Tag: Climate Change

Human Caused Climate Change Is Here And Must Be Battled Now

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

10-4-22
   Human Caused Climate Change is here!
   It’s too late to prevent it.
   It’s here whether we like it or not! And worse yet is that human activity brought this on.
   That’s right, it’s our fault.
   Human activity, particularly the extensive use of fossil fuels for energy on top of widespread destruction of forests, has resulted in rising CO2 levels in the Earth’s atmosphere. In 1850, the CO2 level was 280 ppm (parts per million) while in November, 2020, it was 415 ppm. That is a major increase in atmospheric CO2, which along with other gases, has created a greenhouse effect that is warming the planet.
   What makes the situation even more tragic is that scientists have been warning everyone about this for decades. But most people ignored it.
   Well, it can’t be ignored any longer!
   The effects of Climate Change are affecting us now.
   For example, glaciers and the polar ice caps are melting at an alarmingly rapid rate, thus raising ocean levels, which in turn leads to more coastal flooding (especially when big storms come through). Many mountain snowpacks are getting smaller in winter (and often melting sooner), in large part due to the fact that more precipitation is falling as rain (especially at lower elevations) instead of snow for more of the year. This means that water problems will likely worsen for areas that rely heavily on the spring melt for their drinking water and agriculture, places like California and India.
   Climate Change is also affecting weather patterns, the result of which is that some areas are experiencing greater numbers of more intense storms while others are getting significantly drier (so that drought conditions are occurring more frequently and often with increased severity in these regions). This is why we are seeing worsening wildfire problems in various parts of the world such as California and Australia. Both of these places were already prone to wildfires, but as these regions become hotter and drier, they are experiencing wildfires that are greater in terms of number and intensity.
   Climate Change is also affecting tropical coral reefs around the world. Increasing air temperatures are warming the oceans’ water. When the water gets too warm, coral expels algae that was living in its tissues. This turns the coral white in color (also known as coral bleaching). In this state, the coral is under stress and at greater risk of dying.
   Now consider the following: as the conditions of the planet continue to be adversely altered (by human actions), there is a greater chance of more animal species going extinct.
   Because of us humans.
   These are just some of the effects we are seeing from Human Caused Climate Change.
   Now, it’s up to all of us to work together in battling it to try to minimize the damage.
Each one of us must make changes in our daily lives to be more pro-environment. Examples include using public transportation, carpooling, driving vehicles with better fuel efficiency, recycling, decreasing use of plastic (take permanent reusable bags to the grocery store, and if you use plastic bags, take them back to the store for recycling (plastic bags can’t be put in curbside recycling in most places)), and educate yourself. Spread the word. Put pressure on businesses, governments, and organizations to become more pro-environment.
   In addition to these, vote!
   Vote for elected officials who acknowledge Human Caused Climate Change and are taking action to fight it.
   Vote out Climate Change deniers.
   If we all take action, we can slow Climate Change down and minimize the damage.
   But we must act now! 

https://climate.nasa.gov/

http://ocean.si.edu/through-time/ancient-seas/sea-level-rise

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html#:~:text=When%20water%20is%20too%20warm,and%20are%20subject%20to%20mortality.

Earth Is In Serious Trouble If We Don’t Make Major Changes. Period.

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science, Social Issues

   Earth is amazing when you think about it. The Universe is such a vast place with countless stars, planets, solar systems, and galaxies. It’s incredible to think about how so many things had to come together just right in order for life as we know it to form and evolve on this world. If Earth had been a little closer to the Sun or a little farther out, it wouldn’t have happened.
   So it’s really unfathomable how human beings, who are supposed to be the most intelligent species on the planet, are in the process of destroying the only home we have.
   Why are we doing this? Why are human beings devastating this beautiful world?
   Humans get so caught up in their daily lives that they often become thoughtless and short-sighted. They seem to only think about what will improve their own personal lives, families, careers, friends, and so on. People often lose sight of the bigger picture. Many don’t think about how their actions impact the world around them and as a whole. Plus, there are also humans who knowingly damage the environment out of pure greed. They don’t care. Companies and individuals that have willfully and illegally dumped toxic waste into lakes and rivers are classic examples.
   Most of the time I would say it’s a combination of these various factors. There are plenty of people who don’t necessarily want to be hurtful and greedy, yet to varying degrees become so as they pursue what they want and what they feel they need.
   The thing is: there is overwhelming evidence that human activity is causing serious damage to the only home we have, Earth. Ecosystems are being lost and too many species of animals and plants are on the verge of extinction because of human activity. CO2 levels continue to rise which is leading to dangerous increases in global temperatures and changes in the Earth’s climate. This in turn leads to more frequent extreme weather events, droughts, wildfires, water shortages, and more. Many scientists are genuinely concerned that if things don’t change very soon, there will be mass extinctions of many species of animals and plants.
   We can’t keep doing this to the only home we have.
   We all need to make changes in our lives, big and small, in order to take better care of Earth. People need to start educating themselves and seeing the bigger picture of what is going on and what we need to do.
   If we start making better choices and working to make this a better world, in a hundred years, Earth could be a beautiful place where humans and nature have found a balance and live in harmony.
   But if we continue down the destructive path that we are headed, in a 100 years, Earth will be a place that is grossly overpopulated, badly polluted, and where countless species of plants and animals have gone extinct.
   It’s time for all of us to make changes so that in a hundred years, the former will hopefully be true and not the latter.
  

