Big confusion about climate change

Global climate change is one of the topics that many people mention and discuss. However, among the numerous notions, opinions, also true, wrong, conception is the truth, also conceived as a disastrous mistake.

See if your explanation of global climate change is right or wrong.

Confusion: Life can adapt to all changes. Human civilization that has survived to this day has also experienced drought and changes in past air temperatures.

Fact: People can experience erratic changes such as drought, too hot or too cold weather. However, do not forget that there have been many animals until societies have been destroyed by the harsh climate conditions. Do you still remember the destruction of mammoths and dinosaurs? If we do not limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year, the Earth will face a tremendous transformation in the last 10,000 years.

Confusion: Resolving climate change issues will affect workers and the industries of developed economies.

Fact: If we have a low emissions trade, we can promote a new low carbon economy. Companies that have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions have found that reducing pollution can save a lot of money. Compared to other management methods, planning a complete trade platform can reduce management costs. In addition, coercive restrictions on emissions can also stimulate technology to develop from there, creating more job opportunities and wealth.

Confusion: Global climate change and the sudden increase in carbon dioxide are actually beneficial. It can minimize deaths from colds and stimulate growth.

Fact: The beneficial effects of climate change are completely too small compared to the disasters that it can bring to people. Although under certain conditions, CO ₂ can become a fertilizer for animals. However, scientists say, after a few years when plants have adapted to this fertilizer, their effects will be greatly reduced. That is not to mention that the rapid increase of CO ₂ makes the sea level of people high, devouring many coastal areas, greatly affecting the lives of people, marine life, fisheries, .

Confusion: Could the Arctic never warm up before? Global climate change is just one part of the natural cycle.

Fact: The changes that our Earth is going through are not a natural phenomenon. Global climate change is now man-made. Previously, the Arctic had been warming up, but at that time, people still did not know how to use fossil fuels, nor did they severely destroy forests like today. Currently, the amount of carbon dioxide that people emit into the atmosphere is hundreds of times higher than in the past. The amount of natural CO ₂ released into the environment usually ranges from 180-300 ppm, however, the CO ₂ content is now at 380 ppm.

Confusion: Cold winters and hot summers in the last few years have made me feel that Earth doesn't warm up.

Fact: In some regions of the world there is indeed an unusual cold weather in winter, however, in general, the Earth is warming day by day. The unusually cold winters only show that the climate is becoming more extreme than not warming up.

Confusion: If global climate change really does exist, why are some glaciers and ice sheets constantly expanding rather than shrinking?

Fact: In many parts of the world, glaciers are being narrowed very clearly. Latest scientific data show that the area of ​​ice covering Greenland is shrinking rapidly. In Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, some glaciers have increased in the past few decades. However, these are only local phenomena caused by storms and snow, not because of the cold temperatures of the Earth.

From 1961 to 1997, the area of ​​glaciers worldwide decreased by 1432 km ³ . According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, from 1976 to 2006, the area of ​​ice on Greenland in the summer decreased by more than 30%. Since 1950, the average temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula has also increased by 2.5 degrees C.

Confusion: Now it is difficult to predict the weather for a few days before, how can we predict the change of climate tens of hundreds of years later?

Fact: The prediction of climate change is completely different from the weather forecast. Whether weather forecast is accurate depends on describing the state of the Earth's atmosphere at a certain time. Meanwhile, climate prediction is based on data that can last for months, years, even centuries. For example, we cannot know exactly whether in December of New England it was cold to below 0 degrees Celsius, but if based on climate monitoring of this area, we could knowing that December in New England has a very low heat background.

Confusion: The ozone layer hole is shrinking, global warming will no longer be a big problem.

Fact: Global warming and ozone layer holes are two completely different problems. The ozone layer exists in the stratosphere (9 to 31 miles from the ground), covering the entire Earth, protecting the Earth from being affected by ultraviolet rays. Ozone holes appear because the ozone level in the stratosphere is reduced. Meanwhile, CO ₂ and other greenhouse gases emitted by human activity constantly accumulate in the atmosphere, which causes the average temperature of the Earth to increase.