What is climate change? When weather patterns change over time to the point where its effects cannot be reversed, life on the planet for every plant and animal will change too, mostly for the worse.
Former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon said “we were the last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impact of climate change.”
While we all agree that climate change, like the weather, happens all the time, what makes it a global concern now is agreed on by a 97 per cent scientific consensus.
That is the Earth’s climate is warming to a degree that will have irreversible damage to the planet and drastic consequences for its inhabitants.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America, 97 per cent of the world’s scientists whose works are published in scientific journals, agree to the existence of climate change.
They agree there is a change in the pattern of weather with related changes in oceans, on land, on the ice sheets, and this has taken place over long periods of time.
The first Earth Day, commemorated to begin a movement to recognise global warming, began in 1970.
According to the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), the change in the climate system might have persisted for at least 30 years.
“Climate change may be due to natural processes, such as changes in the sun’s radiation, volcanoes or internal variability in the climate system, or due to human influences such as changes in the composition of the atmosphere or land use,” the AAS said.
“These natural variations can originate in two ways — from internal fluctuations that exchange energy, water and carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, land and ice, and from external influences on the climate system, including variations in the energy received from the sun and the effects of volcanic eruptions.”
In the US, NASA has 18 scientific associations agreeing that the observations of their scientists “throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver”.
Human activity has changed to increase the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and some chemically manufactured gases such as halocarbons, in the atmosphere.
That human activity as Greenpeace International said is “creating an overload of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” and they include “burning fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — is the biggest source of these emissions”.
“The debate about the cause of global warming and climate change is over. The cause, climate scientists agree, is human activity,” said Greenpeace.
The planet and its various ecosystems and inhabitants, in the water, on land, in the air, all depend on the climate remaining stable for them to survive.
As the balance is tipped on global warming, climate change threatens every plant, animal and island, but at various degrees and in different tides of time.
“Today every land on Earth is affected, but if we don’t act now, the threat to our children and grandchildren will be far, far worse,” Greenpeace warned.
