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With the UN Climate Conference continuing to take place in Paris right now, eco18 wanted to dive deep into the talk of climate change and discuss what eco initiatives have taken place around the world in the past year.
But first, what is climate change?
When you hear the words “climate change,” it generally means a change in climate patterns around the world.
How is our climate changing?
As of October, the Earth has warmed up around 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, it actually is.
Wait…warmer weather? Hooray!
Not so much. In the long run, the warmer the Earth gets, the more ice caps are going to melt. More ice caps melting means higher sea levels, which could potentially result in massive amounts of coastal flooding, and not the kind a sandbag can stop, the kind of flooding that takes out thousands of homes and beachside towns.
And this is just one of the major affects of this warmer weather.
So…how exactly does climate change work?
According to NASA, there is a layer of greenhouse gases surrounding Earth. These gases absorb heat and warm the surface of the earth to a temperature that can support life. Climate change takes place when other “heat trapping” gases are released into the atmosphere and do exactly what it sounds like: traps heat. These gases include: Nitrous Oxide, Methane and Carbon Dioxide. When the heat can’t escape, that’s what causes the rising of Earth’s temperature, otherwise known as “The Greenhouse Effect.”
What can we do?
As individuals, we can all work to reduce our carbon footprint! That means lessening or eliminating things in your life that release carbon emissions into the atmosphere: take less flights, switch to an electric/hybrid vehicle, invest in solar panels to power your home, lessen food waste, lessen waste in general.
With this year coming to an end, we wanted to sit down with ourselves and think about what eco initiatives have taken place this year to reduce carbon footprints:
4.Reducing home/office water use
What eco initiatives have you taken this year? We’d love to know!
