Climate change: Causes
The climate and earth’s temperature are being influenced by humans.
This increases the greenhouse effect and global heating by adding enormous amounts of greenhouse gas to the already existing atmospheric gases.
The greenhouse effect is the main driver of climate changes. The greenhouse effect is caused by some gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that act in a similar way to glass in a greenhouse. They trap the sun’s heat in their atmosphere and prevent it from leaking into space, thereby causing global warming.
While many of these greenhouse gases are naturally occurring, human activity is increasing their concentrations in the atmosphere.
- carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Nitrous oxide
- Fluorinated Gases
The largest contributor to global warming is CO 2, which is caused by human activities. Its concentration in the atmosphere was 48% higher than it was before 1750, which is why its level had reached 48% by 2020.
Human activity can also emit other greenhouse gases in smaller amounts. While methane is more powerful than CO 2,, it has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere. Like CO 2, Nitrous oxide is a long-lived greenhouse gases that can accumulate in the atmosphere for decades or even centuries.
Natural causes such as solar radiation changes or volcanic activity, are thought to have contributed less to the total warming of 1890 to 2010.
Rising emissions: Causes
- The combustion of coal, oil, and gas creates carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
- Deforestation is the cutting down of forests. Trees regulate the climate by absorption CO 2 from air. The greenhouse effect increases when trees are removed.
- Increasing livestock farming. Sheep and cows produce large amounts methane from their food.
- Nitrous oxide is produced by fertilizers containing nitrogen
- Fluorinated gas is emitted by equipment and products using these gases. These emissions can have a strong warming effect that is up to 23 000 times greater then CO 2.
2011-2020 was the hottest decade ever recorded. The global average temperature rose 1.1 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels in 2019, making it the warmest decade. Global warming caused by humans is increasing at a rate 0.2degC every decade.
A 2degC increase in temperature compared to pre-industrial times has serious impacts on the natural environment, human health, and well-being. There is also a greater risk of dangerous and potentially catastrophic changes to the global environment.
The international community recognizes the importance of keeping the temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit it down to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Climate action is urgently needed. Learn about the EU’s efforts to combat the climate crisis