CLIMATE CHANGE IS
A HUMAN - MADE
PROBLEM
BY NATALIE JAISWAL 9IG
What is Climate Change?
Climate change implies permanent shifts in weather conditions and temperatures. Such
fluctuations are often natural, due to variations in the sun's activity or massive volcanic
eruptions. However, from the 1800s, human activities have emerged as the main root cause of
climate change, owing to the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.
Consuming fossil fuels creates greenhouse gas emissions, which act as a blanket over our
planet, storing the sun's heat and raising temperatures.[1]
Human Versus Natural Causes
Scientists have compiled a record of the earth's climate by analysing a variety of indirect
temperature variables, including cores of ice, rings of trees, glacier lengths, pollen remnants,
and ocean sediments, as well as researching changes in the earth's orbit around the sun.[2] This
data demonstrates that the climate naturally changes across a wide range of period intervals,
but this variation does not account for the trend in warming since 1950s. Rather, it is very
probable (> 95%) that actions by humans were the primary cause of the warming.[3]
Carbon Brief*’s analysis
Since 1850, almost all the long-term warming can be explained by greenhouse gas
emissions and other human activities.
If greenhouse gas emissions alone were warming the planet, we would expect to see
about a third more warming than has occurred. They are offset by cooling from
human-produced atmospheric aerosols.
Aerosols are projected to decline significantly by 2100, bringing total warming from
all factors closer to warming from greenhouse gases alone.
Natural variability in the Earth’s climate is unlikely to play a major role in long-term
warming.[4]
Main Causes
Transportation
Transportation vehicles, including cars, trucks, ships, and planes, significantly contribute to
global greenhouse gas emissions. Large-scale investments are needed to increase zero-
emission vehicles and improve public transit access.
Electricity Generation
In 2021, 60% of US electricity comes from fossil fuels, causing a quarter of greenhouse gas
emissions. Rapid shift to renewable energy sources like wind and solar is crucial to prevent
climate change's worst impacts.
Oil and Gas Development
Oil and gas emissions occur at all stages of production and consumption, including
combustion and extraction. Fossil fuel development sources methane, which traps heat and
leaks from abandoned wells.
Deforestation
Canada's boreal forest releases over 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually,
necessitating sustainable practices and consumer behavior shifts to offset this increase in
greenhouse gas emissions.
Total US Greenhouse gas emission by economic
sector (2020)
Agriculture Commercial and Residential Industry
Electricity Transport
11%
27%
13%
24%
25%
Conclusion
Our daily decisions, including purchasing, electricity consumption, transportation, and food
consumption, contribute to our unique carbon footprints. Recognizing the uneven distribution
of climate change's causes and effects is crucial for reducing our collective carbon footprint.
We must rethink our needs, demands, and priorities to win the fight against climate change.
Short-term thinking should be replaced with long-term planning that strengthens communities
and secures health and safety. Climate advocacy should move beyond slogans and involve
collective action, guided by faith in science and the ability to change the world for the better.
Breaking old patterns can help us find a way out of this dangerous point in human history. [5]
Bibliography
[1] - https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
[2] - https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/executive-summary/
[3] - https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/
* - Carbon Brief is a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy
and energy policy. Carbon Brief is funded by the European Climate Foundation
[4] - https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-scientists-think-100-of-global-warming-is-due-to-
humans/
[5] - https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-causes-climate-change#deforestation
