Is global warming becoming the biggest threat to humanity?

In 2019 a study done by “The General Assembly” showed that we had 11 years left to stop and reduce carbon emissions before it does permanent damage to our planet, now they are saying that this crisis has come 10 years earlier than expected, and we have no time left to stop the permanent damage done by global warming. The United Capital called this a “code red for humanity”. They say the biggest threat to humanity right now is global warming. Climate change is when weather and temperature change on a really large scale because of the mass release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are released into our atmosphere through many different ways.

Some ways they are released are from large smoke factories, fires, breathing, automobile transportation. The meat industry also plays a really big part in carbon emission. The meat industry produces a massive amount of animal products that releases a lot of carbon as a result. Climate change can cause more frequent extreme weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Our planet’s temperature also rises because our atmosphere lets the extra heat coming from the sun out into space but the greenhouse gases trap the heat and slowly makes Earth hotter. Global warming can also cause the ice caps to melt which causes the ocean levels to rise. This can be a huge problem because people who live on the banks or bays would have to go more inland to avoid the water. It would also cause many problems with animals like the polar bears and other animals that live in the ice caps. This loss of their homes would make them have to move inward toward where people live. All of these animals’ ability to eat would also be in danger because of the absence of their original food source due to global warming. This could cause more fatal wild animal attacks on people, potentially causing people to move out of places near the North and the South poles. The bacteria and viruses that have been trapped in the ice caps for millions of years may be released and cause another pandemic but much more deadly.

How do we prevent climate change?

While we cannot stop our carbon emissions overnight, we can still slow down the amount of carbon emissions we put in our own atmosphere. Most people know that climate change is real but others might refuse to believe it because that would mean that they would have to live a much more uncomfortable life. Climate change has already started affecting us right now. We have experienced an increase in wildfires, declining water supply, reduced agriculture, negative health impact due to the heat, flooding, erosions, and an increase in hurricanes.

Even if we cut off all of humans’ carbon emissions right now, our planet would still get hotter for a couple more decades. This is because heat is still trapped in our oceans and bodies of water. So the heat in that water would slowly be released and make our planet hotter. There are many ways for us to be able to slow the effects of climate change. We can spread more awareness about this catastrophe. We could also stop supporting big carbon emitting companies, like the meat industry. We can also lessen the use of fossil fuel by walking and biking a lot more often. Other ways are by planting trees or plants in general. Plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen which is an important element that we need in order to survive.