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Climate change: another political football kicked back and forth from party to party, with no real general concensus ever formed. Does it exist? Doesn't it exist? How should we reduce our carbon footprints? Carbon taxes? Mining taxes? The list goes on.
Climate what?
Changing climates is a natural phenonemon. Over the past Quaternary (2 million years), the world has been experiencing times of glacial (cold) and anti-glacial (warm) periods. The reason that scientists and geographers are worried, is because in the last 10,000 years (known as the Holocene period), the rate of climate change has been unprecendated in the past.
What does this mean?
Maybe the simpliest way to describe climate change is to create an image.
Think of a deserted island out in the middle of the sea. The island is home to many ecosystems, including many differnet types of plants and animals. The shape of the island changes over time as the tides and currents erode the sand.
Pirates discover the island and decide that there is enough food, water and shelter for it to be sustainable for human life. They start cutting down trees to build homes, capturing animals in nets to eat, and building fires to cook on. As the pirates become smarter, they start to build roads, and sand traps to maintain the sand on the beach.
Over time the landscape changes. The natural flora and fauna ceases to exist. Introduced species, like parrots, feral dogs and rats start to take over the landscape.
Even though the island would've changed over time without human interference, there's no question that the introduction of human life would've bought about different, and faster rates of change.
The question is, how does this changing landscape with the reduction in the number of trees that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, the changing tides with the introduction of man made sand traps, and the burning of fuel, affect the climate?
I don't think we can really argue that humans AREN'T having an impact on the environment.
Maybe we should be placing more energy, time, money and resources into practicising ways of reducing our damage to the natural environment, instead of fighting over whether climate change really exists.
There are very simple ways to reduce your individual footprint by recycling, choosing to install solar panels, turning powerpoints off when not in use, using blankets and jumpers in winter instead of the heater, using food scraps to make compost, walking instead of driving eveywhere, picking up your rubbish, planting trees, the list goes on.
Does climate change really exist?
I'll let you decide, but while you're arguing for or against climate change, I'll be taking steps to reduce my impact on the environment, so that my children can enjoy their future.
What do you think about the climate change football? Could we be doing more to reduce our footprints? What could the government be better spending their time, money and resources on instead of fighting for or against climate change?
Look after yourself and those around you,
Kirsty xxx
What does this mean?
Maybe the simpliest way to describe climate change is to create an image.
Think of a deserted island out in the middle of the sea. The island is home to many ecosystems, including many differnet types of plants and animals. The shape of the island changes over time as the tides and currents erode the sand.
Pirates discover the island and decide that there is enough food, water and shelter for it to be sustainable for human life. They start cutting down trees to build homes, capturing animals in nets to eat, and building fires to cook on. As the pirates become smarter, they start to build roads, and sand traps to maintain the sand on the beach.
Over time the landscape changes. The natural flora and fauna ceases to exist. Introduced species, like parrots, feral dogs and rats start to take over the landscape.
Even though the island would've changed over time without human interference, there's no question that the introduction of human life would've bought about different, and faster rates of change.
The question is, how does this changing landscape with the reduction in the number of trees that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, the changing tides with the introduction of man made sand traps, and the burning of fuel, affect the climate?
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Maybe we should be placing more energy, time, money and resources into practicising ways of reducing our damage to the natural environment, instead of fighting over whether climate change really exists.
There are very simple ways to reduce your individual footprint by recycling, choosing to install solar panels, turning powerpoints off when not in use, using blankets and jumpers in winter instead of the heater, using food scraps to make compost, walking instead of driving eveywhere, picking up your rubbish, planting trees, the list goes on.
Does climate change really exist?
I'll let you decide, but while you're arguing for or against climate change, I'll be taking steps to reduce my impact on the environment, so that my children can enjoy their future.
What do you think about the climate change football? Could we be doing more to reduce our footprints? What could the government be better spending their time, money and resources on instead of fighting for or against climate change?
Look after yourself and those around you,
Kirsty xxx
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