http://ocean.si.edu/through-time/ancient-seas/sea-level-rise

https://climate.nasa.gov/

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772

Current Events Reveal How Much We Need To Shift To Renewable, Clean Energy Sources

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

March 7, 2022
   The rise in petroleum prices that we are seeing these days reinforces the need for the United States and other countries to speed up the shift to renewable, clean energy. Supply chain issues, the COVID Pandemic, and now Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine are all playing roles in the current rise of gas prices (and inflation) which we’re seeing around the world.
   Humanity started to increasingly rely on the use of fossil fuels in the 19th century with the use of coal to warm homes, power factories, and run railroads and steamships. With the invention of the combustion engine, fossil fuel use really exploded in the 20th century as more and more people relied on automobiles powered by petroleum products. Coal firing plants to supply energy to cities grew in size and number as did manufacturing facilities. The result of all this was a precipitous rise in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. According to NASA, during the last Ice Age, CO2 levels were around 185 ppm (parts per million)and rose to about 280 ppm by 1850. In January of 2022, it was up to 418. This dramatic increase since 1850 is clearly due to human activity (particularly from the use of fossil fuels). We know from exhaustive research that rising atmospheric CO2 levels causes average temperatures to go up as well, which in turn has created the Climate Change Crisis that the planet is experiencing today.
   In order to combat Human Caused Climate Change, we need to lower atmospheric CO2 levels, and the best way to do that is to decrease the use of fossil fuels while increasing the use of renewable, clean energy sources. Another added benefit will be less reliance on having to import petroleum from other parts of the world because as we are currently seeing how regional and world events can lead to rising petroleum prices that we have to pay due to our reliance on fossil fuels.
   With everything that is going on (including the likelihood of banning Russian petroleum exports),  in the short term, other parts of the world will need to increase oil production in order to prevent gas prices from getting too exorbitantly high. But in the long run, we need to speed up the process of shifting away from fossil fuels and towards the use of renewable, clean energy because it will be better for the planet and also will likely allow the United States and other countries to become less reliant on the necessity to import such significant amounts of their energy needs.

It’s Earth Day! And We Have A Long Way To Go In Battling Climate Change!

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science, Social Issues

4-22-20
   Human Caused Climate Change is here!
   It’s too late to prevent it.
   It’s here!
   What makes this even more tragic is that scientists have been warning everyone about this for decades. But most ignored it.
   Well, it can’t be ignored any longer!
   The effects of Climate Change are here now.
   CO2 levels are rising. This, along with other gases, is creating the greenhouse effect which is warming our planet.
   As a result, glaciers and the polar ice caps are melting, thus raising ocean levels. Mountain snowpacks are getting smaller in winter since more precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow. This means that water problems will likely worsen for areas that rely on the spring melt for their drinking water, places such as California and India.
   Weather patterns are changing so that some areas are seeing a greater number of intense storms while others are getting drier with more droughts. The latter is why we are seeing worsening wildfires. For example, California and Australia were already prone to wildfires before, but as they get hotter and drier, they are experiencing wildfires that are greater in terms of number and intensity.
   These are just some of the effects we are seeing from Human Caused Climate Change.
   Now, it’s up to all of us to work together in battling it to try to minimize the damage.
Each one of us must make changes in our daily lives to be more pro-environment. Examples include using public transportation, carpooling (after COVID), driving vehicles with better fuel efficiency, recycling, decreasing use of plastic (take permanent reusable bags to the grocery store, and if you use plastic bags, take them back to the store for recycling (plastic bags can’t be put in curbside recycling in most places)), and educate yourself. Spread the word too. Put pressure on businesses and organizations to become more pro-environment.
   In addition to these, vote!
   Vote for elected officials who acknowledge Human Caused Climate Change and are taking action to fight it.
   Vote out Climate Change deniers.
   If we all take action, we can slow Climate Change down and minimize the damage.
   But we must act now!

