How the Earth’s climate has changed in the Past few Decades

How the Earth’s climate has changed in the Past few Decades

Throughout history, the climate of the earth has continued to change. In the last 650,000 years, for example, several series of glacial retreat and advancements have been experienced, leading to the end of the ice age that happened 7000 years ago and the start of the contemporary climatic era. As such, many of the climate changes can be associated with small differences in the earth’s orbit, which in turn affect the amount of solar energy the earth receives.

On the other hand, the earth has been experiencing an unprecedented level of global warming which has primarily been caused by human activities since the mid-20^th century. This paper, therefore, seeks to explore how the earth’s climate has changed over the last few decades, the main factors that have contributed to this issue, and possible solutions that can be adopted to eradicate the problems caused by climate change.

First off, the earth’s surface temperatures have increased significantly rising by approximately 0.9 degrees, which is about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit.  This was first observed in the late 19^th century and has continued to be the case to date. The rise in temperatures can largely be attributed to the increased release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through human activities. The last 35 years have recorded the most global warming on the planet, but even with that, the worst cases have taken place from 2010 through to 2016 (De Sario,  Katsouyanni,  & Michelozzi, 2013).

Plentiful long term climatic changes have been observed at regional, continental and ocean basin scales. Some of these changes include changes in the temperatures at the Arctic and ice which have drastically reduced, extensive changes in the amount of rain or precipitation observed, wind patterns, ocean salinity, and cases of extreme weather including heat waves, stronger tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall and droughts (Stern & Kaufmann, 2014).

However, there are some characteristics of climate that have shown no change for the longest time. Some of these include; the difference in temperature between night and day. The absence of this change has been caused by the fact that both night and daytime temperatures have increased by the same margin. Additionally, regions like Antarctica have not observed significant changes in the size of sea ice, explaining the absence of warming in the area.

Main causes of climate change

Greenhouse Gases.

Some of the gases that can be found within the earth’s atmosphere behave like glass inside a greenhouse and helps by tapping the heat emitted by the sun and prevents it from seeping back into space. Many of these gases have been known to occur naturally, but since the industrial revolution, the levels have considerably increased. Specifically, the gases that have increased include; carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and fluorinated gases (Stern & Kaufmann, 2014).

Carbon dioxide makes up a very small percentage of the composition of air but happens to be one of the most important gases for human survival, plant growth, and numerous industrial processes. However, as much as carbon dioxide is essential, so is it destructive. CO2 is responsible for more than half of the global warming being experienced today in different parts of the world. As such, its concentration in the atmosphere has increased by 40% from the time industrialization began to date (Stern & Kaufmann, 2014).

Some of the most common human and natural activities that release CO2 in the atmosphere include deforestation, volcanic eruptions, respiration, burning of fossil fuels, and increased land-use changes. Consequently as mentioned above, human activities have collectively raised the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere by more than a third since the industrial revolution began.

Most other greenhouse gases are emitted in much smaller quantities but are far more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Methane is a good example. It is a hydrocarbon that can be produced by other natural and human activities and accounts for 17% of global warming experienced today. Some of the events that lead to production of methane include agricultural related activities such as cultivation of rice, decomposition of waste in developed landfills, management of manure associated with domestic livestock, and ruminant digestion (Stern & Kaufmann, 2014).

The need for energy has increased significantly in the past few decades, leading to increased burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which have subsequently led to increased concentration of carbon dioxide (Stern & Kaufmann, 2014). To a lesser extent, human’s need for agricultural land has led to land clearing which has also led to increased concentration of greenhouse gases.

Changes in the Sun’s Energy

Changes within the sun and changes in the earth orbit usually affect the amount of solar energy that reaches the earth thereby causing changes in climate. Research shows that the orbit of the earth around the sun forms an ellipse and not a circle; however, the shape of the ellipse tends to change from time to time (Jang, 2013). At times, the shape is almost circular, and this ensures that the earth stays roughly the same distance from the sun as it continues to orbit. On other occasions, the ellipse shape is more distinct. This makes the earth move further and closer to the sun as it orbits. As such, when the distance between the earth and the sun is small, the climate warms up.

Secondly, changes that occur within the sun can also affect the sunlight intensity that reaches the surface of the earth. Therefore, during periods of weak solar intensity, the earth experiences cooling, and vice versa. However this effect is not so pronounced (Jang, 2013).

Solutions to Climatic Change

The first and among the most important solutions that can be adopted is reducing the rate at which deforestation is done. Over the past few years, green lands have been destroyed by humans through deforestation and clearing of land for agriculture. Forest fires as a natural cause of destruction has also destroyed significant portions of forested areas across the world, with the most recent case being the Amazon fire, which lasted for weeks and caused massive destruction.

As such, to take care of the deforestation problem, for each tree cut, two should be planted to replace it. Additionally, afforestation should be highly encouraged so as to give nature its voice back. For the unforeseen natural calamities such as forest fire, the authorities should be prepared to tackle such unfortunate circumstances by purchasing necessary equipment.

Secondly, how we build, plan, and manage our cities can primarily help in controlling climate change. This boils down to the number of private motor vehicles on our roads today. If this number could be cut down by developing accessible and highly efficient public transport, then the per capita carbon footprint would consequently be reduced and as a result move a step closer in achieving sustainable goals which include control of climate change (Kabisch,  Frantzeskaki,  Pauleit,  Naumann,  Davis,  Artmann,  & Zaunberger, 2016).

Thirdly, it is crucial that homes work on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced in their homes by adopting more energy-efficient sources of fuel such as renewable sources (Burkett, 2008).  Similarly, more zero carbon buildings should be built in place of the current buildings which utilize carbon for cooking, heating, electricity, and lighting ((Kabisch et al. 2016). Some of the most common renewable energy sources include solar power, biogas, wind power, hydropower among others.

In Africa, mainly, the rift region is characterized by all types of water bodies ranging from the longest river in Africa, River Nile, lakes, seasonal, and permanent rivers. To properly control climate change in this region, all the water bodies should be properly managed to promote sustainable and controlled use of the water sources. This in response helps in promoting an excellent hydrological cycle all through (Ayenew & Legesse, 2007).

Conclusion

In conclusion, therefore, this paper outlines some of the changes that have been experienced in global climate over the past few decades. As seen from the document, climate has continued to degrade due to various reasons among the most notable; human activities and changes in the earths orbital position. Additionally it is evident that not all is lost as there are measures that can be taken to help curb this problem. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every person on earth to take it upon themselves and take a step towards a greener planet.

                                                           References

Burkett, M. (2008). Just solutions to climate change: A climate justice proposal for a domestic clean development mechanism. Buff. L. Rev., 56, 169.

De Sario, M., Katsouyanni, K., & Michelozzi, P. (2013). Climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution, and respiratory health in Europe. European Respiratory Journal, 42(3), 826-843.

Kabisch, N., Frantzeskaki, N., Pauleit, S., Naumann, S., Davis, M., Artmann, M., … & Zaunberger, K. (2016). Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas: perspectives on indicators, knowledge gaps, barriers, and opportunities for action. Ecology and Society, 21(2).

Jang, S. M. (2013). Framing responsibility in climate change discourse: Ethnocentric attribution bias, perceived causes, and policy attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, 27-36.

Stern, D. I., & Kaufmann, R. K. (2014). Anthropogenic and natural causes of climate change. Climatic change, 122(1-2), 257-269.

Ayenew, T., & Legesse, D. (2007). The changing face of the Ethiopian rift lakes and their environs: call of the time. Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 12(3), 149-165.