The Climate Crisis

“The climate crisis” is a phrase that we hear a lot these days, whether it’s in the context of a Fox News anchor calling it a hoax, or that of a teenage protestor demanding change from those in power. In this polarizing environment, it’s sometimes hard to know what to believe, or even what is being discussed. This post aims to resolve some of that confusion in a brief, understandable way.

Climate change has always existed, and this is a point of confusion for many. However, the essential point of understanding here is that while Earth’s climate has always been changing, that change has not always been caused by humans. Earth goes through long term climate cycles driven by a variety of natural processes. The greenhouse effect, where certain gases trap heat in the atmosphere, is also natural. Once humans began industrial processes that released extra greenhouse gases is when we began to have a problem. Rather than remaining in the range of natural variation, Earth’s climate began to change beyond that, at a pace and in a direction that was not naturally precedented.

Some may read this and still question a few things, which is totally understandable. I would like to clarify a few of the most common misunderstandings here. First, yes Earth has warmed to this level before, but what makes current climate change different is how fast that warming is happening. Second, yes climate change is human caused. We can tell this by looking at when we began to see the change and cross-referencing it with when humans began to burn fossil fuels, as well as by doing carbon isotope tracing (read more about that here). Finally, just because not everywhere is warming does not mean that climate change is fake. The term global warming has largely been discarded as a misnomer - climate change is about an increased amount of variability, which may include warming, not just about warming.

If you’re wondering what you can do with all of this information now that you have it, there are a few things. First, you can make personal changes, like eating less meat, using less fossil-fuel based power, and switching out single use plastics for reusable alternatives. However, the bigger thing is to pressure those in power to make change. This can take the form of protest, writing to and calling your representatives, and many other things. Ultimately, we cannot stop climate change as individuals, but if we work together we have a chance.