What is global warming?
A: Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temp has been increasing 'in total' by little more than 1 degree Celsius, or 'bout 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 1880—the year accurate record keeping began—and 1980, it done rose on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: For the last 40 years, we have seen the global annual temp rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade.
The result? A planet that ain't never been hotter. Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since 2005—and 5 warmest years on record have occurred since 2015. Climate change deniers are arguing that there has been a “pause” or a “slowdown” in rising global temps, but numerous studies, including a 2018 paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, have disproved this claim. The impacts of global warming are already harming' folk 'around the world.
Now climate scientists have concluded that we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 if we are avoiding' a future in which everyday life around the world be marked by its worst, most devastating' effects: extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and other disasters that we are referred to collectively as climate change. These effects can be felt by all folk in one way or another but are experienced most acutely by underprivileged, economically marginalized, and folk of color, for whom climate change is often a key driver of , displacement, hunger, and social unrest.
What is causing global warming?
A: Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that bounce off the earth’s surface. Normally this radiation would escape into space, but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. These heat-trapping pollutants—specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic fluorinated gasses -- are known as greenhouse gasses, and their impact is called the greenhouse effect.
Though natural cycles and fluctuations caused the earth’s climate to change several times over the last 800,000 years, our current era of global warming is directly attributable to human activity—specifically to our burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas, which results in the greenhouse effect. In the United States, the largest source of greenhouse gasses is transportation (29 percent), followed closely by electricity production (28 percent) and industrial activity (22 percent). Learn about the natural and human causes of climate change.
Curbin's dangerous climate change requires very deep cuts in emissions, as well as using alternatives to fossil fuels worldwide. The good news is that countries around the globe have formally committed—as part of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement—to lowering' their emissions by setting new standards and crafting new policies to meet or even exceed those standards. The not-so-good news is that we ain’t workin' fast enough. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists tell us that we need to reduce global carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent by 2030. For that to happen, the global community must take immediate, concrete steps: to decarbonize electricity generation by equitably transitioning' from fossil fuel-based production to renewable energy sources like wind and solar; to electrify our cars and trucks; and to maximize energy efficiency in our buildings, appliances, and industries.
How is global warming linked to extreme weather?
A: Scientists agree that the earth’s rising' temps be fuelin' longer and hotter heat waves, more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes.
In 2015, for example, scientists concluded that a lengthy drought in California—the state’s worst water shortage in 1,200 years—was intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming. They also said the odds of similar droughts happening in the future roughly doubled over the past century. In 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine announced that we can now confidently attribute some extreme weather events, like heat waves, droughts, and heavy precipitation, directly to climate change.
Earth’s ocean temps are getting warmer, too—which means that tropical storms can pick up more energy. In other words, global warming can turn a category 3 storm into a more dangerous category 4 storm. Scientists have found that the frequency of North Atlantic hurricanes has increased since the early 1980s, as has several storms that reach categories 4 and 5. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season included a record-breaking 30 tropical storms, 6 major hurricanes, and 13 hurricanes altogether. With increased intensity comes increased damage and death. The United States saw an unprecedented 22 weather and climate disasters that caused at least a billion dollars’ worth of damage in 2020, but, according to NOAA, 2017 was costliest on record and among deadly as well: Taken together, that year's tropical storms (including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria) caused nearly $300 billion in damage and led to more than 3,300 fatalities.
Impacts of global warming' be being' felt everywhere. Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world in recent years. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica done lost nearly four trillion metric tons of ice since 1990s. Rate of loss could speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing' sea levels to rise several meters in next 50 to 150 years and wreaking' havoc on coastal communities worldwide.
What are global warming doing to us, buddy? A: Usually every year scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, gain new evidence showing its way of damaging and taking away from people and the planet. As heat waves, droughts, and floods with climate change become more and more frequent and intense, communities suffer hard, and death tolls rise high. If we do not reduce our emissions, scientists believe climate change could possibly lead to deaths of more than 250,000 people around the world each year and could force 100 million people into poverty by 2030. Global warming is really messing around with the United States right now. And if we can't get our emissions under control, here’s just a sprinkle of what's likely to be waiting for us:
* Vanishing glaciers, snowmelt happening early, and hardcore droughts causing major water shortages.
* Sea levels are increasing and creating more floods, especially in Florida, and areas like the Gulf of Mexico.
* Forests, farms, and cities are gonna have to face some tough new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, and more floods. All this damage is there for agriculture and fisheries.
* Harming habitats like coral reefs and alpine meadows possibly lead to extinction for many animal and plant species.
* Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks are getting more common thanks to increased pollen from ragweed, more air pollution out there, and more conditions pathogens like to party in.
While everyone is dealing with climate change, not all are dealing with it in the same way. Indigenous folks, colored folks, and others at the bottom of the money pile are getting smacked hard by all of this. Inequities in our housing, health care, and job systems make these folks easy targets for the worst parts of climate change, even though they are not the ones causing it all. United States, buddy! Oh, where does the United States fall in line with global warming starters?
A: In recent times, China is leading the big game in global-warming pollution, pumping about 26 percent of all CO2 into the skies. The United States came right after, making up only 4 percent of the world's folks but putting out a huge 13 percent of all global CO2 emissions—almost close to the European Union and India combined. America is still the top dog, by far, in emissions over the past 150 years. As the biggest player in global warming, the United States got to up its game, man. Our part in all this matters to other countries and should matter to us too.
Is the United States trying anything to stop global warming?
A: We started a bit, but need to get off our behinds, working with other countries to lessen our use of fossil fuels and move towards clean energy sources.
Under the administration of President Donald Trump, a bad talker who said global warming was a joke, the United States pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, took away many clean air protections, and opened up lands used for fossil fuels. Although President Biden is talking a good talk, years of not doing much before and during the Trump days mean we've got to work hard to lessen those gas emissions.
Even with Trump not being helpful, local and state governments showed some spunk with efforts like the American Cities Climate Challenge and teaming up, like with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Business folks and industry leaders have also been nice, making and using new clean-energy tech to make things more efficient across the board.
American car folks are finding new ways to make more energy-efficient vehicles and adding more zero-emission electric vehicles to the roads. Planners and do-gooders are coming together to build affordable homes with energy in mind, making sure energy use is low and bills are reasonable. And renewable energy is having a blast, producing more electricity than coal for the first time in 2020 in U.S. history.
President Biden followed up with action on global warming. From day one, he put the United States back in the Paris Climate Agreement, showing the world that we are serious about cutting our carbon mess to keep the world from warming too much. Scientists say we need to stay below a 2-degree increase to not cause a huge mess. Climate folks are working hard abroad and at home to make it all right and push for justice and nature-loving ways.
Big problem, global warming, huh? A: Not really! While we need the big folks to help out at the country level, we also need regular ol' people willing to speak up, hold leaders accountable, and make little shifts in their daily lives.
Wondering how you can join in the global warming fight?
Lower your own carbon footprint by taking little steps: Make energy conservation a part of your daily living and consumer choices. When you get new gadgets like refrigerators and such, look for the ENERGY STAR label; they are good for conserving energy. When you go car hunting, aim for the highest gas mileage, lowest emissions. Also, use public transportation or share a ride to cut down on emissions.
Wafting through the long and winding journey to climate action, much more to be done. Let folks in charge know you back good for the earth policies and tell them to transition from dirty to clean ways of energy high priority. Gotta build good places to live and be healthy and safe for all.
Don't be a lone ranger! Across the country, folks banding together to show how climate can bring communities together, led by those facing impacts. Gotta make a future that's right for everyone, right?
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Uzair Ahmed Nasir
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