What you NEED to know about climate change
It’s an issue that has been brought to the attention of the world a lot in recent years: Our climate is changing to negative effect. Largely due to the increases in human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, agriculture and land clearing, changes of the 20th century include increases in global average air and ocean temperature, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising sea levels. What’s more, the increased heat in the climate has other implications such as atmospheric and ocean circulation, which influence rainfall and wind patterns.
Another serious impact of the increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide – which we’ve already seen harm the Great Barrier Reef – is ocean acidification. Disturbingly, around a quarter of the carbon dioxide produced by humans is absorbed by the ocean and, as a result, forms a weak carbonic acid making the ocean more acidic.
An increase in the average air temperature is another side effect we’ve seen. Records from the World Meteorological Organization show that the decade of 2001 to 2010 was the world’s warmest decade on record, and that the 2000s were warmer than the 1980s. In Australia, average air temperatures have increased by around 0.9 degrees since 1910, and each decade has been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s.
Scientists agree that the worst effects of climate change can largely be avoided if carbon dioxide emissions are reduced to an acceptable level. So, are you doing your bit to help? Open2Study are offering a free online course, Climate Change, from August 11 that covers things like, why we should care about the impacts of climate change, the science that underpins our understanding and how we can fix the problem before it’s too late. Watch the teaser video for the course here:
Climate change fact sheet:
- Climate change refers to a long-term shift in weather conditions
- Over most of earth’s history, natural processes have also been responsible for periods of climate change
- Human activity has now become the main cause of recent climate change
- Global warming is primarily attributed to the enhancement of the natural greenhouse gas effect
- The ozone hole is not the main cause of global warming
- Climate change is a warming trend, not just a warming cycle
- Climate change will affect communities all over the world
- Individuals, organisations and the international community can make a difference in dealing with climate change. Enrol in Open2Study’s Climate Change course for free here and learn how you can help the cause.
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