Many of you might have heard of climate change, maybe sometimes through television news, your parents or people around you talking. Ever wondered what it is and why we care about it so much? Today in classes with News18 we will simplify climate change for you, make you understand the hype around it and why it is important to know about it.
Lets first understand, what is climate and how it is different from weather. So weather is only temporary. For example, a blizzard can turn into a flood after just a few warm spring days. Climate, on the other hand, is more than just a few warm or cool days. Climate describes the typical weather conditions in an entire region for a very long time – 30 years or more.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is described as a change in the typical weather for a region — such as high and low temperatures and amount of rainfall — over a long period of time.
Earth has been under scientific observation for a very long period. Scientists have gather a variety of data about the land, atmosphere, ocean, and ice of Earth using NASA satellites and other devices. According to this knowledge, the climate on Earth is warming up. Scientists have observed that, overall, Earth is warming. In fact, many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years. This rise in global temperature is sometimes called global warming.
You might wonder now, what is global warming and how it is caused? Like the glass walls and roof of a greenhouse, certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere act as heat-trapping agents. These greenhouse gases maintain a comfortable temperature on Earth. However, human activities like the logging of forests and the combustion of fossil fuels increase greenhouse gas emissions. The Earth becomes warmer as a result of this, which traps more heat from the Sun.
This time, however, is different. Over millions of years, Earth’s climate has warmed up and cooled down many times. In the past, Earth often warmed up when the Sun was very active. But nowadays, we can carefully measure the Sun’s activity. We know Earth is warming now, even when the Sun is less active. Today, the planet is warming much faster than it has over human history.
In the past century, the average air temperature close to the surface of the Earth has increased by around 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Over a century, a few degrees might not seem like much. The health of the plants and animals on Earth, however, may be significantly impacted by this change.
What does climate change do to the ocean?
NASA has noted that sea levels are rising as the Earth warms. Ice melting is partly to blame for this. Large icebergs that rest on the ground are called glaciers and ice sheets. This ice melts and flows into the oceans as our world warms. Sea level rises as oceans fill with more water. Additionally, water expands as it warms up. As a result, warm water occupies more space in our oceans, raising sea levels. This is not just limited to water level rising, as the global warming and its subsequent effects of climate changing is also leading to ocean acidification.
Scientists have noticed that the ocean’s acidity is rising as a result of the water’s absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
In short, climate change is altering lives, environmental patterns and futures, and it will have worst accents on the lives of next generation. Which is why it is important to know about it and work towards minimizing it.
What is COP27?
For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that time climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority. This year was the 27th annual summit – giving it the name COP27, which was held in Egypt.
This year, interestingly, the COP27 agreement, for the first time, quantified the financial needs for climate action. It said about USD 4 trillion had to be invested in the renewable energy sector every year till 2030 if the 2050 net zero target was to be achieved.
The developed nations have stated that starting in 2023, they will guarantee the flow of $100 billion. Additionally, in order to make it simpler for developing nations to receive funds for climate action, the COP27 accord has urged international financial institutions to streamline their processes and objectives.
To learn about other topics taught in school, explained by News18, here is a list of other Classes With News18: Queries Related to Chapters on Elections | Sex Versus Gender | Cryptocurrencies | Economy & Banks | How to Become President of India | Post Independence Struggle | How India Adopted Its Flag | Formation of States & United India | Tipu Sultan | Indian Teachers Day Different from Rest of the World |Queen Elizabeth & Colonialism |
Read all the Latest Education News here
Comments
0 comment