GENERATION EARTH MOVEMENT
THE SCIENCE BEHIND CLIMATE CHANGE
Keeping you updated on the latest research and information
At Gen Earth Movement, we’re committed to using and providing scientifically accurate information. Our goal is for this page to be a place to understand climate change and why it is a cause worth fighting for. As you'll notice, all of the sources are linked in the Sources and Further Reading section. We encourage you to visit the sources that correspond to the sections you would like to know more about. Always remember: knowledge is power!
What exactly is climate change?
NASA defines climate as the usual weather of a place. Climate change is unusual weather or a difference in climate from the past. The climate of the earth is constantly changing, but scientists are noticing that the climate of the Earth is getting increasingly warmer due to human activities. The climate crisis we are experiencing right now is progressive, meaning it is getting worse over time. Climate changes over millions of years, unlike weather which can change in only a few hours.
Why is our climate changing?
The climate on the earth changes a lot, and for many different reasons. Earth’s climate can change because of something as small as a volcano eruption in one place. Or, it could change because of something big, like our distance from the sun or how much energy the sun is sending to the earth. Right now, humans are causing a great deal of climate change. When we do things like drive cars, use air conditioning, and cook our food on a gas stove, we are using fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are things like coal, natural gas, and oil that must be extracted from the earth and burned in order to use it. When fossil fuels are burned, gases are released into the earth’s atmosphere. This causes something that is called the greenhouse effect. Much like a greenhouse traps heat in the room, these gases trap heat in our atmosphere. This causes the climate on our earth to change.
Why is climate change concerning?
Now, you may be thinking: if the climate of the earth changes all the time, what’s a little more? Well, the answer is, the climate change that we humans are causing could be catastrophic for our earth and our species. Scientists think that the temperature on earth will increase if not stopped. This could cause the temperature to rise drastically. In addition, sea levels will rise, which could flood and ultimately drown whole landmasses. Places on earth will get hotter. There will be a notable difference in weather, such as rain and snow. Polar ice, or ice on the north and south poles, will melt. There will be many more and more severe natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes as well. All of these things will cause and already are causing many species of animals and plants to die. In fact, scientists believe that up to 150 whole species are going extinct every single day. While some of the impacts we've made are reversible, many can never go back to the way they were before human-induced climate change began. The sooner we get to work and make a difference, the more damage we can fix. This is why it is important to act now.
Visualize Climate Change
The Impacts of Climate Change, as Learned from an Expert
To ensure we are providing accurate information, we personally spoke with geochemist and earth scientist, Dr. Melisa Diaz. Dr. Diaz has visited Antarctica multiple times and done many research projects both on the continent and locally. One area she focuses on is how climate change impacts communities differently. In her research, she found that because of redlining (the historic practice of restricting housing loans because of things like race and ethnicity that occurred in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s), communities of color have been heavily affected by climate change. For example, they tend to have more lead in their soil. This can harm one’s health and the ability to grow crops, which is important for food security in a changing future. As Dr. Diaz said, climate change affects everyone, but it doesn't affect everyone equally.
Another burning question we had was what the timeline actually looks like for reversing the effects of climate change. Will there be a point where the things we have done to our planet are irreversible? The truth is, it is nearly impossible to know when that point will come. In fact, Dr. Diaz thinks that there is a decent chance that we have already passed that point for some things. She believes that there is no way to completely go back to how the world used to be before the industrial revolution. However, she made it very clear that that doesn't mean there is nothing we can do. Hope is very important, and if we work hard and make sustainable choices, we can slow down the rates of change and keep the earth a livable place for many, many centuries to come.
Should you buy "eco-friendly" products?
Metal straws and reusable grocery bags seem like an easy way to do your part in the environmental crisis, right? Not exactly. If you do a life cycle assessment, or a study of a product’s total environmental impact based on how it is made and used, you will find that it’s not as simple as it seems. When it comes to production, single-use plastics actually have way less environmental impact than their reusable counterparts. For example, many reusable grocery bags are made of cotton. But growing, harvesting, and manufacturing cotton products uses quite a bit of fossil fuels, and is actually a larger contribution to global warming than disposable bags. The same goes for many other reusable products.
However, reusable products are much better for the environment when it comes to where they go when they are no longer needed. As you probably know, single-use plastic bags and straws are very bad for the environment when they are released into oceans and other habitats. Due to the lightweight nature of plastic bags, they can create a lot of litter. They also take a very, very long time to decompose. Cotton bags are typically used more times than plastic ones and they biodegrade faster, making them better for the environment in the post-use sense. Still, to make your cotton bag have an equal impact to plastic bags, you would need to use it 7,100 times. Otherwise, the cotton bags end up being worse than using a plastic bag each time. That means that if you used the bag 3 times a week, it would take 45 years to offset the impact made by the bag’s production!
Next time you think about buying a new “environmentally friendly” product, consider reusing a “less green” product that you already have. It is always better to make the most out of things you own rather than getting something new. Remember, everything that you use had to be produced, and that releases greenhouse gasses. The key to living a sustainable life is to recycle what you have as long as you can.
So what can be done to actually combat climate change?
The key to eliminating climate change is to drastically decrease and ultimately stop the burning of fossil fuels. This will mean switching to alternative forms of energy, such as solar, wind, and hydropower. If you can, switch to one of those methods to power the functions in your home. You can also switch to an electric car. If neither of these changes is possible for you, remember to turn off lights whenever you can, consume less products, and use your car as little as possible. In addition to stopping the burning of fossil fuels, the greenhouse gases we have already released should be removed. While this is a large challenge and as of right now there is no effective way to do this, one small-scale, easy way to help is by planting trees. Trees absorb carbon from the air, and this can help to reduce greenhouse gas concentration in our atmosphere.
Another thing you can do is rethink your food choices. For example, eating steak emits just about the same amount of carbon as driving a car 3 miles. You can make a difference by switching to chicken for fewer emissions, fish for even less, and plants for practically none. This doesn't mean you must go vegetarian, it means you should try to use plant-based foods as a staple and meat as a special treat. Try having chicken or fish only once a week, and beef and lamb about once a month. If everyone did this, our emissions would drop drastically.
Because climate change cannot be stopped by just one person, another key step is to create mass changes in our society. Writing letters to lawmakers can help establish new regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Contacting high-emission businesses and educating them about the effects of their emissions and how they can adjust is another great way to create big changes.
It is vital to not just work alone. Get other people on our side! The more people helping, the more change can actually be made. Here's a shocking statistic: only 60% of Americans understand that human-caused climate change exists. Crazy, right? If you can educate just one person, you are already making a huge contribution to the movement. Working together in groups such as this is the most effective way to make a difference. Talk to your friends, family, peers, and anyone who will listen. Encourage other members of our generation to join the movement. We can make a difference, but only if we work together.
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Here are the sources that were used to do the research for this page. If you are interested in learning more, check them out!
NASA - What is Climate Change?
NASA - Effects of Climate Change
Current Results - How is Climate Change Changing the Temperatures on Earth?
SciShow Video - How Green are "Green" Grocery Bags?
Union of Concerned Scientists - Fossil Fuels
NRDC - Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts
University of California - How Does What You Eat Affect the Climate?