Contributing Factors Towards Climate Change

Contributing Factors Towards Climate Change 

What is climate change?

Climate change is defined by the Oxford dictionary as a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Why it is Extremely Important:

    Climate change is something we all should care about because it affects us all. Moreover, there is no other planet we can go to if this one becomes inhabitable. There are a lot of different things that affect our climate that range from our diets to how we consume products. Most of the damage is due to large corporations and their exploitation of materials and dumping but everyone is responsible. Due to human activity, the planet has gotten warmer at unprecedented speeds and the changes are quite visible. 

    Personally, I care about this because during the summer here in Riverside, the air reaches toxic levels around 300 on the Air Quality Index. Days on end, there is no way of leaving the house with temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I chose this issue because it is a universal issue that needs more crucial attention. Many people are not aware of how various industries and lifestyles add to the issue. These issues include, waste pollution, deforestation, and meat production. Some are bigger contributors than others, but we can all try to be more green conscious.

Contributing Factors:

Meat Production

• Livestock on farms need a lot of food and water to grow to the industry standard weight, to then be slaughtered.
• According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 13.4 billion hectares are used in crop production on the global level.
• Factory Farming contributes to climate change as greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are released from animals.
• According to Humane Society, 37% of methane emissions are 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. 

Waste Pollution 

• This is defined as anything that can be harmful to the environment, hazardous and non-hazardous
•  Annually, 860 billion gallons of sewage overflow from America's sewer systems into   waterways according to Veterans Off the Grid.
• There is an estimated 400 billion pounds of trash that mostly consists of plastic in our oceans according to Veterans Off the Grid. 

What we can do

• There is an estimated 400 billion pounds of trash that mostly consists of plastic in our oceans according to Veterans Off the Grid.
• Vote with your dollar!
• Recycle
• Seek out items that are biodegradable and non-harmful to the planet
• Limit how much meat you consume
• Go planet based

References

Crop production and natural resource use. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from 

    http://www.fao.org/3/y4252e/y4252e06.htm

Society, H. (2007). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Animal Agriculture [PDF]. The Humane Society of 

    the United States.

Team, G. (2018, September 07). Water Pollution Facts, Causes, Effects & Solutions - Veterans Off. 

    Retrieved October 30, 2020, from https://www.veteransoffgrid.org/blog/water-pollution-facts-causes-

    effects-solutions