An Domhain

The main problems we are facing are climate change and global warming. Due to society's destructive actions, we are destroying the world and our future by causing climate change . We are past the point of stopping climate change but it is never past the point of making a difference and reducing the devastating consequences that climate change will cause. Here you can learn about these problems.

Our earth is surrounded by an ozone layer. The ozone layer is like an invisible blanket that the earth is wrapped in. In this ozone layer there are natural gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen present (called greenhouse gases). These gases keep the earth at a constant, warm temperature to keep life on earth alive. How do they do this? Gases trap the heat rays that are shot from the sun to the earth. If the gases weren't there to trap the heat, the heat would bounce off of the earth and disappear into the atmosphere. This is the greenhouse gas effect as greenhouses work exactly like the earth but the glass traps heat inside the greenhouse instead of gases. It is an amazing natural phenomenon that keeps us all alive but humans have amplified this greenhouse gas effect in an unnatural way and this has had an extremely negative impact on the earth, leading to global warming.

Due to human activities, like burning fossil fuels, there is an excessive amount of these greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (released from fossil fuels), trapped in our ozone layer. The more gases in the ozone layer, the more heat trapped there. The earth no longer has control over its natural greenhouse gas effect as humans have taken over. We are emitting greenhouse gases at an extreme and rapid rate and there are now exessive gases trapped in the ozone layer. This means there is excessive heat trapped in our ozone layer also. This heat is surrounding our earth and is heating up the earth.

Global Warming is a serious event that will lead to the extinction of humanity. We have to change now. We need to reduce our destructive actions and reduce the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted immediately. This will cause our earth to reach scorching levels of heat that no living organisms on earth can survive in. It will result in the extinction of many plants and animals and this will cause an unbalance in biodiversity so without these plants and animals other plants and animals die too as they have no food to eat and all plants and animals will be wiped out from the earth.

-If you would like to find out more about global warming, here is a link to the esa with scientific facts and explanations:

http://www.esa.int/kids/en/learn/Earth/Climate_change/Global_warming

Climate Change is the long-term changes in the climate and temperature of the earth yearly. The climate is the average recorded weather conditions of an area, including temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and wind. Humans study and record the climate of different areas of our earth and then see how much it changes every year. Due to global warming and the new rising temperature of the earth, the climates on our earth are changing rapidly as their temperatures are changing and so their patterns are changing too. This will cause our earth to reach scorching levels of heat that no living organisms on earth can survive in. It will result in the extinction of many plants and animals and this will cause an unbalance in biodiversity so without these plants and animals other plants and animals die too as they have no food to eat and all plants and animals will be wiped out from the earth. Overall, the warmer the earth gets, the more the climates around the world will change. Since the temperature of the world is rising at such a rapid rate, it will lead to an unbalance in the natural world and have destructive consequences.

Climate Change is past the point of return or being stopped completely but we can work now to slow down climate change and to reduce the devastating effects it will leave.

- Visit https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ for more information on climate change.

Climate change and global warming are major problems because they lead to many disasters that can destroy our future and challenge the survival of all living organisms on earth, like humans.

Rising water levels:

Ice caps melting - the frozen water begins to melt with the increase in the earths temperature. This will cause areas like the Antarctic to melt away and disappear! This will result in the extinction of many animals, like polar bears and penguins.

Water expands up to 10% when heated - with the increasing temperatures around the world, the water in our oceans are going to be heated. When water is heated it expands up to 10% because the molecules in the water get more energy and move further apart.
Both the melted water and the expanding water causes the seas and water to rise and grow.

Results:

With more water in our oceans it means that there is more chance of more water being evaporated so there will be more rain and more intense and frequent floods. There would also be more major weather events as the water is connected to the weather and it can result in more storms, floods and lethal weather events.
99% of the water on our earth is not suitable for drinking by humans and animals. With the increase in fossil fuels there is an increase in toxic gases which are absorbed by the clouds and fall as acid rain. This acid rain makes our waters less drinkable and kills our sea creatures.
Due to the water on our earth absorbing 90% of gases from our atmosphere there is less oxygen for the animals to breath so coral reefs and animals die.
Scientists have found that there are many toxic gases stored in our melting ice caps. When these ice caps melt they will rapidly release huge amounts of toxic gases like methane and carbon dioxide and with this huge amount of gases being released into our atmosphere there may be no turning back and climate change may be unstoppable.

Unbalance in biodiversity:

Unbalance in biodiversity - Due to the rising temperatures biodiversity will start to change as it will struggle to adapt to the new heat. Climates will change and animals will try to adapt but many may not be successful. We are all connected on this earth and if one species of animal or plant dies due to the heat then the rest will because each species is a key part of the puzzle that makes up our biodiversity. One species, take grass for example, is food for cows which is food for humans. If the grass dies away then the cows die too as they have no food and we die also because we have no food. It will be like a domino effect.
Major weather events - with the increase in the temperature there will be more extreme fire forests, droughts and cyclones. With the increase in the water levels there will be more floods and more tornadoes and more intense storms. Each weather event will become more extreme and temperamental with our world being so unbalanced.
Extinction death - Many animals and plants and organisms on earth will become extinct as they will not be able to survive the change in their climates, the temperature and the weather events and there will be an increase in deaths across the world.

Results for humans:

Displacement of people - Due to the rising water levels many homes, places and countries will be completely flood as the water will rise above them and consume them. Many people will lose their homes and will have to try to escape from their homes and find a new, safer home in another country. With the rising temperatures life might be impossible to live in some climates and countries as the weather events and temperatures will be too extreme to be able to survive. Over time our whole world will be unsuitable for us to live on and all of the people searching for new homes won't have any to relocate to.
Rise in diseases and illnesses - Due to warmer temperatures, dying animals and changes in our biodiversity and lives there will be a large increase in diseases with pandemics becoming more frequent and part of everyday life. With the increase in toxic gases it will lead to more health problems for us as they will interfere with the function of our lungs, our blood, our heart and our bodies. This will make everyday things, like exercising, nearly impossible.
Loss of food sources - with many animals and plants dying and becoming extinct we will have less food sources to eat and that may result in the death of many of us.
Forced changes in society - With the changes in our biodiversity, our climates and our world we are going to be forced to change our ways if we do not start to change now. We will be unable to burn fossil fuels as they will either run out or will have caused so much damage that we will decide not to use them. Transport will change, our eating habits will change, our daily lives will change as we try to adjust to this new disastrous reality that climate change has brought and has made our lives barely liveable.

- These are only some examples of all of the disastrous consequences that climate change will bring but the main thing that you need to know is that we need to change they way we live immediately or else the future of our earth and our lives may perish and be no more!

Causes

To get a deeper insight into the main causes that have created climate change and global warming and the actions that humans have to change to be able to avoid these terrible crises, please click the button below.

Solutions

To find ideas, tips and actions to take to reduce the negative impact of humanity's actions on the environment, please click the button below. You can find out what you and others can do to live a more sustainable life.

Resources

To find external, useful resources to use to make a difference in your life, please click the button below. Here you can find links to other useful websites as well as recommendations to help you on your climate action journey.

An Domhain

Insanity: "Doing the Same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein.

The Main Problems We Face:

Global Warming

Climate Change

Why are these such major problems?