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The hidden truth about climate change: How are human activities changing the earth?
Climate change has been an issue for decades and has been intensively studied by the scientific community. Scientists agree that the impact of human activity on Earth's climate has become clear since industrialization. Nearly 200 scientific organizations support this consensus, citing CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels as a major driver.
"Human influence has undoubtedly warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land."
In the broader context of climate change, emissions of other greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, also play an important role in continuing to contribute to global warming. There is a logarithmic relationship between these warming effects and the concentration of the greenhouse gas, meaning that as the overall concentration increases, the warming effect caused by additional carbon dioxide will gradually decrease.
"The impact of each unit of carbon dioxide emissions on rising temperatures will increase linearly as the total amount of emissions increases."
Interestingly, however, not all carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for long periods of time; about half is rapidly absorbed by Earth's carbon sinks. Soil and oceans play important roles in this process, but such uptake is diminishing as climate change affects plant growth and the soil's ability to release carbon.
Drivers of climate change
Drivers of the climate system include natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions and changes in sunlight output, as well as climate forcing caused by human activities. These activities change the composition of Earth's atmosphere and shed light on current climate change and its urgency.
"Since the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide concentrations have soared, significantly affecting the heat balance on the Earth's surface."
Within 1380, carbon dioxide emissions from human activities exceeded new natural supplies, making rising global temperatures a reality that cannot be ignored. This triggers climate feedback on a global scale, such as increased water vapor and changes in the Earth's reflectivity, further contributing to worsening climate change.
The impact of human activities
Human activities since the Industrial Revolution have had a profound impact on the earth's climate. According to research, increases in anthropogenic carbon dioxide have been closely related to changes in temperature since 1750. By 2019, carbon dioxide concentrations were already 48% higher than in 1750.
“The climate system is becoming increasingly transparent due to good monitoring and data, allowing us to understand climate change with greater precision.”
Among these various factors, the interaction between greenhouse gases and the climate system deserves special attention. Changes in water vapor and clouds are primarily a response to temperature, while increases in carbon dioxide and other artificial gases affect global temperatures independently of temperature changes. These direct impacts emphasize the urgency of changing the industrial structure and reducing the use of fossil fuels.
Future challenges and reflections
Climate change on a global scale has become a huge challenge that all humans need to deal with together. Previous evidence shows that the rate of global warming is accelerated by human emissions, so we must take measures to reduce carbon emissions, protect the natural environment and curb the side effects of past short-term factors.
In addition to the need to reduce emissions, improving climate adaptability cannot be ignored in order to face future extreme climate events. As long as human activities fail to control greenhouse gas emissions, we will face more serious consequences in the future.
"We should admit and understand that human behavior directly affects the future of the earth. How should we act to change all this?"
