An Update on Global Warming's Impact in 2021
By: Emilie Baliozian
Global warming is the rapid increase of the average surface temperature on Earth due to a large concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It’s one of the ‘symptoms’ of climate change: along with heavier rainstorms, rising seas, and other shifting weather patterns. It’s among the many broader changes we’re observing in our climate since the Industrial Revolution, when humans started burning fossil fuels.
Global warming occurs when greenhouse gases (GHG), such as carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants, build up in the atmosphere. When sunlight and solar radiation bounce off the Earth’s surface, they usually can escape back into space – however, these gases trap the heat from the radiation, which causes the planet to get hotter. That’s called the greenhouse effect.
Greenhouse gases are mostly made up of carbon dioxide (CO2), generated by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion or deforestation, but also contain methane (CH4), caused by agriculture and landfills, and nitrous oxide (N2O), generated by industrial activities and fertilizers. According to C2ES, the primary sources of GHG emissions globally are heat and electricity (31%), agriculture (11%), transportation (15%), forestry (6%), and manufacturing (12%).
When we talk about global warming today, we almost always refer to human-induced warming. Climate skeptics will say that “the climate has always changed,” or that even if the earth is getting warmer, that “humans are not responsible” for it. However, overwhelming amounts of data worldwide have confirmed the link between CO2 emissions and human activities. While it is true that the climate has changed throughout the history of the planet, the changes we are observing today are far beyond the range of natural variation and are occurring much faster than recorded history.
Why should we care about the earth warming? Our planet is very resilient, but life on Earth relies on a balance between its natural systems – when you tamper with the earth’s global temperature, you upset that natural balance. Something as small as a one Celsius degree increase in our temperature has amplified and large-scale effects across regions and ecosystems: ocean acidification, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, more substantial rainfall, droughts, hurricanes and wildfires, crop failure, widespread diseases, animal extinction, and more.
In the hallmark IPCC 1.5˚C Report (2018), experts found that humans caused an estimated 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels. The world is on track for approximately 3°C by the end of the century. The report indicates that to stay below 1.5˚C, the world must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. An ambitious but not impossible task, requiring widespread action from governments, businesses, and individuals and the transition away from fossil fuels. We have the solutions at our fingertips, starting with renewable energy, forest expansion, carbon capture technology, and more. We’re capable of curbing global warming if we set our minds to it.
To access and sign the petition to demand that the White House declare a climate change emergency, click "Go to Petition".
