What Have We Done to the World??? ( Blog Post 1 )

The Biggest threat now to Humankind I believe is the climate changing.

This is happening because 'we' as the human race are producing too much Greenhouse gas. This is produced when fossil fuels are burned. Fossil fuels are a natural resource which are under the ground and consist of decomposing plants and other organic materials.

When we burn the gas it works like a greenhouse trapping the heat inside then warming the plants, but we are using too much which is trapping to much heat into our atmosphere and changing the natural balance.

Fig 1. Shows the greenhouse effect

We need the balance as we could not live on the earth without some heat !

The main gases that are responsible for the damage to our atmosphere are :

- Carbon Dioxide (C02) is responsible for 3/4 of the dangerous emissions.

- Methane (C04) responsible for 16%.

These gases were relatively low before 'The Industrial Revolution' which started in Britain in

the late 18th Century. This time is when there were new materials discovered such as iron and steel. New energy sources, coal, electricity, petroleum. Thus new inventions like the steam engine, steam ships, automobiles, telegraphs, aeroplanes, radio. They started using science in industry and machinery so they could mass produce products. Factories dominated and were burning fossil fuels which were being released into the air.

This graph shows the Earths Climate since 800,000 BC to current day.

Fig 2 .This shows the continuous rise to the present day.

By burning coal, oil and gas we are keeping the levels high.

Coal - generates electricity, is used in aluminium, cement and power manufacturers.

Oil - used for petroleum products, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil and petrochemical feed stocks like plastic. Used in lubricants, waxes and asphalt.

Natural Gas - 100% Methane is used for fuel and comes from the ground. This gas is produced also from farm animals, fire, rotting manure.

The rise in temperatures are causing :

Warming Oceans

Glacier Retreats

Decrease in snow cover

Sea rising- land sinking

Declining Arctic

Ocean Acidification

Extreme Events

These events could eventually cause us with a massive threat to our race. Raven describes this threat as:

The least well understood factor that is driving future extinction is global climate change, a problem with which we are just starting to come to grips intellectually. Such rapid and catastrophic events would, of course, often be outside of the possibility of adaptation for the species concerned.

(Raven, 2020,p.16)

We are seeing events happening now highest temperatures recorded, wildfires, droughts, floods and we will have more in the future, this will cause poverty, disruptions to our food supply, production and limited or no access to fresh water which will cause climate migration, disease and conflict. We may not be able to go outside due to the high temperatures.

Fig 3. Town in Nantgarw Wales flooded.

Echoing Attenborough's thoughts that the World will never return to a stable climate and that climate change is a global security threat, if we act now we can change the future of our Planet, “we may yet act proportionately — and in time”. Attenborough, United Nations Press Release, (2021)

Bibliography

Attenborough, D (2021) Climate Change 'Biggest Threat Modern Humans Have Ever Faced', ( from the United Nations Meeting, conference and Press Release, Security Council, 23rd February 2021)

Available at: https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/Sc14445.doc.htm

( Accessed: 12 March 2021).

Raven, P.H (2020)' Health of people, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility. Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health', in Al-Delaimy, W. Ramanthan, V and Sorondo,M. (1st edn.) Biological Extinction and Climate Change. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Fig 1.

Available at: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PQLdm3rKRol39xhCSJ0tWXlnpi7yidhuWpLg72A6AOkbX2Kb1RAQRJlwSPypda6Zm0IINZl9IvwCU8KDeqUPjW7puq6_C_-X457NnStVEiQos84hOpfoCfCQj7-OMw (Accessed: 12 March 2021)

Fig 2. Available at: https://climate.nasa.gov/system/content_pages/main_images/203_co2-graph-061219.jpg ( Accessed: 12 March 2021)

Fig 3. Available at: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/15BBE/production/_110922098_wns_160220_storm_dennis_flooding_wales_02.jpg ( Accessed: 12 March 2021)