The term ‘climate change’ has become part of our everyday vocabulary.. Climate change is the long-term change in weather patterns caused by global warming. Global warming is the result of human activities, including the emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, which include oil, gas, and coal. So what’s the big deal about burning these specific substances? When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the air, causing the planet to heat up, which could cause flooding and multiple other environmental dangers.
Data from Earth-orbiting satellites in the past decades has caught the attention of scientists because it shows that climate change is getting increasingly worse. Climate change affects the Earth by heating it up, and the resulting environmental issues caused by temperature fluctuations can be detrimental. Since the late 19th century, the planet’s average temperature has risen by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit. Though two degrees may not seem like a lot, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over the past 40 years the ocean has absorbed this heat. This has a severe impact on aquatic organisms.
In 2019, NASA conducted an experiment documented by NBC News which showed that Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Greenland lost about 279 billion tons of ice per year. When you look at it through that perspective, those 2.12 degrees seem a lot larger.
And climate change is only getting worse. The year 2020 was the warmest year yet. So how can we stop this trend? President Biden, who was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021, might have a solution. Currently, the Biden administration is turning to farmers to help combat global warming. According to the Biden-Harris Administration on whitehouse.gov, the President is looking for aid from the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, which supports and protects farm income and prices, to promote carbon emission reductions on farms. The Biden administration also wants to put $30 billion towards farm aid to pay farmers to start using environmentally friendly practices and capture carbon in their soil.
Of course, you can do your part from home, too. By reducing your food waste, you are minimizing your carbon footprint and already positively impacting the entire planet. Another significant course of action to take is recycling. This will reduce waste going into landfills. During COVID-19, carpooling and public transportation aren’t the best options. However, you can still help by walking, jogging, or biking to utilize your resources wisely. One of the most important things you can do is to educate yourself, your peers, and even your parents. Be proactive; have a conversation, send informational YouTube links, or simply discuss facts about climate change. The more people who take climate change seriously enough to take real action, the more effective all of our efforts will be.