Climate Change Crisis Simplified

There are two kinds of people in this contemporary world- those who believe that our Earth is warming due to human activities and those who think global warming is a hoax. This post is for the former; and for the latter, just ask yourself, “what if human induced global warming is real, and if we do not act now, it will be too late? Will you be able to turn back time to make necessary amends”? Thus, irrespective of your beliefs, I encourage you to read on.

Lately, there has been an evolution of the third category of people. They are the educated ones, with enormous potential. They believe that human induced global warming is real and preach about it, debate about it, but take no action. They are the ones who need to awaken from their limbo and make this formidable task a reality.

Except the few misguided individuals and/or greed-ridden nincompoops, we all know that climate change is happening, there is officially no denying to it, especially after the fifth assessment report by the Nobel prize winning organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a scientific body) released in 2014.

Since this issue has been complicated over the years through misinformation. It is obligatory that some facts are clarified and simplified.

Is it climate change or global warming?

Often the terms “climate change” and “global warming” are used synonymously, but there is a difference. Global warming is the overall phenomenon whereby global temperatures average temperatures are steadily rising; whereas climate change is it’s result. Meaning, as the global temperatures increase, climate conditions change in various ways resulting in various phenomenons such as extreme weather conditions, droughts, floods, etc.

What is the simplified big picture of Global warming?

Global temperatures from pre-industrial levels are rising at an unprecedented rate. Why? Because of excess green house gas (GHG) emissions due to our unbounded economic growth. The warmer our planet gets, the closer we move towards self-destruction.

To keep the GHG emissions in check, we need to –

1. Lower our CO2 emissions (and other GHGs) by moving towards clean energy i.e. mainly solar and wind energy;
2. Carbon sequestration
3. Adopt a sustainable lifestyle

That’s it! It’s so simple!

What does climate change mean from political point of view?

Climate change is not just about moving to cleaner energy and stopping anthropogenic environmental pollution. It is in fact no less than a revolution- to end nationalism and rise of feminism (a.k.a gender equality), towards a more egalitarian society.

Rise of nationalism after World War II led to the formation of new sovereign nations; these political entities would do anything and everything to promote it’s interests and compete in the global race for economic and political power. But times changed as we humans called upon ourselves a greater peril which threatens our own existence- Climate change. And it requires coming together of every nation for a common goal- safeguarding our future for ourselves and our children.

Often have people stated that, “population is not a threat to anything, our planet has enough resources to support an even larger population”. I agree with them. But the only glitch is that with development comes a more wasteful (read non-sustainable) lifestyle which everyone wants. Our Earth can support a larger population, but not the one with wasteful lifestyle. Hence, population is a problem. However, that can be countered with stronger women rights (including reproductive rights), gender equality, education and a more inclusive world economy where one country does not get richer at the cost of the other.

In addition to that, countries with abundant resources for clean energy such as sunshine, silicon, lithium, wind will alter the geo-political scenario worldwide.

Addressing the problem will mean overturning current systems, which could take away some of the advantages the wealthy and privileged enjoy, often at the expense of the world’s poorest and disadvantaged. Bringing these changes is not easy, it will require nations, specially powerful nations to give up this power play and sign up for a better future for all. Therefore, the issue of climate change is no less than a revolution. But it’s no more a choice, it is a necessity.

Why should individuals act, instead of governments or corporate organizations?

Powerful corporate, military, and government interests often promote big engineering solutions or large-scale options such as nuclear as it keeps power centralized in the hands of those who already wield control. Politicians, on the other hand, often think in terms of short election cycles, so they are often willing to take the big steps necessary to put us on the path to real change.

It is true that the change needs to flow from top to bottom, but unfortunately some of the so called leaders of some countries are ignorant or guided by greed. However, popular public opinion and demands can be a game changer in such political structures. Therefore, it is imperative that we individually make the right choices and demand for the right things.

In the Information Age that we live in today, knowledge is potential power. It protects us from being manipulated for big corporations and governments. But mere knowledge is not enough. We need to act now. 

If you liked this post, show your love through likes, shares and comments. Considering Global Warming is an urgent issue that affects everyone, please don’t hesitate to talk to friends and family about it.

PS- Some of the sentences and many of the ideas presented in this post are derived from the book,”Just Cool it”. So please direct your appreciation to the authors of the book in the comment section below ❤