All over the world, the effects of climate change are of the most talked about crises of the 21st century. We are at a point where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to refute climate change. One of the major issues of climate change is that many people who are claiming to not support or believe this scientific theory are simply not educated on the data that supports this claim. Over the past three decades, the piling evidence has become increasingly more irrefutable while certain politicians and world leaders stand stubborn and are unwilling to see what is unfolding right in front of their eyes. Our society is at a point where we can take a stand and protect the generations to come or turn our backs and watch the only world we have crumble under the weight of our carbon footprint. It is important to be able to understand the background of climate change, specific observed accounts of climate change happening now, and how, as both an individual and as a society, we can go about making a difference and preventing this climate change from rapidly increasing. 

To be able to form a stance on climate change, one must understand its background and what the beliefs behind this ideal are. As a basic overview, Dictionary.com defines ‘climate change’ as “a long-term change in the earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in average atmospheric temperature” (2017).  What causes climate change?  According to NASA’s global climate change department, “most climate scientists agree that the main cause of current global warming trend is [the] human expansion of the ‘greenhouse effect’. [The greenhouse effect is] warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat that radiating from the Earth toward space” (August 2017). The problem is that certain gases that are present in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. This creates a sort of blanket around the Earth, a blanket consisting of methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide that is. These gases are a part of the natural environment. However, human activities over the last century and a half have greatly changed the natural process of the greenhouse effect across the Earth. These gases have increased as a result of fuel combustion, biomass burning, pollution, burning of fossil fuels, landfills, and livestock. These human actions are causing climate change and can bring about grave problems in years to come. 

 At the most basic level, climate change is the increase in temperature throughout the world. This doesn’t seem so bad on the surface. A little bit hotter? Easy to deal with, right? However, these changes in temperature can and have caused major change in the Earth’s environment.  

One incident relating to the problem with the temperature is the melting of the glaciers in the northern areas near the pole and near the Antarctic. When the Earth is experiencing increase in temperature, this cause the ice caps to melt all through the Arctic and Antarctic. Seems pretty harmful, right? However, something as simple as the melting of the glaciers can cause serious detrimental effects throughout the world. At first glance, the major issue with the melting of these glaciers is that an ecosystem is slowly, but surely being destroyed (Going, Feldstein, and Lee, July 2017). This is causing a disruption of the environment of the arctic and how their food chain works. If this melting continues to occur at such a rapid rate, many animals will become increasingly endangered, some extinct. The polar bear is already one of these animals. As the ice retreats, polar bears have an increasingly low food supply and have to be resourceful to find other food sources closer inland. Due to this problem, the polar bear population is dwindling and their conservation status is vulnerable.

Polar bears are not the only organism that is being effected by climate change. Throughout different environments, different organisms are experiencing the effects of climate change. Coral is the reef building animal that is essential for underwater ecosystems. Coral is very sensitive to changes in ocean temperature so with the warming waters, the coral which was usually widespread is restricted to limited areas in the ocean which causes harm for the other organisms that count on this coral to survive. All around the world, organisms are being affected by this change in climate and we have already had some species go extinct, like the golden toad, because of it. 

Now, suppose you didn’t care what happens to animals and you were only worried about yourself. What are the effects that the average citizen would feel as a result of climate change? Well, chances are, you have probably already experienced some of these effects in your lifetime. 

When the glaciers melt, there is excess water in the oceans that wasn’t there before. This causes a rise in the sea level.  Areas on the coast are being affected by this already. Cities, like Miami, FL and New Orleans, LA, are already dealing with the consequences of climate change. They have a great deal of flooding and an easily observed change in sea level and they are predicted to be completely under water in the next century. Not only is sea level an issue that comes along with climate change, but so is the problem of more intense storms due to the mixing of different temperature of waters that brew the ideal situation for hurricanes. Storms that before had seemed “practically impossible” are barreling through the Atlantic Ocean wreaking havoc (Rogers, 2017). These news breaking, catastrophic storms such as Irma and Harvey have destroyed everything in their path and it is only predicted that these type of storms will become more common. 

