Opinions expressed in the Op/Ed section of The Knight Crier are not necessarily reflective of the views of the entire staff of the KC.

To truly understand the effects of climate change, we need to better understand what climate change is. Many know climate change as just the Earth’s surface getting warmer, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But, there is so much more to climate change that we fail to learn about. 

A 2014 article publication by NASA states “Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place. This could be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year. Or it could be a change in a place’s usual temperature for a month or season. Climate change is also a change in Earth’s climate. This could be a change in Earth’s usual temperature. Or it could be a change in where rain and snow usually fall on Earth. Weather can change in just a few hours. Climate takes hundreds or even millions of years to change.” 

If you have been noticing a change in your environments such as rising sea levels and ocean temperature, heavy rainfall, and a drastic change in temperature, these are all side effects of climate change implemented into your everyday life. 

Alongside learning what climate change is, we also need to understand when it first started to manifest. An article published by the World Economic Forum, shows that climate change can be marked back to the Industrial Revolution. During that time there was a vast amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being fermented into the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels began to significantly add up over time. 

The World Economic Forum states “During this time, the world experienced numerous unprecedented climate events, from a strong El Niño to widespread droughts. The resulting Great Famine caused the deaths of between 19–50 million people, even surpassing some of the deadliest pandemics in history… As globalization and trade progressed following the 1950s, people and goods began moving around more than ever before. In addition, population growth peaked at 2.1% per year between 1965 and 1970. Industrialization patterns began to intensify further to meet the demands of a rising global population and our modern world.” 

Since 1880, the Earth’s surface has risen 0.14° F every decade since then. The temperature of the surface will continue to rise as our population expands, and our usage of carbon dioxide grows greater.

As for current events relating to the climate, many people believe that climate change has been causing many of the recent tornadoes in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi.

Npr states, “Officials say it could be days before the full extent of the damage from the dozens of tornadoes that hit the South and Midwest over the weekend is known, as recovery efforts continue in the wake of the historic storm. Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi were struck by dozens of tornadoes Friday night and Saturday morning. It was an unusual outbreak created, in part, by unseasonably warm temperatures… Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday afternoon that 74 people in the state had been confirmed killed, while 109 remain unaccounted for… At least 14 people were also killed in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee.”

It is not appalling that these Southern and Midwestern states have reports of tornadoes. What is concerning to the public is that they are being hit by countless tornadoes in the month of December. The most common months for tornadoes to hit these regions are early May leading towards late July. As many know, Tornadoes can only form in specific weather conditions, especially multiple tornadoes. They start with very strong thunderstorms called supercells. Supercells bring strong winds, lightning, and flash floods. Supercells are most common in the spring and summer. 

The last thing we need to know about climate change is why it is happening, and what the main source is. 

According to NASA’s facts section, the main sources of climate change include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. 

“Water vapor: The most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as feedback to the climate. Water vapor increases as the Earth’s atmosphere warms, but so does the possibility of clouds and precipitation, making these some of the most important feedback mechanisms to the greenhouse effect. 

Carbon dioxide: A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by 48% since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived ‘forcing’ of climate change. 

Methane: A hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere. 

Nitrous oxide: A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): “Synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer. They are also greenhouse gases,” NASA states.

The main leading causes of global warming are burning fossil fuels and deforestation. In a listing published by Ranken Energy Corporation, many everyday items made up of fossil fuels contain ink, bicycle tires, boats, nail polish, deodorant, refrigerators, and many more. As for deforestation, the direct cause is a result of agricultural expansion. The more the population rises, the more of an expansion demand there becomes. 

In a statement by a publication by Pachamama Alliance, many negative effects from deforestation include the loss of trees and other vegetation that can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people. 

As our surface temperature continues to rise, we further put ourselves and our environment at risk. To prevent further climate change, we can help with improving our everyday lives. You can do this by saving energy at home, walking or biking, and eating more vegetables.