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ClimateScience

The Problem: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

14 minute read

Updated on Friday, April 5, 2024

What does climate change mean?

Climate is the average weather on our planet over a long period of time.

And our planets climate is changing.

So, let's begin by addressing a fundamental question: Why does climate change matter? The answer is straightforward—it threatens humans, animals, and countless other living beings.

For humans, the consequences of climate change are far-reaching. They include:

The impacts of climate change on humans<sup class='reference'><a href='https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
The impacts of climate change on humans

The effects of climate change vary across different regions and populations. Unfortunately, those who have contributed the least to the problem are often the ones who suffer the most.

Climate change isn't just a problem for humans. All living things are at risk - global extinction rates are now a thousand times faster than what we would expect under normal circumstances.

In fact…

Proportion of species assessed at threat of extinction<sup class='reference'><a href='https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/biodiversity/decline-and-extinction/#:~:text=In%20those%20groups%20of%20plants,average6%2C%2011%20and%2014' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
Proportion of species assessed at threat of extinction

What ratio of species studied are now threatened with extinction?


What is causing it?

It boils down to the greenhouse effect. Certain gases in our atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, trap heat from the sun, making our planet warmer.

The greenhouse effect in action<sup class='reference'><a href='https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
The greenhouse effect in action

While greenhouse gases aren’t necessarily bad, the amount of them is. Human activities, in particular our reliance on fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal for energy, have been releasing an excessive amount of these gases into the atmosphere.

The problem is the abundance of greenhouse gases<sup class='reference'><a href='https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
The problem is the abundance of greenhouse gases

The graph above shows the dramatic increase in atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas CO₂ in the last hundred-ish years.

As a result, the planet has been warming - fast!

Change in global temperatures over time<sup class='reference'><a href='https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM_final.pdf' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
Change in global temperatures over time

Take a look at the graph above. Roughly, how much have global average temperatures increased in the last hundred years?


We have already warmed the planet by 1.2°C in the last hundred years.

You may have heard that we are aiming to limit this to 1.5°C, or at most 2°C. It is extremely unlikely that we will be able to limit global warming to 1.5°C - but this doesn’t mean we should give up!

Every little bit of global warming matters.

The impacts of global warming are vastly different between 1.5°C and 2°C - for humans…

1.5°C and 2°C - for humans<sup class='reference'><a href='https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aab827' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
1.5°C and 2°C - for humans

…And for all other life on Earth.

1.5°C and 2°C - for corals<sup class='reference'><a href='https://www.wri.org/insights/half-degree-and-world-apart-difference-climate-impacts-between-15c-and-2c-warming' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a><a href='https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>.
1.5°C and 2°C - for corals.

Can we fix it?

We must stop climate change as fast as possible. If we stopped emitting greenhouse gases right now, would temperatures immediately stop rising?


At the point that we are at, it’s unrealistic to aim at repairing the damage we have done to the planet, at least in the next hundred years.

But there is hope. We can solve the problem now to limit the damage.

Solving climate change requires two essential components: mitigation and adaptation.

There are two parts to solving climate change
There are two parts to solving climate change

Mitigation focuses on reducing the root causes of climate change by emitting fewer greenhouse gases.

But because of the greenhouse gases already emitted, global temperatures will continue to rise to some extent. This is where our second component comes into play…

Adaptation involves taking action to adjust to climate changes, ensuring our basic needs—like food, water, health, and shelter—are met.

Which of the following actions help people adapt to the effects of climate change? Select all that apply.


The main challenge facing adaptation is the cost of it.

The Adaptation Finance Gap: As of 2021, the estimated annual adaptation costs are now in the upper ranges.<sup class='reference'><a href=' https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2021' target='_blank'><img src='/img/courses/ref.svg'/></a></sup>
The Adaptation Finance Gap: As of 2021, the estimated annual adaptation costs are now in the upper ranges.

It is often the case that the countries most in need of adaptation measures are least able to afford it - and have contributed least to the problem in the first place! Wealthier countries can help fund adaptation measures in poorer countries, but the amount of money actually given tends to fall short.

Mitigating, or cutting emissions, as much as possible will lower the need - and cost - of adaptation. But how can we effectively reduce emissions? To understand how to solve that problem, we first need to know where we are starting from.

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