In my previous blogpost, I wrote about the enhanced greenhouse gas effect which influences our climate. Here, I describe our role in the human-induced climate change.
Climate change is inevitable. Unfortunately, today, our activities, intentional or unintentional, are speeding up the process of climate change. In the words of a renowned climate scientist, Wallace Smith Broecker,
The climate is an angry beast, and we are poking at it with sticks.
We live in a post-industrialization era. In the 1800s, rapid industrialization took place which resulted in a change in the land usage at a very fast rate. That was the time when we first noticed a dramatic rise in the emission levels of greenhouse gases. The global carbon dioxide emissions increased from 3-7 million tonnes per year in early 1800s to 54 million tonnes per year by 1850. Latest reports suggest that the world is now pumping out 40 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year into our atmosphere. Following are the major accelerators of climate change:
Burning of fossil fuels
The chief contributor to the increased greenhouse emissions is the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable form of energy which include coal, petrol, diesel and natural gases. These are the fuels that are most commonly used in automobiles, electricity generation and industries.
Deforestation
We have depleted the major natural carbon dioxide sinks of the earth by cutting trees. We have been cutting trees for industrialization and urbanization. We have been cutting trees to create croplands and for animal farming. We have been cutting trees for timber. Deforestation accounts for about 18% of all the human-produced greenhouse gases.
Agriculture and Animal Farming
With the increasing human population, the legitimate global food requirement has increased and this has led to agricultural intensification. 75% of global deforestation in the developing countries has been for agriculture. Agriculture is an emissions-intensive sector in itself. According to an estimate, about 24% of total annual greenhouse gas emissions come directly from agriculture, forestry and other land use. And guess what, 70% of global agricultural emissions come directly from livestock farming. Specifically, of any meat type, red meat produces the highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions. You may want to rethink before you serve yourselves with steak tonight! And if you are a vegetarian/vegan, a big fat thumbs up.
Decay of organic waste in landfill sites
Landfill sites are the ground area where local authorities dispose waste collected from their localities. These sites are primarily designed to store all the trash that we produce. The world urban population produces an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste annually. The trash that is dumped at the landfill sites is decayed by the action of microorganisms and releases methane and carbon dioxide which are both greenhouse gases.
Industrial waste
About 40% of the total carbon dioxide emitted and 21% of the total greenhouse emissions come from industrial effluents. Most of these emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels to generate energy to be used in various manufacturing processes.
Household activities
Household activities: The most common everyday electrical appliances and devices we use, directly or indirectly, contribute to global warming. 57% of the total electricity generated globally comes from coal or other fossil fuels.
Forest fires are a major source of GHG emissions 
Deforestation accounts for about 18% of all the human-produced greenhouse gases 
12% of total annual GHG emissions come from agriculture 
70% of GHG emissions come from livestock farming 
About 2.5 billion tons of waste is dumped at lanfills sites across the globe annually 
Industries cause about 20-30% of GHG emissions 
57% of the total electricity generated globally comes from coal or other fossil fuels
Tackling the problem: The Bigger Picture
…the Paris agreement aims at ‘strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius‘.
Excerpt from the current article
Dealing with climate change requires a synchronised action from across the political boundaries. The Paris agreement, that has come into force since 2016, brings the participating nations together to combat climate change. Built upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris agreement aims at “strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” Nations have already started taking various steps forward in this direction. So far, 197 countries have signed the agreement. To be put as an example, in July 2017, the French government announced its five-year plan to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles in France as part of the Paris agreement. Despite all the efforts being made, one of the latest UN draft reports apprehends that global warming is already set to exceed Paris agreement’s 1.5 degree Celsius limit by 2040s.
How can we help?
Every little step counts in facing such global issues as climate change. Following are just a few steps that can be taken to confront the changing climate:
I would like to elaborate on the last point. Being aware and raising awareness, I think, is really important. We, as the global citizens and the stakeholders, must take steps to keep ourselves updated and informed. Much of the success of the climate action plans depends on our understanding of the planet. In accordance with our progressive modernization, it’s important that we take initiatives to build our knowledgebase and our own perspectives about such global issues as climate change. As well-aware members of public, we could play critical role in making big differences to the community by curbing individual contributions to climate change. This cold even help us in positively influencing governments’ environmental policies. Because ultimately, it’s about Our Earth! It’s about Us!
Read my next blogpost to know what’s contributing to climate change and what could be done to deal with it.
– Your ScienceBuddy Arohi
📚 📚 📚 📚 Read More On This 📚 📚 📚 📚
Learning With Fun
Greenhouse Gas Attack– an interactive game by NASA; intended for making people aware of greenhouse effect in a fun way
If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also like watching our ‘Climate Change Series’ on YouTube.
Image Credits (in order of occurrence in the post)
- Forest fire: Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash
- Deforestation: Photo by Sharad Bhat on Unsplash
- Agriculture: Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
- Livestock Farming: Photo by Stijn te Strake on Unsplash
- Landfill site: Photo by Antoine GIRET on Unsplash
- Electricity towers: Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash
