What exactly is climate change?

Answer

Climate change is the result of a steady increase in global temperatures that started about 100 years ago. The cause is the production by humans of so-called greenhouse gases. The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide or CO₂. This gas is released when e.g. coal, natural gas, petroleum or wood is burned. Industry, domestic heating, waste incineration, power stations, exhaust fumes from cars, trucks, ships and aircraft, forest fires… cause an accumulation of CO₂ in the atmosphere (atmosphere) of our planet. As a result, the solar heat can no longer escape, such as in a greenhouse or conservatory. In a greenhouse, the glass roof ensures that the heat cannot escape. In the Earth’s atmosphere, an increasingly thick layer of CO₂ make sure that the heat cannot escape. Rising temperatures are causing the ice sheets to melt, as well as mountain glaciers and the ice sheet in Greenland. This causes the sea level to rise, which could lead to flooding over time. But these changes can also cause certain sea currents to change their course. Thus, certain areas on Earth may become drier or colder while other areas may become wetter or warmer. Climate changes are not always easy to predict, but it has already been established that locally, e.g. are more frequent violent storms or floods as well as droughts and heat waves. In addition, many wild animals and plants encounter difficulties because they cannot adapt to the climate changes in their habitat.

In addition to CO₂ methane gas is also a greenhouse gas. This gas is mainly produced by cows and sheep.

What can we do about climate change? Produce less greenhouse gases. This can be done in many different ways. Better insulation of houses helps because less heat has to be produced, so less burnt. More electricity can be produced without burning anything, such as with solar panels and windmills. Electric cars can replace those that run on the combustion of petroleum. More economical working machines can be developed. We could also eat less meat (cows and sheep), travel less by plane, buy and consume less things. And in any case, we must plant more forests and create nature reserves, because living trees and plants capture CO₂ from the air and provide habitat for wild plants and animals.

So a lot can be done, but the most important thing is that people all over the planet must first be convinced of this. Because it is not easy to adjust his way of life. The Paris climate agreement is already a big step forward.