What is Climate Change? Explore the Causes of Climate Change

[Music] [Music] [Music] protests around the world headlines about extreme weather events scientists and public figures calling for action and governments uniting in the search for solutions climate change is a global issue and we must work together to save our world but what exactly is climate change our planet's climate has changed throughout history alternating between ice ages and warmer periods earth has been through at least five major ice ages with the last one ending nearly 12 000 years ago so if the climate has always changed why is climate change such a big issue today since the

start of the industrial revolution in 1760 earth's average temperature has risen faster than ever before this effect is known as global warming and it's caused by the increase of greenhouse emissions from human activity greenhouse gases occur naturally on our planet but human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels agriculture deforestation and the decomposition of waste in landfills have increased the amount of greenhouse gases dramatically greenhouse gases act like a blanket around earth trapping the heat from the sun's rays this is called the greenhouse effect [Music] thanks to this effect earth has just the right

temperature for life to thrive on it unlike other planets in our solar system however if the greenhouse effect becomes too strong it starts to cause issues the increased temperatures we are experiencing now are causing ice in the arctic and antarctica as well as glaciers and snow around the world to melt the water created by the melting ice pours into the oceans sea levels to rise this puts small islands in danger of disappearing especially those in the pacific and caribbean regions rising sea levels are also causing devastating floods in many countries like china indonesia philippines malaysia

and thailand these floods are not only a direct hazard to humans but can also destroy crops and farms used to feed the population another effect of the rising temperatures is that oceans warm up and evaporate faster than normal increasing the occurrence of severe storms and heavy rainfall global warming is making weather more extreme bringing longer droughts and heat waves the loss of soil moisture and the high temperatures during a drought increase the risk of wildfires too the high temperatures both on land and in our oceans affect earth's delicate ecosystems many animals are forced to migrate

to other areas to survive while others are losing their habitat and dying so can we do anything to stop the effects of climate change climate change has already reached a point that humanity has never experienced before however the future of our planet is in our hands communities must make smart choices and tackle this issue with environmentally friendly actions some solutions to limit global warming include switching from burning fossil fuels to renewable and greener energy sources like solar hydroelectric or wind energy reducing the emissions caused by industry and transportation by investing in greener technology and limiting

the deforestation of land and investing in more space efficient forms of agriculture like vertical farming these are all big solutions but there are also smaller things that you can easily do at home for example recycling composting your organic waste eating more veggies and fewer meat products saving electricity and buying things that last longer or can be reused people around the world are working together to innovate engineer and develop solutions for the issue of climate change bhutan is the world's most carbon negative country costa rica has achieved 99 percent renewable energy and china is now the

world leader in wind power climate change is a global issue and our future depends on the actions we take today how is your community working towards a more sustainable future