Global warming
Extreme weather, species becoming extinct and islands disappearing - climate change is serious for both humans and the nature around us. What exactly is global warming, and why is this happening now?
What is global warming?
Global warming means that the air around us is becoming warmer. This affects everyone on the planet. Our planet has changed a lot throughout history, but now it is changing very quickly. Since 1880 the atmosphere has become about 0.8°C warmer. Before the end of the 2000s, the temperature could have gone up by 2-4 °C.
⬅ Many of the world’s largest rivers are about to dry up due to climate change, such as in Australia.
The difference between climate change and global warming
Global warming is the reason for climate change. We know that the planet is getting warmer and warmer. We have global warming because of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Climate change is what happens because of global warming. Some examples are rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and changes in the length of the seasons. Climate change is caused by global warming.
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Why is this happening?
Some natural things cause climate change. One example is the activity in volcanoes. But it is also happening because of the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal. This lets out greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
How does it work?
Greenhouse gases hinder heat from getting away from the atmosphere. This can lead to more acidic water, extreme weather, a thinner ozone layer, higher temperatures, the melting of ice, rising sea levels, and much more.
What can happen?
We have to emit less greenhouse gases. If not, the temperature can rise by 4°C and sea levels could rise by 26-82 cm by the year 2100. Some countries will have too much water, and others not enough.
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The greenhouse effect
The greenhouse gases control the earth’s surface temperature of 15°C. The gases work like a blanket around the earth. If you take the blanket away, the earth will freeze. With too much gas, it will become too hot.
The layers of greenhouse gases are like the glass in a greenhouse: the sun heats the air inside the glass, and the plants can grow. At night, some of the heat is let out into the outside air again, and the greenhouse cools down.
Greenhouse gases
Many different greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere are important. Two examples are water steam (H2O) and ozone (O3). Water steam makes up 95 percent of greenhouse gases.
Enhanced effect
The right amount of greenhouse gases keep the earth warm. But if too much carbon dioxide escapes into the atmosphere, the sun’s heat will be trapped, and the earth will become warmer.
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What is methane?
We need energy
We can’t ban fossil fuels, so the earth will continue to become warmer. But we can become less dependent on fossil fuels. We need to use more renewable energy like solar and wind energy. We also need new inventions; for example, in Spain, they have made theworld’s first solar tower.
Up until about 3,000 years ago, people burned wood, which is renewable. Then they started burning coal, which is non-renewable. The industrial revolution started in 1750, and there was a greater need for fossil fuel. People lived longer, so there were more people on the planet. Today, 85% of all energy is fossil fuels.
Oil is probably the most commonly used fossil fuel. There are around 500 offshore oil rigs in the world. They produce almost 90 million barrels of raw oil per day.
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Did you know that…
….nuclear power does not emit a lot of greenhouse gases, but uranium can be very dangerous? An example of this is an earthquake in Japan in 2011. Life-threatening substances were spread over a large area, and the environmental damage was huge.
The sea is changing
About 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. This is why it is called the ‘blue planet’. All life on earth is dependent on the ocean for survival. The ocean controls the climate and gives us what we need. Global warming is serious for our oceans. If the sea levels continue to rise, many big cities can be flooded.
Ocean acidification – what is it?
The ocean’s chemistry changes so that the water becomes more acidic. There is a lot more CO2 now than before. This makes the ocean acidic because it soaks up more CO2 than before.
The ocean today has a pH of 8.1. A long time ago it was 8.2. It doesn’t seem like a big change, but it will affect all creatures in the ocean.
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What is Ocean Acidification?
Sea animals in danger
The sea has only warmed up by 1°C, but this is enough to cause the death of many sea creatures. It takes longer for those who live in the sea to adjust than those who live on land. We see starving polar bears that have to swim long distances between spread ice blocks to hunt for seals. But warmer oceans make it better for plankton. Many species can die out because of the changes.
Did you know that…
…the melting of the ice that floats around will not cause a rise of sea levels? The sea level only rises when the ice in glaciers melts.
The land is changing
In the Arctic, Antarctica, Alaska and northern parts of Canada and Russia, climate change has caused a lot of damage. But you can see the damage all over the world. The most serious result is that fresh water is drying up because it is not raining. In Los Alamos, Mexico, many pine trees dried out in 2002-2003.
Disappearing islands
Five of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific ocean disappeared before 2016. This happened because the sea level rose. More islands are at risk of being lost.
Permafrost
Global warming affects the coldest places the most. Permafrost is a thick layer of frozen ground, and this has begun to melt. This has resulted in the ground collapsing under forests and cities.
Desertification
Desertification is when land you can grow something on becomes a desert. This happens because of droughts and forests that are cut down. This leads to hunger disasters and the death of different animals.
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Land animals in danger
Animals that like being in the cold are the first ones to suffer from climate change. To get away from the heat, many animals will just move to new locations. In the new locations, they can be threatened by a lack of food, diseases, or other animals. Researchers think that only 4 percent of the world’s animals and plants will benefit from climate change. Many species will die out. One example that already has happened is the Bramble Cay rat in Australia that died out in 2009.
What will happen to us?
Humans need air, water, food, shelter, and sleep to survive. It is precisely these human needs that climate change threatens to destroy.
Water shortage
La Paz in Bolivia is likely to be deserted in the future because there is no fresh water. Fresh water will become the world’s most valuable resource. This is likely to lead to conflicts and deaths.
Economic loss
Extreme weather can cause expensive damage. Trade, industry, and food production can be destroyed and people will lose their livelihood. This can cause people to move to other areas, resulting in overpopulation.
Dying crops
Climate change can have extreme consequences. There can be too much water, too little water, or temperatures that are too high or too low. This is bad for the harvest. A lot of CO2 in the air means that for example wheat is not as healthy as it should be.
What is being done?
All over the world, people are working to find solutions to the problems of climate change. People need to think in new ways. They often meet resistance since fighting global warming means research, better technology, and new laws. But the most important thing of all is the will to make a real change.
What does it mean to be carbon neutral?
Being carbon neutral is when the carbon freed in the atmosphere is the same amount as the carbon saved by renewable energy, tree planting, or carbon storage.
Carbon neutral places:
Vatican City in Italy, Ta’u in the South Pacific, the island of Samsø in Denmark.
Places that have committed to becoming carbon neutral:
British Columbia (Canadian province), Costa Rica in Central America, the Maldives in South Asia, Tuvalu in the South Pacific, Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark), Norway, Iceland and Sweden.
Being carbon negative means that more carbon is absorbed that is emitted.
Carbon negative countries:
Bhutan in South Asia
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Sources:
- Vår fantastiske planet (2017)
Orage Forlag AS
- Hofstad, Knut; Rosvold, Knut A.: Fukushima – kjernekraftulykke i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 27. april 2022 fra https://snl.no/Fukushima_-_kjernekraftulykke
- NRK (10.06.2020)
nrk.no/skole
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Wageningen Livestock Research – YouTube
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Action for the Climate Emergency – YouTube
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