Climate Change as a Global Issue by Sarah Gall

gsr967911 — 2024-05-28 16:35:40 UTC

Climate change names the long-term changes to a specific climate's temperatures and/or weather patterns. In some cases, these changes are expected due to the activity of other planets or a natural disaster event. However, our society's decisions and lifestyle have led to the extreme climate change that we see today. The development the world has gone through has caused us all to begin relying on fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

How does our use of non-renewable sources cause climate change?

gsr967911 — 2024-05-28 16:40:28 UTC

Now that we know what climate change is in simple terms, what is the science behind it?
Our Earth's atmosphere protects us every day from harmful solar radiation. It regulates the temperature of our Earth, which creates a habitable climate for life as it is now and allows the Earth to produce water. As terrible as greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane) may seem, they are somewhat necessary for our atmosphere to function. Without the presence of greenhouse gases, our Earth would drop to an average worldwide temperature of -20 degrees celsius. Greenhouse gases create a protective barrier around the atmosphere so the heat that the Earth emits does not fully pass back to space. However, with an increased amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, more heat is trapped than usual. This is what causes climate change to occur.
Sources: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/how-does-the-greenhouse-effect-work/#:~:text='Greenhouse%20gases'%20are%20crucial%20to,of%20about%20%2D20%C2%B0C.
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-atmosphere/the-atmosphere-earths-security-blanket/

How has the amount of carbon dioxide, water vapour, and methane going into the atmosphere increased in recent years?

gsr967911 — 2024-05-28 17:07:11 UTC

Here are the main sources of these common greenhouse gases:
-Deforestation: Trees absorb a lot of the Earth's carbon dioxide, as well as they emit oxygen. When a large quantity of trees is cut down, carbon dioxide is released.
-Vehicles: Gas vehicles burn fossil fuels, which leads to the emission of carbon dioxide.
-Manufacturing: Manufacturing goods on a large scale, which requires the creation of things like plastic, cement, steel, and cloth, releases greenhouse gas emissions.
-Power/Electricity: Powering buildings (commercial or residential), especially when it comes to air conditioning and heating systems, are responsible for a great amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
-Electricity in our homes: Every single person worldwide contributes to climate change without necessarily knowing. What you throw away, what you eat, and how you live in general can be affecting the Earth a lot more than you think. This is called your carbon footprint. Under the solution section of this project, there will be more information on noticing parts of your life you can improve to be more eco-friendly.
-Farming: In order to mass produce food, farmers use multiple strategies that are not eco-friendly whatsoever. There will be another section that goes more into detail about these specific tactics.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change

gsr967911 — 2024-05-30 12:40:58 UTC

Remember the following text:

In this article, there is a chart that records the average global surface temperature. The change in climate may not seem drastic; however, the animation that presents cooler-than-average and hotter-than-average temperatures in specific places worldwide gives us a better perspective.

Soil Health

gsr967911 — 2024-05-30 13:43:11 UTC

The Earth in its natural state, untouched by humanity, was created in a way that ensures plant health and diversity. When farmers deforest areas to make room for their livestock, they are preventing transpiration. Transpiration is when trees absorb the water stored in soil, and release it through their leaves. This is a vital step in the water cycle. Without as many trees, as well as the increasingly warm temperatures, droughts are much more likely to occur. Climate change strongly affects the Earth's ability to recover from a drought. These droughts can last for such a long time that they can start to severely damage the environment and cause long-term effects.
Source: https://sentientmedia.org/how-does-agriculture-cause-deforestation/#:~:text=Trees%20are%20integral%20to%20this,this%20can%20lead%20to%20droughts.

What are Greenhouse Gases?

gsr967911 — 2024-05-30 16:56:57 UTC

Greenhouse gases are any gases in the atmosphere that will raise the Earth's temperature because they trap heat.
Common examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Lesser known greenhouse gases are hydroflurocarbons, perflurocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride.
Greenhouse gases get their name because they have a similar effect compared to a greenhouse. A greenhouse will use plastic or glass sheets to allow sun rays to enter, and be absorbed by the plants. When it is time for the plants to let out the heat energy, the material of the greenhouse traps it inside. This process is close to how greenhouse gases react in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases can enter the atmosphere, but the gravity from Earth's core keeps them from releasing into space.
Source: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/how-does-the-greenhouse-effect-work/#:~:text=A%20greenhouse%20gas%20is%20called,and%20eventually%20lost%20to%20space.

Farming Machinery

gsr967911 — 2024-05-30 17:01:55 UTC

Like all gas vehicles, tractors and other farming machinery release lots of carbon dioxide into the air. Compared to the following reasons, this is not the major concern of climate change regarding agriculture.

