The most memorable part of this year's Tet season is not the delicious food or the red envelopes full of money, but the way the weather forecast app shows 35 degrees Celsius at noon, marking the hottest spring in history (for me). Greenhouse gasses are making the planet hotter, Warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth. As we continue to see the effects of climate change, we have to ask ourselves, “What can be done to slow down these dramatic changes occur?”
While there are many actions you can take to do your part in the fight against climate change, a great place to start is to educate yourself about the factors that contribute to our changing climate. No factor plays a larger role than the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere.
You’ve likely heard that greenhouse gases play a role in global warming. Greenhouse gases, however, are not all bad and have played a role in regulating the global temperature throughout Earth’s history. In fact, CO2 is one of the substances that can retain heat. Without CO2, the Earth living environment would no longer be suitable for humans. It can be said that CO2 is like a blanket that covers and keeps our planet warm.
Sadly human activity from cutting down trees to deforestation, overuse of burning fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal...) and increased production has increased these gases’ atmospheric concentrations, causing too much heat to become trapped in our atmosphere. The extra heat in our atmosphere leads to increased temperatures around the globe and climate change. As a result, our beautiful planet has to cover a much thicker blanket and sweat more to cool down. And as usual, Mother Nature's immune mechanism must produce antibodies (storms, waves, epidemics, etc.) to destroy abnormalities caused by "human" viruses.
So if the answer to global warming lies with humans, we should no longer wait for the right time to protect the Earth. Reducing carbon footprints can come from small actions such as limiting the use of plastic bags when shopping, saving electricity and water and reducing spending on unnecessary items. Don't let even Mother Earth reject us.
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