Myths About Climate Change
Climate change is caused by greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide (CO²), methane (CH⁴), nitrous oxide, and others in the atmosphere. They are called “greenhouse gasses” because they trap heat, like the glass around a greenhouse. This causes the average temperature to rise, which is called global warming. Scientists prefer the term climate change, or global climate change, because it includes all the other effects of this, not just the warming. Because of humans, there are more of these greenhouse gasses, causing climate change. Before that, natural climate change was very slow, species were able to adapt, and it didn’t cause as many of these effects. But some people think that this isn’t true, and there are many myths about climate change. Most of these myths say that we don’t have to do something to reduce it because it is not happening, not caused by humans, or not very bad.
Myth #1: "The Temperature isn't Rising" or “It’s Cooling”
Some evidence of the temperature rising is melting ice caps, glaciers, and snow; the sea level rising (because of the melting ice); and more extreme weather. Global warming is making ice caps, glaciers, and snow melt. This makes sea levels rise and causes droughts in places that rely on ice for water. Global warming is causing more extreme weather, because warmer air has more energy. The warmer matter is, the more energy its molecules have, so they move around more. This is why warmer air from global warming causes stronger storms. Earth’s average temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century.
Myth #2:"Changes in the Sun are the Cause of Global Warming"
Some people think that we can’t reduce climate change because the sun is causing it, but satellite data says that this is wrong. Since 1978, satellites have measured the sun’s energy. Changes in the sun and Earth’s orbit cause changes in the climate, but recent climate change is happening too fast to be caused by the sun. Since the 1980s, the 11-year average of solar irradiance and climate change have been going in opposite directions. Also, if it was the sun, the entire atmosphere would heat up. Instead, the troposphere (the lowest layer) is warming, but the stratosphere (the second layer) is cooling. This means that changes in the sun are not the cause of global warming.
Myth #3: "Climate change isn't Bad" or,"It Doesn't Affect Us"
Another myth is that climate change does not affect us, or that it is even positive. It is true that climate change has some benefits. Melting ice gives ships more pathways, and some warmer temperatures will reduce the number of deaths from cold and help crops. But global warming causes stronger storms, floods, fires, droughts, and heat waves, and that definitely affects us. It also causes the sea level to rise, and many large cities are on the coast; for example, New York and Los Angeles in the United States (and many more, both in the United States and other countries). The negative effects outweigh the positive ones.
Myth #4:"It's cold outside, so climate change isn’t happening," or "Two degrees is so little"
Some people think that climate change isn’t happening because it is cold outside, or they think that a two-degree change is not enough to make a big difference. Both of these myths aren’t true because this two-degree change is a change in the average temperature over many years. Even the average temperature over a whole year, or even a few years can be more or less. But the overall trend is still going up. You will see this if you look at a temperature graph (scroll up to myth #1 to see temperature graphs). So, even though there are still cold days, there are still snowstorms, and even a whole year could be colder, that doesn’t mean that climate change isn’t real.
Myth #5: "Volcanoes are the cause of global warming"
One myth is that climate change is caused by the carbon dioxide (CO²) that volcanoes release. But people release much more carbon dioxide than volcanoes. Humans release the amount of carbon dioxide in an eruption of Mount St. Helens around every 2.5 hours and Mount Pinatubo twice daily! Also, a large volcanic eruption will cause changes all around the globe, but these effects will last for 1-2 years. Human-caused climate change keeps going up, even when there are
no eruptions.
Myth #6: "Species can adapt to climate change"
Another myth about climate change is that animals, plants, and other living things on Earth can adapt to it. The Earth’s climate is always changing. This natural climate change is slow enough that species can adapt to it. But they can’t adapt to man-made climate change because it is going too fast for them to adapt. When there was no man-made climate change (only natural climate change), a change of a few degrees Fahrenheit would take thousands of years. Man-made climate change made a change of 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit in only about 100 years.
Myth #7:"Other planets are warming without humans, so it is normal that Earth is warming"
One myth about climate change is that other planets are warming without humans, so it is normal for Earth to also be warming. Some people even say that some planets caught a “fever.” It is true that some planets are warming. Venus, for example, is the second planet from the sun but the warmest. It has a lot of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere and it is warm from the greenhouse effect. But that does not mean that a lot of carbon dioxide is normal on all planets. Each planet has a very different climate and very different environments. This is why warming is not caused by the exact same factors on all planets. And planets cannot “catch fevers.” For example, Jupiter, Saturn, and other gas giants are mostly gas (and gas compressed into liquid), except for a rocky core, while the other planets are mostly solid with an atmosphere. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, has methane lakes, even though, on Earth, methane is only a gas. Also, some planets that people say are warming are not really warming globally. For example, Mars.
Myth #8:"There is no scientific consensus"
Conclusion
In conclusion, even if there are other causes that are making it worse and some positive benefits, climate change is happening mainly because humans are emitting a lot of greenhouse gasses, and it should be reduced. To help, we can reduce our carbon footprint by using less electricity and water, reducing waste, and cutting back on car usage and using it more efficiently (doing maintenance, using eco settings, etc.). Switching to clean, renewable energy and using electric cars also reduces our carbon footprint. It also helps to buy more environmentally friendly products. Look for seals like ‘EWG Verified’ for cleaning and skin care products; ‘FSC Certified’ (Forest Stewardship Council), and ‘recycled’ for wood products; ‘USDA Organic’ (United States Department of Agriculture) for food and some other products; ‘MSC Certified’ (Marine Stewardship Council) or ‘Friend of the Sea Seal’ for seafood; ‘Energy Star’ for devices or appliances that use energy; ‘Global Organic Textile Standards’ (GOTS) for materials that can be organic, for example cotton; ‘OEKO-TEX Standard’ for anything that can have chemicals, mostly clothes and some furniture; and ‘Rainforest Alliance Certified’ for anything that comes from the rainforest. Another way to help is to spread awareness. We can create websites or blogs like this one, tell others, write to government officials, and sign or make petitions. We can also support or volunteer for organizations that help reduce climate change. But the most important thing is for us to significantly reduce fossil fuel usage and switch to clean, renewable energy.
Bibliography
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Other
- QuillBot at https://quillbot.com/grammar-check for grammar checking.
