Currently, the topic of climate change has dominated media platforms, international conferences, and research institutions. Although the subject is contagious owing to the associated interests, the world has experienced changes in climatic conditions that can be linked to the alteration of the natural composition of the environment in the recent past. Most proponents of the subject illustrate that both human and natural factors cause climate change. However, the current surge in extreme weather has been triggered by increased human activities. Despite the effects, investing in green energy, increasing vegetation cover, and conducting public education are some measures that can be taken to reduce climate change.
One of the modern leading causes of climate change is the use of fossil fuels as a source of energy. The burning of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. According to Xie & Lin (2017), with the increase of automobiles and industries across the globe, the number of carbon gases released into the air is immense. Can the world totally refrain from using fossil energy? Even though most nations have recently shifted from fossil to renewable energy, many countries, especially the developing states, still rely on fossils. Therefore, there are high levels of greenhouse gases remaining in the troposphere. However, investing in green energy such as wind power, solar energy, hydroelectric power, electric cars, and biofuels will lower the amount of greenhouse gases released annually into the atmosphere.
Additionally, planting trees and adopting a green environment initiative will greatly reduce climate change since it increases the vegetation cover. Plants absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and then convert the gas into energy during photosynthesis. Do people have to forfeit their development agenda over forests? Even though some can illustrate that development is also needed to cater to the increase in the human population, such initiatives should be conducted while taking green space into consideration. For instance, modern houses should have rooftop gardens in their buildings. This will increase the absorption of greenhouse gases, which lowers the rate of climate change (Xie & Lin, 2017). Therefore, all humans should embrace planting trees to increase the vegetation cover and replenish the dwindling size of the forest.
Public education is another measure that can be taken to reduce climate change. Although the earth is also known to have experienced climate change long before the existence of humans, public awareness is essential for its conservation. According to Plutzer et al. (2016), natural forces such as volcanic eruptions, the intensity of the sun, and alterations in the natural occurrence of greenhouse gas can also contribute to climate change. But do the records explain the recent increase in climate change? The changes in the atmospheric condition cannot be explained by natural causes alone. Even though Plutzer et al. (2016) indicate that natural causes still exist, as in the case of the recent volcanic eruption in the USA, Spain, and DRC (Pérez-Umaña et al., 2019), their influence is negligible. Consequently, human causes are responsible for the rapid changes in environmental conditions. As a result, they require human interventions, such as a change of mindset and behavior. Therefore, public education is a measure that should be conducted as a measure to curb climate change.
Succinctly, the increase in climate change is currently caused by fossil fuels, reduction in a green environment, and human behavior. As a result, it requires human intervention to use green energy, plant trees, increase vegetation cover, and change mindset and behavior. Adopting green energy sources such as wind power and solar energy will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, thus causing climate change. However, embracing the increase in vegetation cover will increase the plants’ absorption rates of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Moreover, human behavior is critical to reducing climate change, which can be caused by public education, eventually leading to a change in thinking.
References
Pérez-Umaña, D., Quesada-Román, A., Rojas, J. C. D. J., Zamorano-Orozco, J. J., Dóniz-Páez, J., & Becerra-Ramírez, R. (2019). Comparative analysis of geomorphosites in volcanoes of Costa Rica, Mexico, and Spain. Geoheritage, 11(2), 545-559.
Plutzer, E., McCaffrey, M., Hannah, A. L., Rosenau, J., Berbeco, M., & Reid, A. H. (2016). Climate confusion among US teachers. Science, 351(6274), 664-665. Web.
Xie, F., & Lin, Z. (2017). Market-driven automotive industry compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards: Analysis based on consumer choice. Energy Policy, 108, 299-311. Web.