The SOL Foundation ™

The SOL Foundation ™

Friday, August 20, 2021

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Geological records show that there have been a number of large variations in the Earth’s climate. These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth’s orbit and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Global climate change has typically occurred very slowly, over thousands or millions of years. However, research shows that the current climate is changing more rapidly than shown in geological records.

The mechanics of the earth’s climate system are simple. When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space (mostly by clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the planet cools. When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the planet warms.

 A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s climate system.

The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.

Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space and causing global warming.

Many of these greenhouse gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular:

  • carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • methane
  • nitrous oxide
  • fluorinated gases
NATURAL CAUSES
  • Sun's Intensity
  • Volcanic Eruptions 
  • Changes in Earth's Orbit, Axial Tilt & Precession 
  • Quality of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere
  • Ocean Currents 
  • Changes in Land Cover
  • Meteorites Impact
CAUSES FOR RISING EMISSIONS ( HUMAN INDUCED) 

  • Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
  • Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect.
  • Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.
  • Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.
  • Fluorinated gases are emitted from equipment and products that use these gases. Such emissions have a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO2.

Thank you to all those who responded to our question on our social media platforms. Here are some of the answers we got as being causes of climate change: 

eaglewingorganization (Instagram)-
"Human activities are the leading causes of climate change...from deforestation to make a living, improper use of fertilisers especially those containing nitrogen, burning coal and use of gas emitting devices."

earthlab (Instagram) -
"Climate change is a combination of natural factors and human activities."

Amina Shah (Whatsapp)- 
"Our own actions. We burn the forest and we don't plant back, we create a lot of plastic items, we manufacture harsh chemicals which in turn affect the lands and the oceans, the list is endless." 


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