Climate change. A term we, the gen Z’s, have no doubt heard of increasingly in the past decade or so. We know it’s about our planet. We buy the t-shirts, donate the extra dollar, and even purchase reusable metal straws. But do we truly know what this need for us to be conscientious is all about? And are we actually helping as much as we think we are?
Why is the climate changing?
Let’s break it down. A greenhouse keeps our plants warm, so that they can thrive even when it is cold. So, greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour, keep the heat in and keep our planet warm enough to withstand life.
The sun warms the surface of the Earth, and the Earth radiates energy back through the atmosphere and into space. Greenhouse gases soak up some of this radiation, and then discharge heat in various directions.
The greenhouse effect keeps us warm, and keeps us alive.
What’s the problem?
The Earth has always been changing, but modern-day innovation utilizes the planet’s natural resources more than ever.
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other industrial and agricultural activities release significant amounts of greenhouse gases. This means that there is more of these gases released into the atmosphere, and more radiation trapped near the Earth’s surface. In short, this trapped heat is making the Earth hotter.
Scientists call this the enhanced greenhouse effect.
But what does the Earth getting hotter have to do with climate change?
Lewis Parsons, Climate March September 2019
It is important to note the difference between weather and climate. Weather is when the condition of the atmosphere changes at various times and places, due to the movement of air masses. Climate, however, is average weather conditions over long periods. One is examined on a larger scale; the terms are not interchangeable.
The increases in global temperatures are changing the way our climate works.
This is why you see adverts of polar bears surrounded by melted ice on your TV – the Earth is warmer than it should be. This is why in recent seasons it has been unusually dry, or unusually wet. We have also seen extremes of one or the other, such as droughts and floods, in unusual times and places.
Humankind has adapted to and normalised these changes. The odd occurrences of the weather have even become a topic of lightweight, polite conversation: ‘a particularly sunny day we’re having, isn’t it?’.
Generation Z has become accustomed to a climate aware world. It isn’t strange to hear protesting for government action. It isn’t strange to turn on the news and hear about Hurricane Ida in the U.S., or the fires in Greece causing colossal destruction. It isn’t strange for your Facebook friend to be starting a GoFundMe page about one of the multitudes of crisis’s local to them. It isn’t strange to eat with wooden and paper utensils in your fast-food restaurant.
We are not unfamiliar with this form of proactivity, but do we know why we are doing it? Do we take it seriously? Do we desire a thriving and well-maintained planet? There are countless theories as to why we should take action. “We only get one planet.” This may be true, but rather than dramatizing the future, let us draw our attention to the impact that we can have now.
Click here to read about the latest IPCC report, and how you can be part of the solution for a better climate.
The Gen Z View 