12/08/2022
Let’s talk about the greenhouse effect and climate change.
You will have heard lots in the news recently about extreme weather in the UK, as today we have been officially declared in drought, and some areas of the country are preparing for hosepipe bans. Last weekend I visited Kent (affectionately known as the garden of England) and as you can see from the picture, the grass all looks a little sad due to lack of rainfall!
But what is the greenhouse effect, and how does it affect our climate?
The greenhouse effect is a beneficial mechanism that helps to sustain life on earth by naturally trapping heat in the atmosphere. The problem we are facing at the moment is that humans are releasing lots of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the environment, which is causing rapid changes in the Earth’s climate. We are doing this through processes like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and manufacturing. In fact, one of the biggest culprits is farming, which releases lots of methane - another greenhouse gas!
These additional greenhouse gases in the atmosphere act like a warm jumper wrapped around the Earth, keeping even more heat trapped down at the surface. The extra warmth causes more problems, like the melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers. The planet uses these large bodies of ice to reflect the sun’s heat back into space - without them, the Earth absorbs even more heat. It’s a vicious cycle, and greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise.
According to NASA, the average global temperature has risen 0.8°C since 1880, primarily due to human activity. Droughts, severe wildfires, rising sea levels, floods, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity are all ways in which our climate has been affected.
What are some ways that we can address the problem of climate change? Drop some ideas in the comments!
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