Disposal of Manure

gsr967911 — 2024-05-30 18:23:10 UTC

Adding on to the discussion about cattle, their manure is stored by farmers when the ground can not withstand the nutrients of the muck. Storage of manure builds up even more greenhouse gas, especially liquid manure storage. 14% of farms in Canada report using this method. Liquid manure storage is a tactic where manure, organic waste, and water are mixed together and placed inside a tank with minimal oxygen. Due to the lack of oxygen, the organic material that begins to break down inside the manure produces excess methane and other dangerous gases. Occasionally, farmers utilize the manure as a fuel which creates black carbon. Black carbon can have a warming impact of 1,500 times more than regular carbon dioxide.
Source: https://www.ccacoalition.org/projects/livestock-and-manure-management#:~:text=Livestock%20manure%20contributes%20to%20short,cooking%2C%20which%20emit%20black%20carbon

Cattle

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:07:22 UTC

Methane (CH4) traps 30 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. 17% of greenhouse gas emissions are methane, and 40% of methane emissions come from agriculture. When vegetation ferments in a ruminant's (sheeps, goats, and cows) stomach, methane is produced. For these animals, burping or passing gas will emit methane into the air. Methane is also in their manure.
Source: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-explained/cows-methane-and-climate-change#:~:text=The%20beef%20and%20dairy%20cattle,digestion%20and%20through%20their%20waste.

Rising Sea Levels

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:20:30 UTC

Since 1880, the ocean is believed to have risen between 8-9 inches.
Because climate change has intervened with worldwide temperatures, glaciers and ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean are melting and are slowly rising the water levels. The increase in worldwide temperatures has also affected the water temperature. When the water temperature climbs, the water's volume, density, and area change. The term for this is thermal expansion. The warmer the water gets, the more the molecules will move around which requires extra space. Thermal expansion is more common in gases, but it can also happen in liquids, which is what we are seeing occur in the ocean right now.
Source: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level#:~:text=The%20rising%20water%20level%20is,record%20(1993%2Dpresent).

Violent/Increased Natural Disasters

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:24:47 UTC

Natural disasters are defined as intense, harmful weather events that disrupt society. Some examples of natural disasters are earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, tsunamis, and floods.
Natural disasters are events that are out of human control. However, climate change has escalated the severity of these disasters.
When the ocean increasingly becomes warmer, more water evaporates into the air. Needless to say, with an elevated amount of water in the air, precipitation is happening more often than usual. Additionally, the air temperature is also warming, which is what causes higher winds.
When a weather event happens, like a hurricane or tornado, these factors add up to further intensify the storm.
Flooding and tsunamis are happening in unexpected areas and at unexpected times. In rural areas, the rising water levels due to the heavy precipitation will put us at a higher risk of flooding without much warning. The rising sea levels in the ocean may cause tsunamis to be larger and more destructive.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heavy-precipitation#:~:text=Warmer%20oceans%20increase%20the%20amount,heavier%20rain%20and%20snow%20storms.https://www.edf.org/climate/how-climate-change-makes-hurricanes-more-destructive#:~:text=As%20our%20climate%20warms%2C%20we,becoming%20more%20destructive%20and%20costly.

Desertification

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:28:10 UTC

Desertification is the process in which regular land becomes a desert. There are many causes to desertification, but the source we will be talking about today is the risen temperatures due to climate change. When temperature unexpectedly rises, the environment will naturally adjust. In the case of desertification, the heat causes excess water to evaporate from the soil. Overtime, the soil will not be nutrient enough to support the plants. This land will eventually present with desert like conditions, such as being extremely dry, having minimal vegetation, and lacking water.
Desertification is much more common in developing countries. The loss of available resources in these areas leads to food scarcity and poverty. Furthermore, an overabundance of sand and dust can be picked up in the wind and cause sandstorms. Sandstorms are very effective at disrupting everyday life, by making dangerous conditons for transportation and posing a respiratory illness risk to the public. Long term, the dust and sand will contaminate open waters and air, and minimize the ability for clean energy to work.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification#Geographic_areas_affected

