Chapter 2 – Episode ‘x’: An unusual twist
We will be stepping away from the ususal episodes for todays dose of Dan “Danger” Whitehead… sorry!
Different corners, different Bora’s, they cannot war us. The introduction to the life of bliss.
‘Climate Change’
This topic was flung onto me today in the same way a dear locks onto headlights. Climate change is arguably one of the most major challenges for the international community. However, there is no intuitive approach to the problem. Rather, it can only be grasped through scientific knowledge. This is why our Climate Course explains the scientific basis of climate change, the impacts on nature and society, and identifies potential solutions – so that fact-based knowledge is available for everyone and can guide the transformation process towards a sustainable future. Climate change is already harming food production and these impacts are projected to increase over time, with potentially devastating effects. Higher temperatures, for example, could place further stress on water-scarce regions and make it harder to rear animals and grow food crops. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity climate change may affect plant growth and production by promoting the spread of pests and diseases, increasing exposure to heat stress and encouraging soil erosion due to stronger winds.
However, this view point is simply outdated right? There have been attempts to “solve” this whole climate issue, for example the push to electric cars which will reduce gasses emmited, however until the batteries are sustainable and durable, it will not be a truely astonishing way to reduce emmissions. Although the effort is an effort of… what one could describe as… an attempt to say the least, we will not see the true reductions that this push for EV’s will have until its too late right? COP-22 is another example of a global attempt to reduce global warming, I’ll let you have your own opinions on this one!
I am very uneducated on this topic, I’m 115 at the end of the day people, so please feel free to critise these view points, these points of views are simply the take aways from todays conversation.
‘Greenhouse Gasses’
The “greenhouse effect” is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap heat and the sunlight shines onto the Earth’s surface, where the energy is absorbed and then radiate back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, greenhouse gas molecules trap some of the heat, and the rest escapes into space. The more greenhouse gases concentrate in the atmosphere, the more heat gets locked up in the molecules. Scientists have known about the greenhouse effect since 1824, when Joseph Fourier calculated that the Earth would be much colder if it had no atmosphere. This natural greenhouse effect is what keeps the Earth’s climate livable. Without it, the Earth’s surface would be an average of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) cooler. heat. These gases let in light but keep heat from escaping, like the glass walls of a greenhouse, hence the name. Sunlight shines onto the Earth’s surface, where the energy is absorbed and then radiate back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, greenhouse gas molecules trap some of the heat, and the rest escapes into space. The more greenhouse gases concentrate in the atmosphere, the more