Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, are the primary contributors to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. They are responsible for nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.
As greenhouse gas emissions cover the Earth, they trap the sun’s heat. This causes global warming, which in turn drives climate change. The rate of global warming is higher than at any point in recorded history. Warmer temperatures over time are altering weather patterns and disrupting the natural equilibrium. This poses many risks to all living organisms.
Let’s discuss the main causes of climate change.
Using Transportation
Most cars, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels. Transportation significantly contributes to greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide emissions. Road vehicles make up the largest part due to burning petroleum-based products, like gasoline, in internal combustion engines.
But emissions from ships and planes are still rising. Transportation is responsible for approximately 25% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Trends indicate that transportation will need much more energy over the coming years.
Greenhouse Gases
The primary cause of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Some gases in the Earth’s atmosphere act like the glass in a greenhouse, absorbing solar heat and preventing it from escaping into space and causing global warming.
Many of these greenhouse gases occur naturally, but human activities are raising the atmospheric concentrations of some of them, in particular:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane
- Nitrous oxide
- Fluorinated gases
Human activities are the primary contributor to global warming, primarily due to the release of CO2. By 2020, its atmospheric concentration had risen to 48% above its pre-industrial level.
Other greenhouse gases are released by human activities in smaller amounts. Methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas with a shorter atmospheric lifespan than CO2. Nitrous oxide, like CO2, is a persistent greenhouse gas accumulating in the atmosphere for centuries. Non-greenhouse gas pollutants, including aerosols like soot, have varying warming and cooling impacts and are linked to problems like poor air quality.
Changes in the Earth’s Orbit and Rotation
Variations in the earth’s axis of rotation and orbit have significantly affected the climate in the past. For example, the amount of summer sunshine in the Northern Hemisphere, affected by changes in the planet’s orbit, seems to be the main factor behind previous cycles of ice ages. During these cycles, the Earth has experienced long periods of cold temperatures (ice ages) and shorter interglacial periods (periods between ice ages) of relatively warmer temperatures.
At the coldest part of the last glacial period, the average global temperature was roughly 11°F lower than now. However, the average global temperature was at least 2°F warmer during the last interglacial period than today. Natural factors like variations in solar radiation or volcanic activity are estimated to have contributed less than plus or minus 0.1°C to total warming between 1890 and 2010.
Changes in Land Cover
On a global scale, there is a strong correlation between vegetation patterns and climate. Vegetation absorbs CO2, which can mitigate some of the effects of global warming. On the other hand, desertification increases global warming by releasing CO2 because of the loss of flora cover.
For example, a loss in vegetation cover through deforestation tends to raise local albedo, leading to surface cooling. Albedo measures the amount of light a surface reflects rather than absorbs. Albedo is often low on dark surfaces and high on light surfaces.
Electricity Generation: The Role of a Climate Change Advocate in Pushing for Renewable Energy
As of 2021, the United States consumes nearly 60% of its electricity from burning coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. Because the electricity sector’s historical investment in these dirty energy sources contributes to approximately 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
However, a Climate Change Advocate has played a crucial role in pushing for the transition toward renewable energy. As renewable energy sources like wind and solar become affordable and easier to develop, utilities increasingly rely on them for their services. The annual increase in clean, renewable energy consumption leads to a decrease in pollutants.
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