Our planet is artificially warming because of the greenhouse gases we are spewing into our air. When we burn fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, we also inadvertently produce CO2, a greenhouse gas. It can’t be helped. Everything we do requires energy, from the cars we drive, to the products made in factories, even the food we eat. And most of this energy requires burning fuels.
That would be ok if our planet was in balance with our sun. That is, if the heat the Earth gives off was exactly the same as the heat the sun warms us with. But in the past hundred years this balance has been grievously upset leading to less of the Earth’s heat able to escape into space since the greenhouse gases inhibit it. It’s the same as when we wrap a blanket around us to keep our body heat from escaping on a cold evening. Due to the excess heat, our planet’s temperature increases and unfortunately, it is continuing to increase.
Global warming causes our climate to change that is to degrade, which is never a good thing for people. Our plans to thrive, maybe even just to survive have been thrown into disarray by our inability to slow down our use of fossil fuels. And global warming doesn’t just cause dangerous rising temperatures: it also leads to rising sea levels, monster storms, greatly reduced food production (which can spur violence), flooding, and more.
Look no further than the natural disasters it has already caused: Widespread flooding such as the ones Pakistan experienced in 2022, extreme weather changes and temperature drops like the winter storm Uri in Texas in 2021, brutal storms such as Hurricanes Sandy, Katrina, Harvey, and Irma all driven by global warming, and irreversible tipping points such as ocean acidification, rainforest diebacks, and melting polar ice.
Yes, there is no doubt global warming is life threatening, affecting our way of living and maybe even our survival. But with problems come opportunities. We can solve global warming and by so doing we can also prosper. It’s not simple but it is doable. But only if we act now.
Still not convinced about global warming? Check out Robert “Bob” De Saro’s new book A Crisis Like No Other: Understanding and Defeating Global Warming. In his book, Bob provides everything you need to know about our climate change crisis from the psychology of denial and what to do about it, to the science behind global warming, and how we can solve it. Bob’s book is fast paced, easy to read, at times humorous, and always scientifically accurate. Now it is your turn. And your opportunity, so let’s get to it while we still can.
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Bentham Science 