think of global warming and climate change as synonyms, but scientists prefer to use “climate change” when describing the complex shifts now affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems. Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas, and a range of other impacts. All of these changes are emerging as humans continue to add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Scientists already have documented these impacts
of climate change:
· Ice is
melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain
glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea
ice. In Montana's Glacier National Park the number of glasiers has declined to fewer than 30 from more than 150 in
1910.
·
Much of
this melting ice contributes to sea-level rise. Global sea levels are rising 0.13 inches (3.2 millimeters) a year, and the rise is occurring at a faster rate in recent years.
·
Rising
temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats. Vanishing ice has
challenged species such as the Adelie penguin in Antarctica, where some populations on the western peninsula have collapsed by 90
percent or more.
·
As
temperatures change, many species are on the move. Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants
have migrated farther north or to higher, cooler areas.
· Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average. Yet some regions are experiencing more severe drought, increasing the risk of wildfires, lost crops, and drinking water shortages.
·
Some
species—including mosquitoes, ticks, jellyfish, and crop pests—are thriving. Booming populations of bark beetles that feed on spruce and pine trees, for
example, have devastated millions of forested acres in the U.S.
What causes climate change?
The mechanics of the earth’s climate system are
simple. When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space
(mostly by clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the
planet cools. When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric
gases prevent heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the
greenhouse effect), the planet warms. A variety of factors, both natural and
human, can influence the earth’s climate system.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Risks Report, the failure to mitigate and adapt to climate
change will be “the most impactful risk” facing communities worldwide in the
coming decade—ahead even of weapons of mass destruction and water crises. Blame
its cascading
effects: As climate change
transforms global ecosystems, it affects everything from the places we live to
the water we drink to the air we breathe.
If we do not do anything and things continue to go on like right now then a day in future will come when humans will become extinct from the surface of the earth. But instead of neglecting these problems we start acting on then we can save the earth and our future.Although humans mistake has caused great damage to the climate and ecosystem. But, it is not late to start again and try to undo what we have done until now to damage the environment. And if every human start contributing to the environment then we can be sure of our existence in the future.
Infographic:
Picture Reference:
https://www.sobaka.ru/city/science/97023
https://weather.com/news/climate/news/skinny-polar-bear-photo
Turamiyeva Aruzhan
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