{"id":35618,"date":"2021-03-27T13:56:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T17:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencesensei.com\/?p=35618"},"modified":"2023-12-17T00:26:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T05:26:12","slug":"climate-change-explained-for-dummies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/climate-change-explained-for-dummies\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Explained for Dummies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Right now, climate change is a worldwide problem that is affecting the planet at a major rate. We know, we know…you don’t want to buy into it, right? After all, these climate scientists might be lying to us all just to sell books or get grants to continue to stay employed. However, this is incredibly untrue and it is more than just climatologists that have found the climate rising at a large rate. Several others such as NASA also backed the indisputable evidence regarding it.<\/p>\n
They along with several other governments and agencies agree. This has been the case under numerous, different administrations. Most people now agree that the climate is changing. The only real things worth debate are our role in it all, what the change has or will cause, and how we can try to fix the problem. To do anything worthwhile here, you first need to understand what climate change is. We’re here to help!<\/p>\n Greenhouse Gas, Carbon Dioxide<\/a><\/strong>, also known as CO2, has a major role to play in all of this. We actually need CO2. We know, this can be quite odd to hear due to so many seemingly wanting to hate on it. However, we as humans need it for multiple reasons. Interestingly, we actually blow CO2 out of our own bodies as we breathe. Blowing out CO2 is not much of a problem at all. In fact, the Earth needs CO2 in its atmosphere to properly keep the Earth heated at a normal rate.<\/p>\n We as humans need the Earth to be at a proper temperature worldwide to live. Animals need this just as much as we do. As a result, carbon dioxide assists with this heating. However, a little might be needed but A LOT is not. Think of it as food. We need some food to live, but if you keep eating and never stop, you’re going to have a lot of problems. Therefore, when CO2 is found in gasoline, coal, and numerous other overused products…it can lead to problems.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another Greenhouse Gas, Methane, we also need in our environment. Yet it’s over 25 times more powerful than CO2, making it much better at heating specific areas with very little level differences. The problem occurs when it’s just too much. We do have Methane in several natural areas such as in wetlands or marshes. It’s also often found below ground and under the seafloor. Those natural forming areas of methane are usually referred to as Methane Clathrates<\/a><\/strong>. You might also see it within arctic ice.<\/p>\n Once methane escapes its captive ice or liquid form, it will then become atmospheric methane. This is the stuff that’ll affect our global air temperatures. Yet methane has increased far more due to being involved in natural gas used in the home, as well as being found in septic tanks or sewers worldwide. Wastewater treatment utilizes methane as well as oil and coal mining on top of this. Behind CO2, the biggest reason for global temperature increases is clearly the overuse of methane.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are three Greenhouse Gases outside Carbon Dioxide and Methane. They are Water Vapor (H2O), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), and Ozone (O3). These are the very gases responsible for the Earth’s heating and sometimes the lack of them can lead to cooling. It is not just Earth that has greenhouse gases. We’ve also been able to track their roles on both Venus and Mars as well as one of Saturn’s Moons, Titan. You can find CO2 along with Water Vapor in Volcanic gases.<\/p>\n Nitrous Oxide<\/a><\/strong> is basically Nitrogen and Oxygen, which then pair up. It will be found in most pressurized metal canisters yet it’s also found on land in bacteria within the soil and in oceans naturally forming. Its main job in the atmosphere is controlling ozone within the stratosphere. Ozone is naturally forming but man uses it in some form in bottled water, air purification, cooling towers, etc. Of course, 90% of it will be in the Stratosphere around 6 to 10 miles above the Earth’s surface. We truly need some proper Ozone levels, as it protects us from violent sun rays.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of people tend to misunderstand what Global Warming is, as it’s often linked with climate change as if it’s the same thing. They are two different terms. Global Warming is simply the long-term heating of the Earth’s climate, mostly since the pre-industrial period. These numbers specifically are targeting numbers since about 1850. Global Warming, in this case, follows what humans have done to cause the increased temperatures. This will be important to remember, by the way.