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By: Francesca Parroco There are many who do not believe in climate change. There is a wide range of possibilities of why these suspicions exist, but a main one is not knowing the facts or the path of logic that brings us to the conclusion of the destruction of our planet. (all facts are according to NASA on https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/)  Source: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ First, there is the obvious: due to advances in technology, carbon dioxide levels have skyrocketed since the Industrial Revolution. There is no denying that, as a more technologically advanced civilization, there are more places such as factories emitting fossil fuels, including carbon dioxide. One may believe that plants can just convert the carbon dioxide, but trees and other plants are constantly being destroyed for our own benefit, such as commercial buildings. Therefore, there are not enough plants to photosynthesize the increasing oxygen. In simple terms, there is now more carbon dioxide and less plants. Cars, too, emit gases that are as detrimental as the overflow of carbon dioxide. These harmful gases rise in the atmosphere and eventually reach the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s immense heat. Because of this constant damage to the ozone layer, it becomes weaker over time, letting more and more sunlight through. This is what is known as global warming. It is called this because of how the Earth is progressively increasing in temperature because of the sun’s heat, and we can no longer rely on the one thing protecting us from it because we have slowly been destroying it. It is true that we can just protect ourselves from the sun as we always have, through sunblock and shade. Although, that is not the case. Have you ever felt how hot it is when you are in 100 degree Fahrenheit weather? Now, imagine that, but exactly 270,000 times hotter. The sun is 27,000,000 (27 million) degrees Fahrenheit, and Earth is the third planet closest to the sun. I understand that you may not think that the heat can honestly travel that far, but just imagine how you are able to feel the heat of a campfire, which is approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit, and think about the sun as one big campfire. Earth is not the closest to the sun, but it is third out of eight planets in our orbit. This progressive heating is causing ice caps to melt, taking away the habitats of many animals. Many assume that this has no effect on humans, when really, it leads to the increased likelihood of each and every one of our lives being destroyed. Because of the melting, the sea levels are rising, seeing as ice becomes water. When these levels rise, more floods occur in coastal areas. This may not affect those who do not live near large bodies of water, but if the levels keep rising, they will. Floods destroy homes, money, and lives overall.  (Image credit: Sergei Drozd/Shutterstock) Another effect of the damage caused by human activities is ocean acidification. As previously discussed, toxic chemicals rise into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is where clouds and rain form, meaning that when unhealthy air rises, unhealthy precipitation falls. Oceans also absorb these pollutants, meaning that the plant and animal life there are dying. Along with this, acid rain is more likely to occur, destroying buildings and being very toxic to those who experience it. Overall, it is very clear the causes and effects of climate change and how it affects each and every one of us, not just plants and animals. Remember that it is currently not too late to save and restore our planet, but it will be too late in just 6 years, by 2027.
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