Climate Change

The image on the left is the sunrise over the horizon shot by NASA. This iconic photo illustrates how thin the earth’s atmosphere is in comparison to the surface area. Science has shown that there is a problem with the warming of the planet. If the concentration of CO2 continues to rise the average global temperature will pass the threshold of 1.5 degrees, causing serious damage to the climate and to the most vulnerable within our populations. Carbon Futures is across the science, being involved with the Australian Conservation Foundation and Climate Reality. The latter was founded by Al Gore in 2006 after the launch of the film and book “An Inconvenient Truth”. Carbon Futures founder, James Vosper, was trained by Al Gore in 2013 and has served as a Mentor in global training in 2019, 2020 and 2021. IPCC 6th assessment 2021 contains data that shows the effects of rising temperatures will lead to; extreme heat, heavy rainfall, drought, fire and acidifying of the oceans. We need to cut emissions by 50% per decade to reach zero carbon by 2050.

The Science Is Settled

We know it’s happening, and we know why: carbon pollution from fossil fuels is warming our planet and throwing natural systems out of balance.

You don’t have to look far to see the results. Hotter temperatures, stronger storms, rising seas, and so much more, threatening the health of our families and the future we pass on to generations to come.

But what’s going on and why? Let’s start here:

What is Global Warming and Climate Change?

Some people use the terms “climate change” and “global warming” interchangeably, so to get to a definition of the one, we’re going to talk about them both because they are profoundly linked but not exactly the same thing.

“‘Global warming’ refers to the long-term warming of the planet. Global temperature shows a well-documented rise since the early 20th century and most notably since the late 1970s,” according to NASA. “Worldwide, since 1880 the average surface temperature has risen about 1° C (about 2° F), relative to the mid-20th-century baseline (of 1951-1980).”

This rise in global temperatures is causing our climate – the average weather patterns for a particular region over a long period of time, typically 30 or more years – to change.

So, “climate change” is a broad, general term for these changes. It’s largely the consequence of the warming described above, and includes everything from the increasing incidence of extreme weather events like powerful hurricanes and severe drought to more frequent flooding and longer-lasting heat waves. It’s the accelerated ice melt we’re seeing in Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic and the related rise in global sea levels rise. It’s worsening pollen seasons, spreading vector-borne diseases, and much, much more.

Are Humans Causing Climate Change?

Put simply, here’s what we know for sure:

– We know that carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
– And we know that humans are burning fossil fuels, releasing huge amounts of carbon pollution and trapping more and more heat in the atmosphere.
– There’s only one conclusion: humans are the primary reason the planet is warming and we see our climate changing today.

Learn more about climate change: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/