<\/p>\n When scientists look at this, they are following the Earth’s global surface temperature. In this, we know that since the pre-industrial period, human activities have led to a global rise of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. This number has been increasing by 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit every decade! When following the Earth’s own normal climate changes comparing it to man, we know that man has caused most of the rise since at least 1950.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As referenced, this differs from global warming in terminology. Climate change is the long-term change in the average weather patterns that now define Earth’s global climate. This means that it also tracks all local and regional numbers, which is why you might see different areas that seem to have other problems that some do not. We’ll get to those soon. While most of the material we see today follows how man is affecting climate, that is not the complete history of climate change.<\/p>\n There are other changes that happen to the Earth beyond man’s role. In their observations on the Earth’s climate, scientists will observe ground, air, and space to follow and study past, present, and future changes. Since numerous things will be caused by climate change, it is important to track. In fact, it is the tracking scientists have done that has pushed for legislation to be made in many countries to help battle the symptoms of the change. Some of which have been life-saving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have a long history of changes in the Earth’s climate. This tends to be used by climate apologists to show how the current changes are only a result of the Earth’s normal changes. However, many of the biggest changes were caused by things that were not truly the Earth’s fault. The major Ice Age that killed off the dinosaurs was caused by a massive meteor hitting the planet. Another random occurrence happened between 1650 to 1715 AD, which has been called the “Little Ice Age<\/a><\/strong>.”<\/p>\n This came as a result of extremely low solar activity in the Northern Hemisphere as well as cooling from volcanic aerosols. In this case, major cooling occurred. Yet four times now, the Earth has heated up heavily. Those periods are referred to as the “Greenhouse Earth.” Since then, we’ve had several periods when cooling occurred. Every time the Earth heated, a cooling stage happened. This is key because the Earth never overdid itself. There was always a balance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are some who believe that another Grand Solar Minimum<\/a><\/strong> will come along to help with our climate change issue. The last time one happened was around the time of the Little Ice Age between 1650 and 1750. Usually, when these happen, it is due to very low solar activity. As a result, things cool down a great deal from even normal temperatures. In that case, one would be experiencing global cooling over global warming.<\/p>\n However, what many people fail to understand is that during the last Grand Solar Minimum, we were not using fossil fuels in an extreme fashion. The Industrial Revolution did not take place for around another 100 years!! Since the current climate change is a direct result of carbon dioxide and methane, it does not matter if we have lower solar activity. The Earth would still be heating up from its norm due to fossil fuel usage. Once the minimum ends, the normal solar activity would come back. Now, it returns with our fossil fuel damage being felt far more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of people tend to confuse weather and climate as if to say they are the exact same thing. You might see people bring in a snowball from the outdoors and say “well, if this is here, clearly the Earth isn’t getting warmer.” However, this is flawed, ignorant logic to use for even the biggest climate change deniers. Climate is like a steady line that goes gradually up or down depending on the situation. Meanwhile, the weather is erratic and will go drastically up and down just because.<\/p>\n This is also why we still have seasons and why the further north or south you get, the colder it will eventually become. This is why humans tend to live in the median sections because temperatures and even weather patterns will be relatively normal. Think of it like a man walking a dog. The man will stay in a relatively normal line pattern while the dog walks all over and explores. Climate is the man and the dog is representative of the weather.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We get it, climate change may not seem like that big of a deal to some people. You see that only a few degrees have gone up from what experts believe we should be at. A few degrees seems like nothing, so why is there so much controversy around just a few degrees? First, it’s actually not just a few degrees. Climate, again, is not the weather. When the climate changes even a fraction, weather changes along with it.<\/p>\n This is key to remember because the weather will be dictated by what happens in the Climate. Essentially, if the climate goes up one degree, then the overall Earth is going up with it. This small change will have a domino effect. It might normally be 70 degrees in your town this time of year… but now it’s 80. It might normally be 20 degrees in the winter, now it’s 35. That little change now takes localized or regional temps up. The latter is the biggest issue. 