Melting ice glaciers, endangered animal species, soil erosion – these are just some of the dire consequences that cause the greatest environmental problems of our time. Particularly devastating: behind all of this there is man.

A look at the causes and consequences makes it clear how serious the situation is.

Global warming

With the industrial age from the middle of the 18th century, the man-made contribution to global climate change also began. Since then, huge amounts of pollutants have been released into the environment. Industrial activities, agriculture and the burning of fossil fuels have increased the atmospheric CO2 concentration. This drastic increase in emissions in a comparatively short time could not be without consequences. The result is climate change.

Consequences of climate change

According to scientific measurements, the global average temperature has already risen by 1.0 degrees compared to the pre-industrial level. According to the analyzes of the World Weather Organization, the years 2015 to 2018 were the four warmest on record in the 19th century and the 20 warmest were in the past 22 years.

Climate change has other, very different effects: It manifests itself in the form of extreme weather conditions such as abnormal heat and cold waves, periods of drought or continuous rain and the fact that the air quality is getting worse because the earth’s atmosphere changes. In addition, due to global warming, the glaciers are melting, so that the sea level rises and the water, in turn, floods island and coastal regions. The water temperature rises and because of the excessive CO2 values, ​​the oceans become acidic because they can only absorb a certain amount of CO2. In addition, the pH value tips when this level is exceeded. Climate change threatens the habitat of humans, animals and plants in many ways, and this ultimately affects biodiversity, the biological diversity of species.

So everyone can do something about climate change

The advancement of climate change can only be stopped if significantly fewer pollutant emissions are released into the atmosphere in the future. Anyone including prank caller can implement appropriate measures in everyday life. This includes doing without the car as often as possible and instead walking or switching to more environmentally friendly means of transport.