Hi guys. I saw a writing contest on my feed by @upmewhale and decided to share my own point of view and understanding of the wonderful topic. Global warming and Climate change has been a hot topic on the lips of many these days due to the importance and impact it has or will have on the wellbeing of humans on earth as a whole. People are calling it the "Crisis of our time".

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

The first question is "What is Climate?"
Climate is the average weather condition of a place or a given geographical area over a long period of time. This includes information on average temperature in a season, sunshine 🌞, rainfall, relative humidity etc. On earth, there are different types of climates which include Tropical, Temperate, polar, Dry and Continental climates.

Climate change is the periodic modification of Earth's climate due to changes in the atmosphere and interactions between the atmosphere and other geologic, chemical, biological, and geographic factors within the Earth system.

What is Global Warming?

Without much grammar, global warming is the increase in the earth's temperature. Before I delve into the Greenhouse effect, I'll like to explain to the best of my understanding the two major causes of global warming. Global warming can be caused both naturally and artificially.

Natural causeS of global warming

• Some scientists believe that the ocean contains lots of tons of CO2 which if the ocean is heated to enough, there's a stepwise release of this CO2 into the atmosphere. Many backed this up with data collected from bubbles in ice collected from Greenland. Which showed the level of CO2 in the atmosphere thousands of years ago. History has it that the Viking from Norway 🇳🇴 Henrich The Red sailed to Greenland with his followers in the 10th century(985 AD), for centuries they called it home because it was warm, fertile for farmers, Greenland had trees with heights of about 3-4m high. They thrived for few centuries BUT they got wiped out because the climate had changed probably due to unstoppable solar cycle or the eruption of two massive volcanoes, one year after another. Sending much black dust of sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere which prevented sunlight from passing through which caused the little ice age.
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I know you might be thinking if we're gonna have another ice age soon. Oh common!! The point is, earth's temperature rises first before there's a rise in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. But today we can't say that is case due to human activities.

• Other scientist proposed that the current rise in temperature is due to the earths orbit around Sun. Pointing to the reports of NASA regarding the shrinking of the ice caps on the poles of Mars of recent. So the problem is the sun and the orbits of the earth and other planets.

Man-made causes of global warming

• Emission of green house gases. One of the major greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere is CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are carbon trapped by plants millions of years ago through photosynthesis, buried for a long period of time. Can become coal, Kerogene, crude oil and natural gas. Today man uses these fossil fuels to power many machines thereby releasing this old carbon into the atmosphere. With this old carbon adding to the carbon plant and animal release on a daily bases through respiration, there is an increase leading to more than 400‰ (part per million) of CO2 iN the atmosphere by the year 2012
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Today, humans are emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases than nature ever had in the past. So there's an imbalance.

Greenhouse gases

It is majorly Methane (CH⁴), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrous oxide, even water. They cause global warming by forming a kinda blanket at the upper atmosphere. Allowing radiations from the sun to pass through them into the earth 🌏 but absorbs and prevent this energy from escaping back into space. Therefore causing an increase in earths temperature which leads to change in climatic conditions varyiNg from long droughts, flooding in coastal cities, melting of the ice caps in the poles. Yes, NASA reported a similar thing happening in Mars, but we should know that Mars has lost a greater part of its atmosphere to radiations and waves from the sun due to its weak magnetic field. Unlike Earth whose magnetic field is superb and has a wonderful atmosphere.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ME AND MY COMMUNITY?

I live in the Tropics. Climate change means a change in the current conditions of the weather condition of my immediate environment. Like we all know, our civilization, our food supply, our settlement is built on the present climatic condition. A change would be alien to our civilization. With long droughts, floodings in coastal cities, the impact would be outrageous. With food production dwindling due to drought and flood, i guess we're in for a "zombie apocalypse".

TO WHAT DEGREE IS IT AN INSTRUMENT OF CERTAIN POLITICAL AGENDAS?

Well, climate change can be used by any opposition to get the masses at their backs. And their claims are not without merits. It's true that many government are not paying attention to the drastic changes we're experiencing today.

But one thing we should know, politicians will always remain politicians. The rich and powerful will alwAys focus on their own businesses. Even her claim is a fantasy, her claim isn't enlightening at all, doesn't tell us what sort of socioeconomic solutions we're to aspire to for a planet that will soon gonna be 10 billion people . She's gonna go back to Copenhagen, become an international environmental celebrity in a wealthy city surrounded by wonderful infrastructures, most of which were built with fossil fuels. That's Greta's future... And I'll like that kinda future for my kids and yours.

Some people are even suggesting a stop to population growth by reducing child birth. To me, that's ridiculous because livestock and plants also grow exponentially as humans.

HOW CAN WE MANAGE/SOLVE IT? MY IDEAS

• Global warming cannot be stopped or controlled without first stopping the burning of fossil fuel. I think the first way to clean a mess caused by a burst sewage piPe is to first fix the burst pipe before cleaning the mess.

China 🇨🇳 and The United States 🇺🇸 are the biggest users of fossil fuel for power generation. If we can switch to clean energy alternatives today, we'd have over 100yrs to remove the excess CO2 in the atmosphere. Building of solar power plants, hydroelectric power plants etc is the best. 100% of Iceland 🇮🇸 power is from clean energy and yet they're at the top of the log regarding power production. The use of electric cars and other mEans of reducing the amount of CO2 emitted should be embraced.

• After reduCing the amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere through burning of fossil fuel. We should simultaneously be planting trees. High amount of CO2 in the atmosphere means "MORE FOOD FOR PLANTS". There are over 390 billion trees in the Amazon forest which serve as a carbon sink that removes more than 15% of the atmospheric CO2. Today, we're over 7 Billion humans on earth. If we make it a habIt or the government makes it part of the law that everyone celebrating their birthday should at least plant 2 trees instead of wasting large amounts of $ on birthday cakes 🎂. It would go a long way. That will be around 6billion trees a year, planted by me and yoU. Many governments especially those countries in coastal areas and little highlands are plAnTiNg lot of trees lately, a typical example is China's 🇨🇳 green wall project.

• Induced volcanic eruption: When there's a volcanic eruption, sulphur dioxide is sent into the atmosphere which reflects back sunlight into space and also blocks sunlight from reaching the earth surface(This caused the little ice age) therefore leading to cooling of the earth. SoMe scientists are working on ways to get this done artificially, but the risk is high.

WHAT THEORIES AND DATA DO I BELIEVE IN?

I believe NASA's data concerning the shrinking of the earth and Mars' ice in their poles. Because... Here on earth, we can see the impact of this in the rise of sea levels. Coastal Cities that haven't bEen flooded in the past are getting served. With time New York would need a wall in the future to protect it from the ocean.

I don't believe that overpopulation is the major cause of climate change because Nature has that covered.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN TECHNOLOGIES AND COUNTRIES RESPONSIBLE FOR IT?

Well. Technologies that requires thE burning of fossil fuels are responsible. Thermal plants, refineries flaring natural gas, cars, jets etc.

Countries... I'll say more than 99% of the countries on earth contributes to this but some contribute more cus i don't know any country who useS electric cars only, clean energy for power and shuns the use of anything fossil fuel. China 🇨🇳 and the United States 🇺🇸 a top on the list tho.

The images without a source were mine... gotten from the bot banjo on discord.

Thanks for your time. ✌😉