The Facts About Climate Change

 Climate change is defined by NASA as a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth's local, regional, and and global climates. Scientist name the greenhouse effect as the cause, and human activity helped to increase this process. The greenhouse effect is when gases in the atmosphere trap heat. These gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. Human activities that have contributed to climate change include burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil and clearing land. A panel on climate change concluded a 95% probability that human-produced greenhouse gases have greatly contributed to the past 50 years of Earth's increasing temperatures. 

The effects of climate change continue to be seen. The global temperature is rising. The average surface temperature of Earth has increased 2.12° Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. Along with the global temperature, the oceans are warming. The top 100 meters of the oceans have warmed 0.6° Fahrenheit since 1969. Ice sheets are shrinking as well as a result. Between 1993 and 2019 Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year. Antarctica lost an average of 148 billions tons of ice per year during this time. Glaciers are retreating, snow cover is decreasing, sea levels are rising (8 inches in the last century), and high temperatures have led to extreme events. This is not a far off issue, the consequences are happening right now.

While climate change is coming fast, and it can be scary, there are ways to combat it and ensure a brighter future for Earth. Some ways to help are to use renewable energy such as wind or solar power, sealing drafts in your home and ensuring insulation to use less power for heating and cooling, purchase energy-efficient appliances, conserve water (shorter showers, turning off tap), eating less meat, unplugging as much as you can, and speaking up on the issues are just a few changes everyone can make to make a difference.

Thumbnail #1 depicts Earth melting. Dark blue and green text surround the image providing the information. The background is white. Thumbnail #2 has a line of smokestacks at the bottom of the image. Smoke fades into the text. This will contrast well against a white background, with the text alternating between blue and green. Thumbnail #3 shows a high water level with people submerged. The water would be blue, and the text inside the water would be green. Text outside the water would be blue, matching the water.