As global average air temperatures continue to rise, scientists are increasingly concerned that they will cause extreme weather events. These include heat waves, floods and droughts.
Climate change is caused by our greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gases absorb the Sun’s energy, warming the Earth’s atmosphere.
Solar Energy
Using solar energy is one of the fastest ways to cut your carbon footprint. It can help slow climate change trends by reducing your dependence on fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases.
As more and more people use renewable energy, the industry is growing, and more and more companies are creating jobs in the process. Increasingly, solar panels are being used to power residential and commercial buildings.
While solar energy is not always available because of cloudy weather or shade, advances in battery technology are making it possible to store energy for future use. This makes it a cost-effective way to power your home or business, even when the sun is not shining.
A January Pew Research Center survey found that more homeowners are installing or seriously considering home solar panels. About six-in-ten cited the federal tax credit for solar investment as their main reason for going green.
Aerosols
Aerosols are tiny particles that float in the air and influence climate. They are emitted from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and biofuels, but also from natural sources, such as sea spray, desert dust and volcanic eruptions.
When these particles scatter sunlight, they have a cooling effect on Earth’s surface. And when they act as condensation nuclei around which water vapor condenses, they help to create clouds and brighten existing ones.
However, some types of aerosols, such as sulfur-spewing ships, act differently than others. Those that act as condensation nuclei, known as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), increase the amount of water in a cloud, increasing its albedo.
That increases the temperature of the lower atmosphere. This can retard the water cycle and supress rain. And it can also affect the way the atmosphere responds to changes in solar energy, causing more severe weather events.
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat from the sun and prevent it from escaping Earth’s atmosphere. Without greenhouse gases, the climate would be much colder and many forms of life would die out.
These gases can be found naturally in the atmosphere or they can be produced by human activities such as burning fossil fuels. The increasing concentration of these gases is affecting global climate change trends, including changes in global temperature and precipitation patterns.
The most powerful greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is absorbing the energy in the sun’s infrared rays and keeps Earth’s climate warm. Other greenhouse gases, like methane and nitrous oxide, are also contributing to climate change trends. They have different efficiencies at absorbing radiation and stay in the atmosphere for varying amounts of time. A measure of the warming impact of GHGs is called their ’global warming potential or GWP.
Water
Water is an essential life-giving substance, supporting crops and ecosystems worldwide. It’s also the lifeblood of human societies, enabling economic development, sanitation and hygiene.
Changes in the climate system are affecting the amount, distribution, timing and quality of water available to humans and ecosystems. This includes changes in the flow of water, such as increased flooding and reduced availability, as well as impacts on the water cycle itself, such as more evaporation or less precipitation.
Climate change trends in the water cycle are causing widespread water scarcity and droughts that threaten food security, health, and economic development worldwide. These impacts have already triggered waves of migration and spikes in violence in countries that experience water shortages.