Climate change and global warming are two closely intertwined yet distinct environmental topics that increasingly dominate news headlines and research reports. As a result of human-induced activities, global temperatures have risen astronomically over the past few decades, leading to a plethora of environmental and socio-economic impacts. However, understanding how climate change contributes to global warming is an area that still remains to be more closely examined.
Climate change is defined as a ‘long-term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature’. By definition, therefore, climate change refers to the shift in global weather and climate patterns that can occur over extended periods of time, usually spanning several years or decades. On the flip side, global warming is the term used to describe the rise in global temperatures brought about by certain climate-influencing activities.
Scientists have established that a major contributor to both climate change and global warming is the increased emission of greenhouse gases. Even though such gases are naturally occurring, human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels, intensive livestock farming and manufacturing processes, have all furthered the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, consequently causing global warming. Although the Earth’s atmosphere is generally warmer than it was a few hundred years ago, the rapid nature of the recent temperature change is what makes it unique – and that can be blamed largely on human factor.
Consequently, due to the accumulation of heat energy trapped in our atmosphere, temperatures around the world have increased to the point where extreme weather events are now being more frequently recorded. Warmer summers, more intense winters and more frequent and longer droughts, floods and heatwaves are just a few examples of the potentially hazardous environment we are now facing.
Beyond the physical environment, climate change and global warming also have implications for our local and global economies. As global temperatures rise, it is likely that businesses and entire industries will be forced to adapt, or face disappearing under extreme weather conditions. The increased demand for reliable natural resources and the potential for freshwater scarcity are just a few examples of the problems governments will have to tackle if global warming continues unchecked; such concerns could potentially lead to political tensions, unrest and further instability.
In this regard, it is essential that Governments and organizations around the world come together and commit to reducing their emissions and introducing tangible measures to combat global warming. While this will not be an easy task, it is essential if we want to preserve our planet and protect the lives of future generations.
Of course, it is also imperative to remember that climate change will continue to pose a serious threat to the planet, regardless of what measures we put in place to reduce global warming. In this context, it is important to recognize the necessity of conducting further research into the causes and effects of climate change, and public outreach efforts to raise awareness of the gravity of the problem so that more people join forces in fighting it.
In conclusion, climate change is a real and tangible phenomenon caused by an excess of greenhouse gas emissions and which leads to global warming and its numerous effects. We must therefore take decisive action to stop the destruction of our planet, lest we face the dire consequences of our inaction.
