Climate Change and Global Warming (Free Essay Example)

Climate change means long-term changes in the Earth’s climate, temperatures, rainfall, frequency of extreme weather events, as well as wind patterns. It can be caused by natural reasons, like changes in the solar cycle or the Earth’s orbit, but human behavior has been affecting climate change since the 19th century. It poses a huge threat to all life on Earth. If we don’t work to mitigate climate change along with taking action against it now, 83 million people could end up dying due to climate change by 2100.

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that traps heat preventing it from escaping to space but humans have amplified it too much by increasing the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, the planet wouldn’t be inhabitable because without any elaboration it would be too cold.

The most important greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapor (H2O), and fluorinated gases. Carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor to climate change, but methane is more powerful, potent, moreover dangerous due to its better ability to trap heat.

Fluorinated gases are a group of man-made gases that have four different types: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are the most common F-gases, perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). Some fluorinated gases can stay in the atmosphere for up to thousands of years. Fortunately, the use of fluorinated gases has been regulated internationally.

A carbon sink absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. If something releases less carbon than it absorbs, it’s considered a carbon sink. However, if something releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs, it’s called a carbon source. Examples of carbon sinks include the ocean as well as plants. Plants photosynthesize, lowering carbon levels, while oceans absorb carbon. A few examples of carbon sources are volcanic eruptions and combusting fossil fuels, which don’t absorb any carbon but release a significant amount of it. Carbon sinks are an essential part of alleviating climate change but they are in jeopardy.  Plants are burning along with being burned down while the oceans are warming and are polluted with plastic.

Climate change means long-term changes in the climate. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon, but it has been amplified by humans. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical for fighting the situation. It must be combated by both governments and people. 

Climate change is not a problem for the future but a problem for today. If people don’t take action now, it could soon be too late and the results could be disastrous.