Scientists have been warning us for many years of the danger of climate change, but mostly they have been ignored. Many people think that global warming and climate change are something that are going to affect ‘other people’ – those who live on low-lying coasts, on islands, in developing countries and so on. Efforts to stop the rise in temperatures and sea levels and the modest changes they may require to how we live are too annoying and won’t have any effect on us anyway.
This year we’ve seen how shortsighted that viewpoint is. Unprecedented rainfalls and flooding in Western Europe and in China in recent months have killed hundreds and destroyed billions of dollars in property. Unprecedented heat waves in the American west have killed further hundreds, destroyed crops and wildlife and have led to raging wildfires and dangerous drought conditions.
All of these events are attributable to global warming/climate change. The warmer atmosphere holds more water and the heating of polar regions is causing a slow down in the jet streams leading to heavier rainstorms that move very slowly. The changes in the weather patterns also contribute to the development of ‘heat domes’ that concentrate heat for days.
These kinds of catastrophes can happen anywhere, none of us are safe. Sea levels are rising, the atmosphere is growing more unstable and the defenses we have built are, by and large, insufficient to deal with the threats. So, if you think the problem is far in the future and it will mostly affect other people, you are wrong. The threat of greater and more common disasters is here and you are as likely to experience it as much as anyone else.
So take action now…for your sake, for your children’s sake and for your grandchildren’s sake. The most important thing you can do is speak up. Politicians are not going to do something difficult unless their constituents demand it. Push for laws and policies that limit emission of carbon and other greenhouse gasses and punish polluters. You can find more suggestions HERE. But the important thing is to not bury your head in the sand and think this is going away. Climate change is coming and it’s coming for you. TAKE ACTION.
One of the critical issues the Biden administration needs to deal with is Climate Change. Sea level rise is one of the effects of climate change. The image shows tidal flooding in Norfolk, Virginia. Since the 1970s, the number of flooding events in Norfolk has tripled. Sea level in Norfolk is projected to rise another six inches in the next 9 years and this kind of flooding will be at least a monthly event. Let’s go back to the cause of sea level rise.
Greenhouse Effect. Earth receives radiation from the sun in the form of ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared radiation. Some of this is reflected back into space, some is absorbed by the atmosphere and some by the earth itself. Because the earth is much colder than the sun, it radiates at much longer wavelengths and these longer wavelengths can be absorbed by certain gases in the atmosphere heating the atmosphere and radiating the heat right back at the surface. These gases are called ‘Greenhouse Gases’.
In order to maintain the Earth at a stable temperature range, it is critical that the energy being absorbed by Earth from the sun and the energy being radiated back into space be in balance. If too much energy is radiated back into space, the Earth will cool and if too little is radiated back, the Earth will warm.
Greenhouse Gases. The Greenhouse Effect is caused by ‘greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere. Chief among these are carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere has increased dramatically and, as a consequence, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased.
This has thrown off the balance between the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth and the amount radiated back into space thus warming the planet and everything on it. The average global temperature in 2020 was approximately 1.84 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1951 – 1980 average. Further, the rate of increase is growing.
Global Warming has a number of effects:
Sea Level Rise is caused both by the melting of glaciers and other water locked up as ice such as the Greenland ice cap and the Antarctic ice cap and the thermal expansion of water as the temperature of the oceans increases. Roughly 750 million tons of ice is melting every year due to global warming. The seas have been rising for some time and the rise is accelerating. Here are graphs of the recorded sea level at Lewes Delaware and Baltimore Maryland. I chose these because they have a relatively long history. The trend is unmistakable.
Many of our coastal cities and towns are already seeing increased levels of flooding and it will get worse.
More Severe Weather. The Atlantic basin had a record number of hurricanes this past year likely due to warmer water and changed wind patterns. Severe flooding events are also increasing both in the U.S. and around the world. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water and thus an increase in flooding rains. A series of sudden thunderstorms caused this flood in the Washington DC area.
Weather-related disasters have been increasing and will continue to increase as global warming continues.
Disease. Global warming has increased the spread and occurrence of vector-based diseases. Malaria, Dengue, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases are spreading to the United States. Yellow Fever is on the horizon and various forms of encephalitis are spread more easily as there are more frost-free months for mosquitos to feed and breed. Tick-borne diseases have more than doubled in the last 13 years including lyme, spotted fevers and babesiosis.
Wildfires. Warmer and drier summers lead to an increase in wildfires as we have seen both in California and Australia in the past year.
Increased Extinction Rates. As climate changes, species will have to adapt. Some will make it and some won’t. While animals can move to cooler climates, trees cannot. And animals that are already at the highest latitudes, such as Polar Bears which depend on sea ice, will disappear.
Ocean Acidification. So far about 30% of the excess carbon dioxide generated by human activity has been absorbed by the oceans. This is a good thing for the atmosphere but a bad thing for the oceans. As carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans it forms a weak acid called carbonic acid. This makes the oceans slightly more acidic and the process is continuing. This is very bad news for creatures that rely on carbonate to make their shells. These creatures include some of my favorites – mussels, crabs, oysters, clams and others such as coral that are critical to the bio-diversity of the ocean.
