DMPQ: Write in brief about causes and solutions of climate change.

Climate Change

• It is the long term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time
• Though it has been happening naturally for millions of years, in recent years it has accelerated due to anthropogenic causes and has been causing global warming.
• UNFCCC defines climate change as – “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”

During the last decades of urbanization,industrialization and population growth the atmosphere has been polluted. Human activities increase the amount of carbon dioxide, Chloro Floro Carbon (CFC) and other dangerous gases. About 51% of the solar energy is absorbed by the earth’s surface, which increases its temperature. The rest of the heat is reflected back in to the atmosphere. This helped in maintaining temperature. But now due to pollution some of the reflected heat is trapped by green house gases (GHGs), mainly carbon dioxide. It has increased the temperature of the Earth’s surface. There is evidence to show that CO2 levels are still increasing.

Climate Change Mitigation

• Alternative Energy sources
  • Renewable energy
  • Nuclear Power
  • Reduce the carbon intensity of fossil fuels
• Energy efficiency and conservation
  • Transport and urban planning
  • Building design
  • Reforestation and avoid deforestation
  • Eliminating waste methane
• Geoengineering
  • Greenhouse gas remediation
    • Biomass
    • Carbon air capture
    • Carbon capture and storage
  • Societal control
    • Population
    • Sustainable life-style