Not only will the cities on the coast feel the rise in sea level as a change, but those inland may also experience massive changes in weather. Warmer temperatures yield more evaporation and more precipitation which leaves individual regions with the propensity to become wetter or dryer. For example, California is becoming increasingly aware of the effects of climate change due to the extensive drought that has taken over the state in the past two years. These drought patterns are worse than ever and California has increasingly had its hottest year on record each year since 2015 (Clarke et. al, October 2017). This yields to even more problems as plants begin to die, food sources are harder to find, and animal species start to die out due to not being suited for the changing environment. 

Many deniers of climate change bring about points and data from different eras in the world as ‘evidence’ against climate change. In the article “Is Global Warming a Hoax?’ in New American, Ed Hiserodt and Rebecca Terrell dive into the idea that just because the climate is changing doesn’t mean this is a bad thing. They give examples of the ice age and different gradually changing weather patterns throughout the Earth’s history and how this is just another natural process (2015). However, when looking at the data, it can be observed that these periods, such as the ice age, took place over hundreds and hundreds of years. In the case of current climate change, these changes are happening quite rapidly and have greatly increased in the past three decades.

Many climate change deniers also assume that these changes are due to the sun’s energy output. While there are studies that show the sun has indeed played a role in past climate changes, it has never been at the pace it has now. If this warming were indeed cause by a more active sun, then scientists would observe higher temperatures throughout the Earth. However, this is not what is being observed. According to Ross et. al, the temperatures that are being recorded are a cooling in the uppermost atmosphere and a warming at the surface due to the fact that these greenhouse gases are trapping heat in the lower atmosphere (2014). It has also been studied and observed by climate models that this type of change in sun output wouldn’t reproduce this type of temperature change unless effected by a rise in greenhouse gases. 

The leading problem of climate change, however, is to try and decipher what humans can do to stop this downwards spiral. There have been many recent studies to research ways to decrease the world’s carbon footprint as a whole and what one can do as an individual to bring awareness and help out. 

As an individual, there are many different ways in which you can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint. Being energy efficient is a great way to easily reduce your carbon footprint. Switching off the lights when you are not home is a great way to get started. Florescent or LED light bulbs use 75% less energy versus regular incandescent bulbs. Washing clothes in cold water decreases energy and leaving clothes out to dry instead of putting them in a dryer. 

Eating differently can also make a change in your carbon footprint. Buying organic and locally grown foods helps decrease your carbon footprint by reducing the fuel amount to get products from places other than locally. It also helps to stay low on the food chain when eating. It is estimated that around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions come for dairy and meat production. If it is too difficult to cut out meat entirely, cut out all meats except for chicken. Chickens are smaller and produce a way lower amount of methane than that of cows. 

As for society as a whole, it is important that we move towards more of a ‘no waste’ society. Garbage that is buried in landfills, not only smells terrible, but also produces a large amount of methane. Recycling and reusing as a society could greatly decrease the effects led on by climate change. Transportation is also a downfall in society for effects of climate change. Gases released from gas fueled cars releases gases into the atmosphere that contribute to the overwhelming greenhouse effect. Much of this can be prevented by creating a much more accessible public transportation system in all areas to reduce the gas from each single person who would usually drive. 

Many government officials are stepping up and confronting the effects of climate change. One of the major treaties working against climate change is the Kyoto Protocol. This international treaty is committed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released worldwide. One of the main reasons why this treaty is not effective is because the United States is not a part of it. This treaty regulates many countries in their production of greenhouse gas emissions, however without the United States in this treaty there is still a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions being released into the atmosphere without regulation. Another treaty in place for greenhouse gas regulations is the Paris Climate Agreement. The United States is the only country in the world that is not a part of this agreement to try and take a handle on climate change. While it is difficult to sway the government, one can take many actions to try and prevent the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed for the United States. There are many petitions that can be signed to get bills moved through Congress and there are many rallies that one can attend to help bring awareness to this pressing issue. It is also important to vote in upcoming elections to make sure there are leaders of this country that want to create a positive difference, and not just bring us backwards. 

As an entirety, the effects of climate change are proving to be continuingly more urgent every day that the world needs to be worried about. From the melting of the ice caps in the artic, to the rise in sea level near the coasts, and the intense storms wreaking havoc throughout the Atlantic islands there is an increasing amount of clarity that this ‘claim’ of climate change is becoming seriously apparent. The world needs to set aside differences of nations to come together as a whole to try and reverse the damage we have caused from out insensitivity to our surroundings. The most important thing to remember about the issue of climate change is that we have one planet to live on and once it is gone, so are we. 