There are many other effects but let’s go on to what we can do about it.
Accelerate the switch to renewable energy for electricity production. Roughly 30 percent of US carbon-dioxide emissions come from electricity production, mostly from natural gas and coal. As a bonus, reducing the use of natural gas will also reduce the emission of methane through leaks – a potent greenhouse gas. A carbon tax will make a big difference here.
Accelerate the switch to electric vehicles. Roughly 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US come from transportation – primarily from the burning of petroleum products. A carbon tax along with a buyback of older, more polluting vehicles will have a strong impact.
Reduce industrial emissions. Roughly 22% of US greenhouse gas emissions are from industrial activities, primarily burning of fossil fuels but also through leaks in production equipment. A carbon tax along with a return to stronger rules on leaks and bans on certain activities such as flaring gas will make a big difference. More and better recycling will also reduce the amount of energy required to produce many items.
Eat less meat. Cattle are responsible for some 35% of methane emissions in this country. More efficient production will help as will a reduction in consumption.
The President has proposed a large investment in renewable energy and ‘green’ jobs and these are certainly needed, but I don’t think they go far enough. A significant carbon tax is going to be required to incentivize industry to take steps and make investments that will reduce carbon dioxide generation. The tax should focus not just on direct emissions but also on downstream emissions over the lifespan of the product. The government also needs to support efforts to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, primarily by reforestation efforts and perhaps taking some land out of agriculture and returning it to forested land. Regulations governing petroleum and natural gas exploration and production need to be strengthened. There’s really no time to waste.
I’ll have more on this soon, but I welcome your thoughts. Our grandchildren are depending on us.
TOPSHOT – A law enforcement officer watches flames launch into the air as fire continues to spread at the Bear fire in Oroville, California on September 9, 2020.
We’ve heard a lot about global warming and climate change and, though there are some diehard ‘head in the sands’ deniers, most of us understand that this is a serious and growing problem. The physics and chemistry of global warming/climate change are well understood and we’re seeing the impacts more and more every year and every day.
The American west is burning up from huge wildfires much as parts of Australia did earlier in the year. The National Hurricane Center is currently tracking SEVEN disturbances in the Atlantic basin that are either already hurricanes or may become hurricanes.
Flooding is becoming more serious and more frequent not only on our coasts due to sea level rise but also across the country and the world as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water and drop it in torrential rainfalls.
This is a global problem that will require solutions on the national and international level and, like most of you, I am frustrated by the slow pace of progress on this issue and the unwillingness or inability of our leaders to deal with this problem. We need to keep pressing our leaders to take decisive action on this problem.
But, while we are waiting for more large-scale action, there are things we can and should do on a personal level to help mitigate global warming. Sure, our actions will be just a drop in the bucket but enough drops fill the bucket. So I urge you to take these actions now:
Plant a Tree. Trees absorb carbon dioxide which makes up more than 80% of the greenhouse gasses causing global warming. According to the journal, Science, just letting our forests grow could absorb roughly two-thirds of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity. Trees also result in enhanced biodiversity, soil water retention, soil health and may contribute to food security and economic development for rural communities. If you can’t plant a tree yourself, contribute to One Tree Planted – a nonprofit which plants trees around the world.
Use LED Lights. Replacing all of our incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs will reduce our electricity use. LED bulbs use about 80% less electricity than conventional incandescent bulbs and last about 25 times longer. Electricity production is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses and every reduction in our electricity use, no matter how small, reduces the emission of greenhouse gasses. Even though we are increasing the amount of our electricity generated by renewable resources – solar and wind – most electricity in our country is still generated by burning fossil fuels.
Source – American Public Power Institute
Reduce Your Electricity Use. There are plenty of other ways to easily reduce your electricity use:
Buy energy efficient appliances,
Dry clothes outdoors when possible,
Caulk your windows and doors,
Unplug electronic devices when you’re not using them,
Wash clothes in cold water,
Change your air filters regularly,
Close curtains and blinds on the sunny side of the house in the summer,
Turn off lights when you leave the room, Use a programmable thermostat to reduce your heating/cooling costs when you’re away.
Adjust Your Transportation Habits. Transportation is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions in the USA than any other source and most of those emissions are from cars and trucks. These steps will help reduce the global warming impact of your car:
Keep your car tuned up.
Keep your tires inflated.
Share rides when you can.
Buy a climate-friendly car – preferably an electric one (a growing proportion of our electricity is generated by renewable resources).
Stop Eating Beef.
Emissions from animal agriculture account for around 15% of all human emissions, and beef is responsible for 41% of that, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Let that sink in.
If you need your meat fix, eat chicken instead. While chicken production does have significant environmental and human costs, pound-for-pound it has about half the carbon footprint of beef.
There’s plenty more you can do – this list is just a start. Keep the pressure on your elected representatives at all levels to take the necessary actions to limit climate change. It’s our responsibility to keep our planet safe for our children and grandchildren.
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