Sobering Report On Future Effects Of Human Caused Climate Change

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science, Social Issues

The Center for Climate and Security Institute, a nonpartisan organization, has released a very sobering report on the current and projected effects of Human Caused Climate Change on our planet.


The planet is now 2°F warmer than before the 19th Century’s Industrial Revolution. While to some that may not seem like much, as an average, it is quite significant. The polar icecaps are melting at a startling rate. The melted ice has to go somewhere, and this raises the ocean levels around the planet. We are already seeing changing weather patterns with more extreme storms, a greater number of droughts that are more intense, and of course wildfire outbreaks that are worsening in terms of numbers and severity.


Coral in the oceans are bleaching and dying at a troublingly rapid rate, and waterfront communities big and small are and will be facing worsening flooding problems.


In numerous areas of the world, including India and California, melting snowpacks from the mountains provide a large percentage of the drinking water communities rely on. As temperatures rise, the snowpacks will get smaller with the result that significantly less water will be available for collection during the spring snow melt.


Because of these and other impacts, we could see population shifts as some areas become less and less hospitable. There will be greater strains on societies that would likely lead to increased instability and conflict both within nations and between nations.


It is clear that Human Caused Climate Change is affecting us now and has the potential to have serious widespread implications for our future.


In order to minimize these effects, we must take action now by making changes in our daily lives, putting pressure on businesses and organizations to be more environmentally friendly, and vote in elected leaders who will fight Climate Change.


It’s too late for prevention. Climate Change is here! Now we must deal with the results and try to minimize the damage.


It’s up to all of us…

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/24/climate-change-could-catastrophic-national-security-threat-report-warns/4832552002/

New Study Shows 1/3rd Of All Animal And Plant Species Could Go Extinct By 2070 Due To Climate Change

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

Here’s the deal.

Human activity caused Climate Change, primarily by increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Elevated CO2 along with other Greenhouse Gases then warms the planet.

The evidence is overwhelming!

A new study by scientists at the University of Arizona shows that 1/3rd of all animal and plant species could go extinct by 2070 if Climate Change is not checked.

According to the study, a big problem would be the increasingly hot summers. Temperatures would reach levels that would be too hot for many animal and plant species to survive. Those that can’t escape or adequately adapt would die out.

In other words: Go Extinct.

Another study by the United Nations, released in May of 2019, says that up to 1 million species could face extinction due to human activity.

The danger is real and here now. We must all do our part in combating Climate Change!

Like making adjustments in our daily lives to be more environmentally friendly (decrease our carbon footprint).

Also putting pressure on elected officials and businesses to be more pro environment.

This includes voting out Climate Change deniers and voting in people who are environmentally aware and fighting to take action.

We also need to vote Trump out of office and vote in the Democratic Presidential Candidate so that the United States rejoins the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Because fighting Climate Change has got to be a worldwide effort, and the United States should be a leader in that effort.

So let’s work together in battling Climate Change in order to minimize the damage that humanity is inflicting on our home, Planet Earth.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/14/climate-change-study-plant-animal-extinction/4760646002/

Doomsday Clock Moved Closer To Doomsday Than It Has Ever Been

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science, Social Issues

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organization, has moved the Doomsday Clock to 100 seconds to midnight, midnight being Doomsday.
   The Clock represents the dangers and risks of catastrophe currently facing our planet, and multiple factors have led to this current state of affairs.
   One is that the risk of nuclear war is still very much present, and frankly, the odds of nuclear weapons being used in some fashion have gone up as more nations develop them. Terror organizations are trying to get their hands on a nuclear device and would use it if they got one. Imagine the ramifications of New York City being consumed in a nuclear conflagration.
   Another scenario is a confrontation between nuclear powers escalating and getting out of hand. The US vs Russia or China. India vs Pakistan. With the Nuclear Deal in tatters, Iran is more likely to develop nuclear weapons. If that happens, Saudi Arabia would do the same.
   A miscommunication or accident between nuclear powers could result in a nuclear exchange. This has nearly happened already. One example occurred on January 25, 1995. On that day, a group of scientists launched a research rocket from Norway. They had warned multiple countries including all the nuclear powers. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Russian Radar Technicians, who then thought it could be a nuclear first strike from the United States. The nuclear command suitcase was brought to Russian President Boris Yeltsin who for several tense minutes considered whether to retaliate with nuclear weapons or wait figuring it was a mistake. Fortunately for history, he chose the latter.
   Human Caused Climate Change is another reason for the Clock change. Climate Change is here and the planet is already suffering from its effects. Worsening wildfires, droughts, extreme weather, melting polar icecaps raising ocean levels, the list goes on. Add to that the fact that political leaders such as a Donald Trump and others are still denying Climate Change and are taking actions that worsen the situation.
   A third factor is cyber/information warfare. This trend will continue and spread. Cyber attacks could cripple air traffic control systems, power infrastructure, and more. False information planted in social media also creates confusion and can worsen societal conflicts. A cyber attack upon defense systems could conceivably lead to an accidental nuclear exchange.
   We are living in dangerous, complex times.
   This is why the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than it has ever been since the Clock’s creation in 1947. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/23/doomsday-clock-well-find-out-thursday-how-close-we-midnight/4541997002/

