There has been a considerable change in the climate of the earth throughout the history of man. Brian Colombana says The last few thousand decades have recorded several cycles of glacial retreat with an abnormal end of the Ice Age.
Here are a few pieces of evidence of rapid climate change around the globe
A rise in global temperature
The standard surface temperature of the earth has increased for a few centuries. Greenhouse gases result in heat-trapping in the atmospheric area, thereby resulting in global temperature rise. Such a drastic change increases the amount of carbon dioxide emission into the atmospheric layers. Heatwaves can be dangerous, as the increasing temperature can cause people to die of heatstroke. An increase in the earth’s temperature can also affect weather patterns, flora, and fauna, drastically impacting people and the environment.
Another significant reason for warming in the past few decades is excessive energy consumption through human activities. If every individual replaces fossil fuels with renewable sources, the rapid increase in temperature can be minimized by a few degrees. Human Civilization began thousands of years ago, leading to a modern climate era. A significant portion of such climatic changes owes to variation in the earth’s orbit, as harped by Brian Colombana.
Reduced snow cover in the hemispheres
A scientist has observed through a satellite that excessive global warming has decreased snow-covered hemispheres in the past few decades. The in such areas is melting faster than its usual rate.
Heated oceans through storage of energy
More than 90% of the earth’s energy is in the oceans. Therefore such increased temperature results in the warming up of the water body for about 300 feet.
Increased acidity in oceanic waters
With the advancement of the industrial era, many factories and industries emit generous amounts of gases and water waste that travels to the ocean resulting in the acidity of the water body. A significant increase in human activities that consume energy leads to carbon emission into the atmosphere, resulting in the absorption of acids in the ocean. In the past few decades, water bodies have absorbed more than 20% of the earth’s carbon dioxide resulting in ocean acidification, says Brian Colombana.
Melting Glaciers
Another significant reason for climate change worldwide is the melting of glaciers in the past 50 years. Due to the increasing instability in the global temperatures, glaciers worldwide are melting at a higher rate than snow accumulation. Several glaciers in the polar regions are automatically shrinking quickly.
Extreme weather conditions
Due to excessive warmth in the climate, rain, storms, and hurricanes are happening more often. The heating up of oceans gives rise to hurricanes and other tropical storms, as they acquire their energy from the warm water in the oceans. Storms are severe and more destructive due to increased temperature and evaporation, resulting in extreme weather conditions.
Over the last two decades, hurricanes and tropical storms led to heavier rain, slower than usual. Severe weather conditions can result in flooding roads, damaging infrastructure, crops, and human life.