Causes and Effects of Climate Change

Nowadays, the earth’s climate is changing very rapidly. These climate changes are affecting our lives psychologically, physically and emotionally. Climate patterns play an important role in shaping natural ecosystems, human economies, and cultures that depend on them. For example, changes in the climate can affect how people, plants, and animals live through food production and health risks. As the earth’s climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle, the world is now worried about the changes that are occurring today because they have been speeding up and are now seriously affecting human’s lives. All around the world, people are taking action to prevent climate change. In 2007, scientists from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that warming oceans and melting glaciers caused by global warming and climate change could cause sea levels to rise 7-23 inches by the year 2100. So, some islands and some small countries will be flooded by seawater and may even disappear very soon. Because of this, we must take action as soon as possible to try to solve this problem or to prevent even more serious climate changes occurring.

There are two main causes of climate change – natural causes and human activities. Natural causes, such as volcanic eruptions, ocean currents, the earth’s orbital changes and solar variations, have always influenced the earth’s climate. The eruptions of volcanoes cause a cooling effect on the earth. When a volcano erupts, it throws out large volumes of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), water vapour, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions will affect climatic patterns for years, even though the eruptions occur in only a few days. The Sulphur Dioxide gas will reach the upper level of the atmosphere, the tiny particles of dust and ash will block the incoming sun rays and this will lead to a cooling of the atmosphere.

Ocean currents are one of the natural causes that affect climate change. The ocean is a major component of the climate system. The oceans cover about 71% of the earth and absorb about twice as much of the sun’s radiation as the atmosphere or the land surface. Winds push horizontally against the sea surface and drive ocean current patterns. The oceans also play an important role in the concentration of carbon dioxide. The changes in ocean circulation will affect the climate through the movement of carbon dioxide into or out of the atmosphere. Another natural cause that affects climate change is the earth’s orbital changes. The earth makes one full orbit around the sun every year. If there is no tilt we will not experience seasons. Changes in the tilt of the earth can affect the severity of the seasons. For example, if there is more tilt, it means we will experience warmer summers and colder winters, and if there is less tilt, it means we will experience cooler summers and milder winters.

Human activities are another main reason for climate change. From the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels in industry. These industries created many jobs and so many people moved from rural areas to cities. Many areas were cleared of vegetation in order to build houses or factories. Natural resources were used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption. All this contributed to a rise in the use of many fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases which have produced more and more greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. Global climate change is also caused by the fertilizer that is used in agriculture. Thanks to microbial action in the soil, the chemicals used in fertilizer also release nitrous oxide into the soil, water, and air.

What are the consequences of climate change for our world? There are three main consequences that we can talk about. Firstly, climate change affects human health. There are many studies that have shown that climate change has an impact on human health and an increase in diseases. For example, in a paper by Healey et al., (2010), they said that “climate change is affecting the health of northern people such as Nunavut, Canada.” Cecchi et al. (2010) have also conducted research on the effects of climate change on allergic asthma. Moreover, Mickley, 2007 stated that “high levels of surface ozone and particles have been implicated in many diseases involving the cardiac and respiratory systems.” These studies showed that climate change is seriously affecting the health of humankind.

Secondly, climate change will also affect biodiversity. Biodiversity is very important for the plants and animals to maintain their habitat and ecosystem. Climate change has seriously impacted the loss of biodiversity. For example, water sources have changed, food chains have been destroyed and medicinal sources may change. In addition, marine ecosystems will be affected not only by an increase in sea temperature but also by ocean acidification, which increases the vulnerability of fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs.

Furthermore, climate change will affect us all psychologically. Climate change will affect our behaviour in terms of material consumption, energy use and population growth as well as increasing our levels of stress, guilt, and anxiety, as we try to adapt and cope with the new changing weathers. Social and mental disorders such as post traumatic disorder, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, stress, abuse, violence and anxiety are likely to increase as well.

Discussion

As we can see, the causes and effects of climate change are a global issue faced by all of humankind and nature alike. So, what are the solutions that we can put in place to prevent further climate change or to solve the problems that we are having now? There are some global solutions that can be put in place by governments, communities, and societies. Firstly, governments can help communities and businesses to reduce deforestation, plant new trees in forests and empty land, earn sustainable livelihoods and adapt to changing climatic conditions. Next, teachers in schools and colleges must put a large focus on educating the youth about how to protect our earth and live more sustainably and ethically. A lot of carbon emissions are produced by cars so reducing the use of vehicles and car-pooling in our daily lives is one step we can take on a personal, everyday level. Besides that, at home, we can switch our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs, switch our appliances to energy saving models, reduce heating consumption and be more cautious of our energy consumption and fuel consumption.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can see there are many effects of climate change that seriously affect our environment, health and the biodiversity of our natural habitats. We need to take action to help heal the damage that has been done and stop further damage from happening. Furthermore, if deforestation continues, there will be many more different consequences to our environment. Climate change will also lead to psychological problems and health problems in the future. So, to protect our environment and give our next generation a better place to live, we must always know how to prevent climate change and focus on education and solutions in order to make the world a better place for all the inhabitants of it.