Climate Change:
There are a number of global problems happening for example terrorism, spread of infectious diseases, poverty, economic crisis, proliferation of nuclear weapons, and increase in armed conflict but none of these problems is much bigger than climate change. I have a strong conviction that Climate Change is a major global problem that possesses the greatest threat to human existence on earth and thus we need to pay a lot attention to this climate change in every part of the world because it is already happening and our weather is in turmoil not by natural events but mainly mankind’s activities.
“We must limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees. We are far from there, and even that is enough to cause dire consequences. If we continue
Of these, the two factors relevant on timescales of contemporary climate change are changes in volcanic activity and changes in solar radiation. In terms of the Earth’s energy balance, these factors primarily influence the amount of incoming energy. Volcanic eruptions are episodic and have relatively short-term effects on climate. Changes in solar irradiance have contributed to climate trends over the past century but since the Industrial Revolution, the effect of additions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere has been about ten times that of changes in the Sun’s output. (Canada Action on Climate Change,
Most of the hottest years on record have occurred during the past two decades for example, in Europe, the heat wave in the summer of 2003 resulted in over 30,000 deaths. In India, temperatures reached 48.1 degrees Centigrade, nearly 119 degrees Fahrenheit which resulted into a heat wave that killed nearly 2500 people. Pakistan was also struck by a heat wave in June 2015, where temperatures rose as high as 49 degrees centigrade causing deaths of about 2, 000 people from dehydration and heat stroke. In Africa, countries such as Uganda, there have been long dry spells that have caused drought and food shortage. In 2005, the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina in the United States which caused 1, 833 fatalities was attributed in large part to the elevated water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico.
The above coupled with extreme weather patterns, extinction of animal and plant species in the ecosystem, increase in ocean acidification, increase in pests and diseases, failing agricultural output, change in the environment are some of the devastating effects of climate change.
Reduction in global emissions of greenhouse gasses, carbon dioxide and other pollutants that have originated mainly from developed countries is crucial in address rising global temperatures that are causing climate change.