First Published December 2023
Climate Change - What's happening to you?
Item from the Energy Syndicate
If there are any, their numbers will be few; people who have not heard of the concerns regarding climate change. There will be none however who are not being affected by it – whether they realise it or not. For those of you with a keen interest, the principle concerns will be common knowledge. For those of you who aren’t sure, this should help outline some of the basics.
Temperature is the key measure of climate change. The world is an ecosystem. It has successfully maintained a fine balance where life has been able to thrive, in the way life exists in the current time, for hundreds of thousands of years. Over thousands of centuries there are observed changes in climatic conditions which are regarded as natural. Climate change has become an issue of urgent concern over the last 50 years, because the changes that are happening, right now, are dramatic and extreme – the global temperature today is 1.1C warmer than just over 100 years ago. This is having a cascading impact which is set to see a continuing increase in the warming.
The image from the Met Office shows the change since 1850
The increase in temperature over the last century does not follow traditional ‘natural’ patterns. It is widely accepted now that the changes are predominately due to human activity, or, entirely human activity. The dramatic changes correlate to the increase in use of fossil fuels; coal, oil and gas. The use of fossil fuels – burning them – releases CO2 into the atmosphere. The levels of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by 50% since the beginning of industrialization. CO2 occurs naturally but the increased amounts have the chemical signature that confirms the increase has come from the industrial use.
The concern over CO2 is due to it’s ability to retain heat in the atmosphere. This is why it has been called a greenhouse gas. A temperature rise of 1.1C may not seem like a lot. Globally, it is having a dramatic impact; reducing Arctic sea ice, melting glaciers, ocean warming, increasing sea level and increasing the frequency of extreme weather.
In 2023, rising temperatures saw records being repeatedly broken. Some areas have suffered more than others but the trend is firmly upwards. Life in the sea and on the land is being impacted. NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – produce detailed data which is as undeniable as it is sadly prophetic.
NOAA have an observatory on Mauna Loa, Big Island, Hawaii. The data from the observatory acts as an accepted global benchmark for the measurement of CO2 in the atmosphere. The carbon in the atmosphere is 50% higher than pre-industrial levels. It has reached levels not seen for millions of years.
“The science is irrefutable: humans are altering our climate in ways that our economy and infrastructure must adapt to. We can see the impacts of climate change around us every day. The relentless increase of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa is a stark reminder that we need to take urgent, serious steps.” Rick Spinrad, NOAA Administrator
There are sadly many aspects that could be looked at to illustrate the impact of global warming but to simplify things we are going to look at just one; the rising temperature in the arctic which the Energy Syndicate reported on in the summer of 2023.
The Arctic is warming faster than any other region in the world. In the summer, the surface air temperatures were the warmest ever recorded. The sea ice has reduced to the lowest level ever recorded. The changes in climate are affecting the entire ecosystem including the people and communities. The average sea temperatures in August were 5 to 7 degrees Celsius higher than the 20 year average. The year saw record breaking precipitation which contributed to the snow cover in North America setting a record low in May.
NOAA insist that immediate, meaningful action is needed but seem at a loss as to how to make themselves heard effectively.
"We have known about this for half a century, and failed to do anything meaningful about it. What is it going to take for us to wake up?” Pieter Tans – Global Monitoring Laboratory
"It’s depressing that we’ve lacked the collective will power to slow the relentless rise in CO2. Fossil-fuel use may no longer be accelerating, but we are still racing at top speed towards a global catastrophe.” Charles David Keeling – Scripps Institution of Oceanography
The polluting of the ecosystem with CO2 and the resulting climate change are an embarrassment, in the first instance, for the human race. However, the issue is turning into an indefensible disgrace as wisdom increases, but globally there is a failure to react effectively.
