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Climate Change Its Causes and How to Mitigate It

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Karen Valdemoro
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6 views

Climate Change Its Causes and How to Mitigate It

Uploaded by

Karen Valdemoro
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Climate Change its causes and how to mitigate it!

What is climate change?


"Scientists started learning about climate change way back in the early 1800s.
They noticed some big changes in Earth's past, like the ice ages, and figured out
something called the natural greenhouse effect.

Climate change means big and long-lasting changes in how our weather works.
For example, it might make some places hotter or wetter than usual, or even cause
more big storms. Climate change happens because of different things, like how the
oceans move, living things like plants, energy from the sun, and even big movements in
Earth's plates or volcanoes.

One thing that people are doing, like using a lot of energy from burning fossil
fuels, is making our planet warmer. This is what we call 'global warming,' and it's a big
part of what we mean when we talk about 'climate change.'

Therefore, Climate change refers to alterations in the regular weather conditions of a


place, which can involve changes in rainfall patterns or temperature levels over a
specific period. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2014).

These changes are primarily driven by human activities, including burning fossil
fuels, deforestation, aerosol pollution, and intensive livestock farming. These activities
release significant quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which act like a
blanket, trapping heat and causing global warming.

Greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide,
and fluorinated gases, occur naturally in Earth's atmosphere. However, human activities
have significantly increased their concentrations, particularly CO2. It is the most
prevalent greenhouse gas produced by human activities, responsible for 64% of human-
induced global warming (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], n.d.).
For example, the burning of coal, oil, and gas releases CO2 and nitrous oxide into the
atmosphere. When forests are cut down (deforestation), trees lose their ability to absorb
CO2, and the carbon stored in them is released into the atmosphere, further
contributing to the greenhouse effect. Livestock farming, especially cows and sheep,
produces large amounts of methane when they digest their food. Fertilizers containing
nitrogen led to the release of nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, though released in
smaller quantities, have a much more potent warming effect compared to CO2 (EPA,
n.d.).

How can we mitigate climate change?

Climate change mitigation means reducing the net release of greenhouse gas
emissions that are warming our planet.

 Practice climate-friendly gardening!


Stop using gasoline-powered power tools.
Minimize use of synthetic fertilizers. They can lead to emissions of nitrous oxide,
a powerful greenhouse gas. Buy locally grown plants and garden products to
minimize transportation emissions. Grow plants that shade your house, to reduce
your air conditioning use. Use cover crops over the winter to keep carbon in the
soil.
 Reduce greenhouse gas emission through your food choices.
Eat less meat and more plant-based foods. Reduce food waste. Bring your own take-
home container to a restaurant to take home leftovers and avoid using a disposable
container. One-time-use containers waste resources and energy, leading to greenhouse
gas emissions. Compost uneaten food instead of sending it to a landfill where it
releases methane when it decomposes.

 Consume less!
It’s not about deprivation, it’s about living in a way that will sustain our lives
and other life on this planet. Reduce the amount of stuff you buy. Slow down
and think about your purchasing decisions instead of acting impulsively.
Reuse items.
 Help conserve and restore forests!
Forests excel at taking in and storing carbon. They also provide habitat for our non-
human relatives, clean our water and air, prevent flooding and soil erosion, and much
more. Advocate for stopping deforestation. Get involved in forest restoration projects.
Use fabric replacements for paper towels.

 Change your transportation.


Reduce driving by walking and biking instead, and using shared transportation, public or
private.
Conserve Water!
We have lots of good reasons not to waste water, and conserving energy is one of
them. It takes a lot of energy to clean water, pump it out to buildings, and pump the
wastewater back to be cleaned again. That energy use leads to greenhouse gas
emissions. Check for leaks and fix them quickly.

 Conserve energy!

In a fossil-fuel based society, using energy leads to greenhouse gas emissions. And
even low-carbon, clean energy sources cause some environmental degradation. It’s
critical that we find ways to use less energy. Influence businesses and industry by
letting them know you want them to be energy efficient. When it’s time to replace
appliances, buy the most energy-efficient ones you can afford. Switch to LED light bulbs
and change your transportation.
 Use renewable energy!

The most direct and long-term cost-savings approach is to install solar panels at your
home.

In closing let me leave you with a saying from leonardo Di Caprio “Climate change is
real. It is happening right now; it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species
and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.”

Leonardo Di Caprio, Actor & Environmentalist

References

[1] IPCC, Summary for Policymakers [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, E.S.
Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, M. Tignor, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S.
Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem (eds.)]. In: Climate Change
2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working
Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S.
Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S.
Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University
Press. In Press, 2022. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-
report-working-group-ii/

[2] IPCC, AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis
Outreach Materials,
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGI
_SPM_Basic_Slide_Deck_Figures.pdf , accessed April 13, 2022.

[3] “All-Electric Vehicles,”


https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evtech.shtml , accessed April 13,
2022.

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