Global warming is an ongoing phenomenon that should be taken seriously. While this has been an issue for some time, it has gotten worse due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. The human population has caused this by using all these resources for things we depend on such as gas for our cars, energy to heat our houses, electricity, and many other things. It will continue to do damage, especially to younger generations like us.
The number of issues this has caused and will continue to cause is horrifying, but one of the bigger issues is climate change. A lot of people think the terms ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ are interchangeable but they are two different things. Global warming is a long-term example of temperatures rising and changing over the years while climate change is an umbrella term for many of the side effects of this. Things such as water levels growing, melting glaciers, droughts, floods, temperatures rising, and more. Global warming is the cause of climate change. How will this affect everyone, especially younger generations in the long run?
There are many concerns to think about when talking about global warming and climate change. The earth is changing in an unsafe way and that can cause physical health issues in anyone, especially children, the elderly, and people who already have health issues. People can be affected in many other ways too; mentally and financially, people are struggling. Climate change along with all the other issues the world is facing recently can influence food availability, housing, and stability for impoverished people. According to earth.org, the last decade has been the hottest in 125,000 years, almost beating the Penultimate Interglacial Period in heat. Along with the heat, Carbon dioxide levels haven’t been this high in about 2 million years. As it sounds, the state of affairs is not good. Carbon dioxide levels are causing the same issues, periods of extreme heat, tropical storm activity, drought, wildfires, and flooding.
That’s all very worrisome! Judging by the way things are going around the world in recent years, we are not doing very well as a species. So what are some small things we as a community can do to try to slow down the effects of global warming and climate change? One of the easiest things to do is recycle! We can buy things that are mass produced second hand instead of first, such as clothes and electronics. We can also stop shopping and consuming so much, throw away less food and eat more vegetables; this can lower your carbon footprint. Along with those things we can also consider what methods we use to travel; try walking, biking or using public transportation to limit the amount of gas we use whenever we can. Last but definitely not least, you can go electric! If you have the funds and you’re in the market for a new car, think about switching to an electric vehicle. The planet is a good investment.