How Climate Change Affects Biodiversity

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:31:23 UTC

Biodiversity is a major part of life on Earth. The definition of biodiversity is the variety of different ecosystems, microorganisms, habitats, plants, and animals in the world.
To prevent overpopulation and underpopulation, animals in a certain ecosystem have an established food chain. A food chain is the transfer of energy between different forms of life. Food chains promote reproduction, as well as completion of a full and healthy life cycle.
When climate change rises sea levels, thaws permafrost, and changes habitats and weather patterns, we are risking wildlife. Plants and animals may become endangered or extinct because the climate they are used to has gone through such drastic changes. When one type of species goes endangered or extinct, the other species in that same food chain lose an important part of their life as well. Whatever that animal was responsible for eating, would be overpopulated. Whatever was supposed to eat that animal, would then become underpopulated due to a lack of nourishment. It is also possible that the over or underpopulation of certain animals may affect our diet, or even our living conditions. Animals and insects help nature plant seeds and kill any harmful bugs. We need biodiversity for our planet to thrive.
Source: https://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/impacts-climate-change/natural-environment/biodiversity#:~:text=Many%20impacts%20of%20climate%20change,and%20changes%20in%20farming%20productivity.

Renewable Energy

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:34:42 UTC

Renewable energy is a type of energy that is from a natural source and has the ability to produce power quicker than it is used.
Fossil fuels are not a kind of renewable energy. They will eventually run out, and can not be replenished at the same rate it is used. The reason why humanity relies on fossil fuels more is because the cost is much cheaper, and the fuel is easy to store anywhere.
Lots of citizens are already trying to change the way their house is powered. If you would like to do so, it is important to get in contact with a renewable energy installer. They can examine your home situation and make decisions upon what your next step should be.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy

Changing Transportation

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:36:12 UTC

Now in Canada, the most popular form of transportation is a car.
Both cars and planes contribute a large amount of CO2 emissions every year. A single gas car releases around an average of 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year. It is estimated that there are 1.47 billion cars actively used worldwide. The global CO2 emissions from planes are approximately 1 billion tons per year. Although, we can not completely stop using these forms of transportation. What can we do to cut down carbon emissions from vehicles?
Traveling by plane is necessary in certain cases. Lots of people do not live close to their families and need to visit, or need to travel to different countries for their work. The action we need to take is to limit traveling if you can. Having a few vacations a year is okay, but some take advantage of traveling by plane.
The switch from a gas car to an electric car is neither inexpensive nor a fast process. Companies are working everyday to make electric cars more affordable. In the meantime, United Nations is encouraging walking, biking, carpooling, or public transport when possible. Public transport is also becoming electrified as well. There are hybrid and fully electric buses in the Halifax Transit program.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/actnow/transport

Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:38:34 UTC

Landfills release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as well. How can we decrease our waste?
Reduce the amount of plastics you buy. When shopping, avoid buying little packages of food/products and buy in bulk. Invest in reusable water bottles and tupperwares.
Try to purchase reusable items instead of disposable items. Reusing is all about creativity, and critically thinking about another way to use an old plastic or glass container/other waste.
Just because you may not know how to repair something, doesn't mean you should throw it away immediately. Consider researching how to fix the item. Sometimes, getting a professional involved can be cheaper and more eco friendly compared to just throwing the item out and buying a new one.
Most regions have recycling guidelines. Do not throw paper, bottles and cans in the garbage. Contrary to popular belief, garbagesmen do not sort through garbage bags to find recyclable waste. You are responsible for sorting it out at home by yourself. Any clothes that do not fit you anymore but are still in decent condition can be donated to a thrift store.
Source: https://www.52climateactions.com/refuse-reduce-reuse-repair-recycle/full

Agroforestry

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:39:55 UTC

As you can see from my other findings, almost all aspects of agriculture contribute to climate change.

One of the major parts of farming we want to reduce is the deforestation. Agroforestry is a type of agriculture that implements trees and shrubs into their animal fields. There are ways for farmers to benefit both economically and environmentally from this strategy. They can have a fully functioning animal farming system, while incorporating trees and plants into the animal's fields. This way, no natural habitat is destroyed and the trees can continue to store carbon dioxide. The trees can provide animals natural shade and wind protection, and promote biodiversity.

Sometimes, these plants can be farmed themselves. Agricuturalists can increase their income, while improving our environmental status.

Source: https://ecotree.green/en/blog/what-is-agroforestry-and-why-is-it-good-for-the-environment#:~:text=Agroforestry%20is%20good%20for%20the,erosion%20and%20improve%20soil%20health

Permafrost Thawing

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 15:46:07 UTC

Permafrost is a layer of ice and rock or soil that has continued to be frozen for at least two years, and is commonly found in Arctic regions. It freezes and stores carbon and other greenhouse gases underneath the ground surface. When the permafrost thaws due to rising temperatures, the gas slowly releases into the air overtime.
Permafrost is part of the Arctic's climate. Minimizing permafrost in the ground causes changes in habitat.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-permafrost#:~:text=A%20warming%20climate%20has%20brought,many%20locations%20around%20the%20world.