Catastrophic Australian Wildfires Are Example Of Climate Change Effects

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

One of the wildfires raging in Australia measures 1.5 million acres, about the size of the state of Delaware.
   And that’s just one fire!
   The devastation consuming Australia is heartbreaking. All the wild animals who have perished is horrendous. Australia’s beloved koala bears may become significantly more endangered as a result of the number killed and habitat that has been lost.
   Human Caused Climate Change is a major culprit in the nightmare unfolding before us. Hotter, drier conditions in addition to high winds are making fire conditions much worse so that we are seeing wildfires which are more severe in terms of number, size, and severity.
   All of us need to work at combating Climate Change. Decrease our carbon footprint and elect officials who are pro-environment.
   It’s too late to prevent Climate Change.
   Now, we are trying to minimize the damage.
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/01/10/megafire-measuring-15-million-acres-forms-australia-bush-fires-merge/
  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-climate-change-may-make-australia-wildfires-more-common https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-fires-how-climate-change-has-intensified-the-deadly-bushfires/

The Effects of Human Caused Climate Change Are Here!

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

Human Caused Climate Change is here!
It’s too late to prevent it.
It’s here!
What makes this even more tragic is that scientists have been warning everyone about this for decades. But most ignored it.
Well, it can’t be ignored any longer!
The effects of Climate Change are here now.
CO2 levels are rising. This, along with other gases, is creating the greenhouse effect which is warming our planet.
As a result, glaciers and the polar ice caps are melting, raising ocean levels. Mountain snowpacks are getting smaller in winter since more precipitation is falling as rain than before.
Weather patterns are changing so that some areas are seeing more intense storms while others are getting drier with more droughts. The latter is why we are seeing worsening wildfires.
For example, California and Australia were both prone to wildfires, but as they get hotter and drier, they are experiencing wildfires that are greater in number and intensity.
Water problems in areas that rely on melting snowpacks (like California and India) will worsen in the future as the snowpacks in the mountains get smaller. That means less water when they melt in the spring.
These are just some of the effects we are seeing.
Human Caused Climate Change is real and here!
It’s too late to prevent it.
Now, it’s up to all of us to work together in battling it to try to minimize the damage.
Each one of us must make changes in our daily lives to be more pro-environment. Examples include using public transportation, carpooling, driving vehicles with better fuel efficiency, recycling, decreasing use of plastic (take permanent reusable bags to the grocery store, and if you use plastic bags, take them back to the store for recycling (plastic bags can’t be put in curbside recycling in most places)), and educate yourself. Spread the word too. Put pressure on businesses and organizations to become more pro-environment.
In addition to these, vote!
Vote for elected officials who acknowledge Human Caused Climate Change and are taking action to fight it.
Vote out Climate Change deniers.
If we all take action, we can slow Climate Change down and minimize the damage.
But we must act now!

Human Caused Climate Change Is REAL!

by inmanb17cedcb09, posted in Current Events, Science

Climate Change is here folks. That’s a fact!
Human activity caused it. That is quite clear. Human use of fossil fuels while destroying forests has increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. This creates an overall warming effect of the planet.
The polar ice caps are melting as a result at an alarming rate which is causing ocean levels to rise. Weather patterns are also being altered.
We must act now to try to minimize the damage.
Vote in elected officials who will be proactive in battling Climate Change.
Adjust your daily lives with carpooling, using public transportation, getting a more fuel efficient vehicle when it’s time to buy one, recycling, trying to decrease your overall carbon footprint.
And speak up! But verify your data and information to ensure accuracy. Spreading false information causes harm.
Together we can make a difference! Here is a NASA site about Climate Change. https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/