The Earth is still in trouble. January 2021 marked the 45th January in a row that was above the 20th-century average. This was also a wetter-than-average January in several locations on Earth.
Despite the push for alternative energy, the amount of environmental destruction caused by fossil fuels is still increasing. Luckily, all is not lost. Read on to learn more about this crisis and what you can do against it.
What Are Fossil Fuels?
Fossil fuels form via processes that turn the bodies of dead plants and animals into hydrocarbon materials. The three types that we use for energy production are oil, coal, and natural gas. All of these can be found in the Earth’s crust.
Fossil Fuels Release Carbon Dioxide
To create electricity, we must produce heat by burning oil, coal, and/or natural gas. This process releases the carbon dioxide that was originally trapped within the fossil fuels. This chemical then rises into the atmosphere and stays there.
Carbon Dioxide Traps Heat in the Atmosphere
When sunlight reaches the Earth, part of its energy gets absorbed into the land. The rest of it gets pushed back into the atmosphere.
However, carbon dioxide has the ability and tendency to soak in this energy. After it does, it can push some of that energy back towards the Earth. The more carbon dioxide molecules that are in the atmosphere, the more energy gets pushed back to the Earth.
What Happens as the Earth’s Average Temperature Rises?
Part of the reason why global warming is now known more commonly as climate change is due to rising temperatures having a variety of weather effects. The heat will not just cause heat faces and droughts. It will also cause stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels, wildfires, and more.
What Can You Do About the Environmental Destruction?
The average person not in climate change denial may feel helpless. After all, it’s not average people who are causing the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s many large corporations.
However, there are plenty of things that the average person can do as well. You can join a movement like the Citizen’s Climate Lobby or you can make your own. You can contact your local government officials and ask them to work harder on passing laws that curb fossil fuel use.
Also, switching to alternative energy methods in your own home (you can get a solar quote here) has a bigger impact than you may think.
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In sum, our use of fossil fuels is causing temperatures to rise around the world. This can cause widespread environmental destruction in the future. Luckily, if we work hard, we can fix the issue before it’s too late.
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