32 degrees Fahrenheit is freezing weather, so by going up to 35 degrees, you remove that. Now, imagine temps going up in the Arctic the same way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you look at the Arctic Ice, it is important that it eventually melts in time. However, you’re only wanting this to happen in short stints. Snow and other precipitation will come and then freeze normally. This is a good thing because the more that freezes, the less that will get into the water before it needs to be present. Sadly, the ice in both Arctic areas has been melting far faster and more often than it should. A mere few degrees could cause this even if it’s still below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n In fact, one of the most critical moments happened in 2020<\/a><\/strong> when in the first half of the year, Siberia alone experienced temperatures between five and nine degrees Fahrenheit. Normally, they’d be well under zero degrees. Also, this happened between January and June, where regardless of hemisphere, cooler temps should be present. What does all of this mean? It means that the more ice melts at a faster pace, the more water lines move up. Meaning, less land for humans slowly but surely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perhaps the biggest place affected by our current climate change is most certainly the sea. In fact, if you ask experts, they’ll also say it’s the sea that is seeing the biggest changes. This is key for sea creatures on Earth. Some move around a lot like birds during certain points throughout the year. They too like to live in areas where temps are perfect for them. Due to temperature changes, they have moved further and\/or more often.<\/p>\n Some have even chosen to make specific areas their new homes. This disrupts the current ecosystems present in those areas drastically. It can mean less food for some animals. Even worse, it can mean larger predators such as sharks will attack prey they likely would never come in contact with. While creatures must eat to survive, smaller species move into places to better protect themselves. Some even develop evolutionary assets to help them. When things move too fast, fewer changes will occur and that can wipe out an entire species as predators pick them off or take their normal food supply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking of evolutionary changes, one of the men who came up with the evolution theory was Alfred Russel Wallace. He came to the same conclusions as Charles Darwin at the same time, just in different ways. One of the most important things Wallace came up with was The Wallace Line<\/a><\/strong>. While his line was not technically a place, it was meant to be a separation point between different sectors of the world. For example, his initial concept took place in the Malay Archipelago.<\/p>\n It was able to show a clear separation between how things looked and operated between Asia and Australia. Essentially, fauna and animals seemed to pick this line that neither crossed very often. The Western Portion showed proof of creatures that connect to the Asian territory while the East showed more Australian connections. Yet now there is a high crossover, which is leading to an entire disruption of normal evolutionary concepts. The Wallace Line, while a true concept, is now becoming obsolete due specifically to climate change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit body temperature scale was meant as an average for a human being, it was never going to be something that every single human connected to. Some will naturally run higher in the 99-degree range while others naturally run lower in the 97 degrees range. However, more and more people are seemingly navigating from the 98.6 average to the 97 degree sector. In fact, temps of 97.3 to 97.9 are becoming quite common across the planet.<\/p>\n Our temperatures actually do change throughout the day. It is at its lowest in the morning while at its highest by the evening hours. Temps also can vary regarding sex, age, and if a person is sick or not. This we know. Studies on body temperature have been going on since the 1800s. However, one study from the Mid-1900s to 1999 concluded that body temps were lowering on average. This was confirmed in studies conducted on thousands of people in 2016 and 2017. Many believe body temps are lowering for humans to adapt to the warming climate. Yet some believe thermometers are just more accurate today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While weather severity is always going to be an issue regardless of our climate, the amount of problematic weather issues has risen drastically. Things like Hurricanes and Tornadoes are usually caused by the same issues. Hurricanes form over warm ocean water when warm moist air is replaced by cooler air. The cool air will warm and begin to rise, causing a cycle in the clouds. Eventually, wind speed picks up and you get a Hurricane. Tornadoes are similar.