The Dangers of Fertilizer

gsr967911 — 2024-05-31 16:13:58 UTC

Fertilizer is very helpful to farmers, as it helps them to preserve soil and improve its quality. The nutrients inside fertilizers can be specialized to the plant to increase growth. Although, fertilizers are commonly made with nitrate, and crops will emit nitrous oxide into the air. Nitrous oxide is not mentioned in the news, or posed as a great threat, but there is no reason for it not to be. Nitrous oxide is 300 times as potent as carbon dioxide, and studies found synthetic nitrogen fertilizer alone is responsible for 2.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Not only is nitrous oxide dangerous for the environment, but breathing it in can lead to health issues such as respiratory diseases or organ damage.
In some cases, agricultural soil can absorb carbon dioxide, but it as just as likely that they are emitting it instead.
Source: https://civileats.com/2019/09/19/the-greenhouse-gas-no-ones-talking-about-nitrous-oxide-on-farms-explained/#:~:text=In%20essence%2C%20both%20synthetic%20and,on%20N2O%20emissions.

Types of Renewable Energy

gsr967911 — 2024-06-02 18:30:01 UTC

Wind power is converted through wind turbines. Wind turbines are placed in open areas, such as the top of a hill or plains. They can be anywhere from 500-900 feet tall. The wind spins the blades of the turbine and it creates electricity.
Solar power is converted through solar panels. Solar panels can be put in many different places, but they are recommended to face south to generate the most energy. Solar panels vary in sizes, depending on what type of building you are planning to power. As for how it creates electricity, sunlight contains photons, which is essentially a light particle. Inside of glass casing on the top of the solar panel is a semiconductor, usually silicon, that interacts with the photons in a way that it can release electrons.
Biomass energy is a kind of chemical energy. It is similar to solar power, because their sources are both from the sun. Biomass is collected from plants. It is a natural result of a plant's photosynthesis. After the biomass is gathered, it is converted into steam and then can successfully create energy.
Source: Wikipedia

Types of Renewable Energy

gsr967911 — 2024-06-03 14:47:32 UTC

Hydropower is energy created through fast running water. When the water runs into the dam, it is spun by a turbine and collected into a generator. After passing this stage, the water can return to its original body. These dams are usually placed near or on a waterfall so the water is not wasted and can run quick enough to produce maximum energy.
Source: https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/hydroelectric/how-hydroelectric-power-works#:~:text=A%20conventional%20dam%20holds%20water,downstream%20side%20of%20the%20dam.
Geothermal energy is the heat that is produced within the Earth. The inner core is constantly creating more and more heat, making geothermal energy a renewable source. We obtain this energy through a well. The well collects the fluids that underground pathways make in reaction to the hot temperatures. When the liquid reaches the surface, a turbine transforms the heat into electricity.
Source: https://www.greenfireenergy.com/geothermal-energy/how-does-geothermal-energy-work/

gsr967911 — 2024-06-04 16:42:27 UTC

"Climate Change in 60 Seconds" by the Royal Society covers the basics of climate change in different words than mine. Keep in mind that this video is 9 years old, and the statistics have drastically changed since then.

gsr967911 — 2024-06-04 16:49:56 UTC

"Our Forests" by Google Earth puts into perspective the intensity of deforestation. Deforesting puts thousands of species at risk everyday. The video shows different location's forests and how they have changed from 1984-2020.

A Future Without Change

gsr967911 — 2024-06-04 17:00:07 UTC

This video explains how truly serious climate change will get if no actions are taken. It is scary, but this is a real problem. The video does state that scientists are optimistic and these predictions are unlikely if we continue our progress. However, if we do not, these consequences are possible.

How do I feel about this global issue?

gsr967911 — 2024-06-07 01:56:04 UTC

Climate change has always been something I have been concerned about, even as kid. While growing up, I could notice the changes to our climate here in Nova Scotia. After completing this project, I now realize how climate change has impacted different parts of the world. I understand specific effects of climate change and what I can do improve my carbon footprint. I also learned the true reality of climate change, not just about how it rises temperatures. Overall my project may have been worrying, however I believe the information is eye opening.

Why should the global community focus on climate change?

gsr967911 — 2024-06-07 02:02:07 UTC

The answer to this is simple. In the video about what Earth may look like in 2050 is a perfect example of why the global community should continue to put a lot of effort into stopping climate change. If action is not taken, we are risking our oppurunity to live on Earth with such advanced ecosystems.