Climate change has been a commonly used term in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, most of the world’s human population misunderstand its meaning and often confuse it with global warming!

So, what is it? Is it real or just a hyped-up global political PR? And if it is, then what are the dangers its effects pause to the world? Are we too late to reverse it, or we can still reclaim our climate? These are some of the critical queries you might be asking with a junk of misleading answers. Here is a factual step to step explanation of this phenomenon.

What is climate change?

NASA describes climate change as the change in the average weather patterns over a long period of time, which as a result defines the local, regional and global climatic conditions. This is what climate change really is and should not be confused with Global warming.

Changes in climatic conditions have a number of causes, where global warming falls in. So then, global warming is the continued increase in the average earth’s surface temperatures. As a result of rising temperatures due to global warming, we experience a change in the overall climatic condition.

Is climate change real?

Change in the climatic condition is a real and normal phenomenon. However, change in climatic conditions can either be negative or positive and should not worry you every time it is mentioned. The environmental scientific specialists in the world have unanimously agreed that there is a negative shift in climate.

Who gets effects and how?

Different from the State economy, a negative change in climate is a phenomenon that affects the whole world. That is whether you participated in destroying it or not, giving us the reason why on May 9th, 1992 the United Nations (U.N) adopted the United Nations Convention on Climate change.

None shall be left out, hence the whole world population as groups or individuals should pull together to reclaim our climate.

Is there a chance to reclaim the climate?

As we have said, the Earth’s climate has been changing. Before the beginning of human civilization and the spread of the capitalist economy, the changes were small and normal.

However, the rise in earthly temperatures in this era is alarming. Unlike the natural shift in climate, NASA reports that 95 percent of the current climatic change is caused by human activities. Climatic change takes a long period to happen, its response to human activities takes significant time, meaning, we can do climate threatening activities and clear them before the Earth responds.

What the explanation above means is that we are not too late. We got a chance to step up and work for the good of our climate.

In what way do human beings lead to a change in the climate?

We are the causative agents of Global Warming. Out of the rapid use of fossil fuels in chasing a better economy and living standard, the resultant waste gases include some of the greenhouse gases such as CO2.

These gases subsequently form a blanket between the sun and the earth’s surface. The “blanket” allows sun rays to penetrate into the earth’s surface while trapping the heat within the earth. This is what makes the earth to heat up.

If human being concentrates more on their survival and that of their future generations, then, the consumption of fossil fuels should stop. We have a lot of renewable energy substitutes like solar and wind energy which, if tapped well can serve all the purposes of fossil fuels.

What are the effects of climatic change and their evidence?

1. Tropical Cyclones

Ocean water temperature has increased by 0.4 degrees since 1969. This rapid increase in ocean temperatures has subsequently led to the melting of ice sheets. NASA reports that about 286 billion tons of ice cover have lost each year since 1993.

Glacier retreat has been reported with most of the ice-covered mountains such as Kilimanjaro showing acute ice loss. Since we are talking about melting ice across the world, then the water body’s water levels are increasing at a very high rate.

This might not be alarming, but with the mention of tropical cyclones, then it is worth worrying for people across the world. These storms are increasing and are bound to sweep over a longer distance from the already eaten up shores. Do you know what this means? It means doom out of the hard destructive times the storms are already pausing to the world. A good example of this is Hurricane Katrina, Sandy, and Wilma which shook the world with their mass destruction and fatal results.

2. Heat Waves

Due to human activity, the average Earthly heat is increasing at an alarming rate. If the trends continue, they might stretch to extreme levels that pause the next giant threat to our climate. The heatwaves! You might be asking yourself what this may be. It is simply extremely hot humid air exceeding the normal temperatures by 5° that could make your surrounding unbearably hot.

As already implied these heatwaves pause a big threat to the health of the Earth’s living things. Dry heat waves can also lead to wildfires, thereby destroying property and life on Earth. Imagine if a fire from nowhere consuming a whole city or forest! The fact is that if the world keeps a partially blind or blind eye on the alarming global warming, then this shall surely happen!

3. More Severe Droughts

The upcoming deviations from normal climate seem to imply that their continuity for some more time is likely to swallow more of our proper land into desertification.

Talking of desertification, the world has not experienced the most extreme desert conditions. The increasing Earth’s temperatures shall subsequently completely dry up the deserts. Subsequently, the extremely cold polar regions shall dry up to some extent making them habitable. Naturally, we expect human beings and the entire living world to migrate towards the polar regions in search of favorable conditions. But what about the tropics?

Conclusion

In recent years, the overall global climatic conditions have shifted to worse and are set for the worst. It is no longer the hearsay that has been there as we are already experiencing a rehearsal of its effects in terms of harsh weather conditions such as Hurricane Katrina. However, it is not yet late for a reversal of the worrying trends our climate is taking. This can, however, prove to be quite difficult if the world keeps on piling up carbon emissions in the air. Finally, control of climate change solemnly relies on everyone’s efforts to curb environmental degradation.