2. GHG are made up of a few
compounds that regulate the
temperature of our climate. These
gases are water vapor, carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’S).
These gases trap heat in our
atmosphere and regulate the
Earth’s temperature by trapping
heat in the form of radiation from
the sun.
3. Greenhouse Gases (GHG) trap
heat in the atmosphere and warm
up the earth by absorbing the
heat from the sun and that is
reflected from the Earth. Without
any greenhouse gases the Earth
would be frozen, but with a
runaway greenhouse effect the
Earth would be hellish hothouse
incapable of preserving habitable
life.
4. The Earth relies on the stability
of greenhouse gas cycles to
maintain a stable climate. An
example of a runaway
greenhouse effect can be seen
on Venus, which is inhabitable as
it is the hottest in our solar
system.
5. Currently, the primary GHG of
earth’s atmosphere is carbon
dioxide (CO2), which is an
important gas in earth system.
Carbon can be seen in all life
forms on Earth and naturally
circulates within the spheres of
the Earth in what is known as
the carbon cycle.
6. Since the industrial revolution, the
combustion of fossil fuels and rapid
industrialization, corresponds to the
extraneous increase of Carbon Dioxide
that is being added to earth’s natural
carbon cycle. The increased burning of
fossil fuels, deforestation and societal
systemic impact has caused the
concentrations of greenhouse gases to
increase significantly in our atmosphere
and overflow the natural balance of
greenhouse gases resulting in what is
known as the runaway greenhouse effect.
7. The Earth’s temperature has
already increased by 1-degree
Celsius on average. This has
resulted in array of planetary
changes that were mentioned
before. The IPCC predicts an
average increase in temperature
of 2.8 °c in the next 50 years.
8.
9. The world has surpassed 415 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and this is the highest it’s been in human history. Ever
since the industrial revolution we have drastically altered our planet's
atmosphere by increasing our CO2 emissions, which is the chief
temperature regulating compound of our climate. This is causing a
chain reaction of biodiversity loss, damaged ecosystems, worldwide
epidemics and an increasing frequency of natural disasters. This is
affecting Earth's environment and countless species that rely on it,
including us. The crisis involves a number of aspects that have an
overall impact on the world's functionality. What is happening to our
climate is another indicator of where we are going wrong socially,
politically and economically.
10.
11. Greenhouse gas emissions have exponentially increased since the
commencement of the industrial revolution and Earth’s atmosphere has
accumulated masses of carbon dioxide that has expanded from 280 parts
per million in 1800 to presently over 415 (ppm). There is a prediction of an
even greater amassing sum of carbon dioxide in the future, correlating to
exponential population growth, economic expansion and cumulative
patterns of consumption. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change predicts that atmospheric carbon concentrations are estimated
to expand to 540-970 (ppm) by 2100, which will increase the temperature
4-5.8 °c depending on how we act towards addressing the climate crisis. If
we keep business as usual of exploiting and expanding at the current rate,
it will have detrimental effects on the environment and all life on Earth.
Average global temperatures have already increased by 1° Celsius (2°
Fahrenheit) since 1880, with two thirds of warming that has occurred
since 1975 at a rate of 0.15-0.20° C per decade.
12.
13. 97% of scientific experts and research indicates that
global temperature increase is directly linked to
human activities involving the emissions of
greenhouse gases (GHG). The temperature increase
correlates to an increase in greenhouse gases,
predominantly Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is the
chief regulating compound of our atmosphere. The
average temperature of our globe has already risen
by 1 degree Celsius and this increase tallies with the
known amount of carbon dioxide humanity has
discharged into our atmosphere.
15. The bathtub diagram represents the global climatic balance within
the world’s atmosphere. Naturally the bath has a limited amount of
water or ‘carbon dioxide’ it can maintain. Although, currently we are
filling the ‘bathtub’ with excessive amounts of C02, which is leading
the bathtub to fill up and almost overflow its threshold. We are
inputting an unnatural amount of CO2 into the ‘bathtub’ that cannot
be taken up by natural means and this is correlating to the increase in
temperature, as CO2 is the primary gas for regulating our
temperature.
The benchmark for global CO2 emissions to keep 1.5°C within reach is
40 Gigatons of CO2 per year by 2025 and by 2030 lowering that to 26
Gigatons CO2 per year.