<\/p>\n They form when warm humid air meets with cold dry air. If the cold air is dense, it will push over warmer air and produce a thunderstorm. When warmer air rises within colder air, it will cause an updraft and that can produce a tornado. Due to climate change, warmer air is forming around a lot more. Even slight cold air meeting with warm air can cause both hurricanes or tornadoes. Therefore, climate change is clearly causing these<\/a><\/strong> as well as storms to become more common worldwide.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you live in the West, it’s likely that you’ve never experienced the lovely acid rain or snow that can happen in Asia. In case you’re wondering, the acid rain or snow is most certainly due to pollution being so high that it has a direct effect on the local weather. When we reference “acid,” we are not discussing the science fiction version. Rain is acidic regardless, but it becomes even more acidic when pollution gets into the air and into the clouds.<\/p>\n Usually, when this type of rain or snow comes down, it’ll appear orange. Some of the most common places to see this type of stuff is in China and Russia (sometimes Eastern Europe), as well as some of the surrounding countries. One such issue took place in Siberia<\/a><\/strong> years ago when orange snow hit the ground. When tested, Russian environmentalists found iron at four times higher than its normal rate as well as other acids and nitrates. Oleg Mitvol, Russia’s Deputy Head of their environmental watchdog, claimed it was certainly not a storm that caused this. Then claimed charges will be filed if an industry caused it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While climate change can not be completely blamed for wildfires occurring, it is a partial cause. Of course, some wildfires happen by accident. This is why American National or State Parks should do properly controlled burns to help with problematic wildfires becoming much larger. It is also a major reason why camping has slowly started to be banned in parks beyond specific points. Whereas before, Park officials allowed people to camp in far more areas of the land. While it is true that humans can cause wildfires, this is not the only cause.<\/p>\n Temperatures have risen every year but one over the last 20 years specifically. This means that in the summer periods, temperature averages only continued to rise without failure in that period. Most of America’s wildfires tend to begin between spring and summer. California happens to see them more often, likely due to the dryness in the state. When temps rise and the sun is directly on dry trees, this can cause random fires to come about. Many begin with smoke and stop within a minute, others grow and will burst into fires. This will then start a wildfire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have referenced the fact that the earth actually does need carbon dioxide as well as other major greenhouse gases. Thus, some will assume that if we need the stuff, more of the stuff we need is a good thing. Yet this is not like adding a few more words to a school paper or packing extra water for a hike. We only need specific rates for each of our greenhouse gases. If there is too much, problems happen. Such as the one we see now with global warming.<\/p>\n What are the proper levels? Good question. The answer depends on who you ask. For CO2, many say we need to be between 100 to 300 parts per minute or ppm. Others will say we can be around 350 to 450 ppm. For methane<\/a><\/strong>, you measure in parts per billion. Right now, we’re around 1862.8 ppb and we really need to be around 800 to 1,200 ppb. Again, depending on who you ask. Since methane is far stronger than carbon dioxide, we do not need such a drastic extra amount. It would be like going to a buffet and filling your plate, then filling another plate on top of the plate you have. You never needed that much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe Role Carbon Dioxide Plays<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Role Methane Plays<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Greenhouse Gases<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Is Global Warming?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Is Climate Change?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Other Major Climate Changes In The Past<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Of Another Grand Solar Minimum?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Weather vs Climate<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What’s The Big Deal About All Of This Anyway?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
As Temperatures Rise, Ice Melts And Water Lines Move With It<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Sea Creatures Are Affected<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Wallace Line Is Now Violated<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Even Mankind Is Having To Adjust Temperature Wise<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Climate Change Is Also Responsible For Severe Weather Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Real Acid Rain and Snow In Asia<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Wildfires<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Earth Needs Greenhouse Gases, So What’s Wrong With More?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Is Man Really Responsible For The Current Climate Change Epidemic?<\/strong><\/h2>\n