What is climate change?
Climate change is the global variation of Earth’s climate, due to natural causes and also to the action of man. This occurs at different time scales and on climatic parameters such as: temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, etc.
And what does the term “greenhouse effect” refer to?
It is the retention of the Sun’s heat on the Earth´s atmosphere by a layer of gases. Without them, life as we know it would not be possible, since the planet would be too cold. Industry, agriculture and fossil fuel combustion release gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, and the concentration of these gases has increased 30% since the last century due to the industrialized world. Without human action, nature was in charge of balancing this emissions.
Who is affected by climate change?
Climate change affects us all! The potential impact is huge, with predictions of lack of drinkable water, major changes in food production conditions and an increase in mortality rates due to floods, storms, droughts and heat waves. There are also phenomena such as ocean warming, cyclones and hurricanes of greater strength, change of pattern with precipitation and winds, melting glaciers, and warming of the surface of the ocean, which contributes to sea level rise. It is not just an environmental phenomenon, but deep economic and social consequences.
Can we stop it? What can we do?
Here are 10 measures to help stop the climate change:
- Replace the bulbs: replace traditional bulbs with low consumption ones (save more than 45 kg of carbon dioxide a year).
- Turn off the TV and computer: just turn off the electronic devices when they are not in use, we will prevent thousands of kilos of CO2 from entering the atmosphere (do not leave them on stand-by as they consume 40% of the total energy). Do not leave the charger plugged in, as it continues to consume electricity.
- Drive less: walking, cycling, using public transportation. We will save 30 grams of CO2 per 4.5 km. Each liter of fuel that burns the engine of a car releases an average of 2.5 kg of CO2.
- Check the tires: If the pressure drops 0.5 bar, the car will consume 2.5% more fuel and therefore release 2.5% more CO2.
- Recycle: We can save more than 730 kg of CO2 per year if we recycle half the waste produced at home.
- Avoid packing too much: let’s buy products with little packaging. For example, a 1.5 liter bottle generates less waste than 3 half liter. Use reusable bags and avoid wet paper wipes. We can avoid the emission of 1,100kg of CO2 if we reduce the waste by 10%.
- Let’s use less water in general and less hot water in particular: a lot of energy is needed to heat water; Wash with warm or cold water to save 150 kg of CO2. In addition, to use less water, install a water flow regulator in the shower to avoid the emission of more than 100 kg of carbon dioxide per year. Let’s take showers instead of baths (we’ll spend 4 times less energy), lock the key while we brush our teeth, make sure the keys do not leak.
- Keep an eye on home appliances: if we cover the pots while we cook, we will save a lot of energy. Pressure cookers and steamers save 70% energy. We only use the washing machine and the dishwasher when they are full and with low temperatures. Do not put the refrigerator and freezer near the boiler / stove / fires, or you will consume much more energy. Periodically defrost if they are old. Do not put hot food in the refrigerator.
- Adjust the thermostat: the 2°C oscillation in winter or summer saves more than 600 kg of CO2 per household in a single year. If you leave a small opening to ventilate the house, all day, the energy needed to keep the interior warm for 6 months of cold, will be almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
- Plant a tree: a single tree absorbs a ton of CO2 throughout its life!
(Source: cambioclimatico.org)