Climate change
Many small people doing many small things
in many small places can change the world.
Climate stripes show temperature between 1880 and 2000 (Prof. Ed Hawkings).
What is climate change?
Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that change the Earth's local, regional and global climate.
Here, it is important to understand that weather is not the same as climate. Meteorological weather describes the state of the atmosphere and its processes at a certain time in a certain place. Weather occurs locally over short period of time - minutes, hours or days. Climate, on the other hand, is a long-term state (normally over 30 years) in a certain area that describes an average of temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades.
The natural vs. anthropogenic greenhouse effect
There have always been changes in the climate within the history of Earth. Life on Earth is possible due to the natural greenhouse effect. Without the natural greenhouses we would have an icy -18°C on Earth instead of our average temperature of +15°C. The atmosphere protects our Earth so that we can live on this planet without burning by the sun. The natural greenhouse gases absorb the part of the heat radiation from the sun from the atmosphere.
What is CO2? CO2 is a natural component of the air, and also one of the most important greenhouse gases. CO2 is not bad, but necessary for living on Earth. It is the amount that plays an important role and that makes a difference.
Diagram by terrainstitute.
What we are currently dealing with is not the natural greenhouse effect, but the anthropogenic one. Humans have extremely increased the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. And these ever-increasing greenhouse gases are changing the climate, and this not to the good. This causes the Earth to heat up so that ice is melting, sea level is rising, biodiversity is dying, and so on.
Historical CO2 concentrations of the Earth show that there were always ups and downs of greenhouse emissions. Climate scientists discovered that the highest historical level of CO2 has been 300 ppm (parts per million), approx. 300,000 years before today. Today we are far beyond. Already in 2013, CO2 level exceeded the 400 ppm mark in the first time of recorded history. And it did suddenly, rapidly and way too fast. Since the 20th century, CO2 levels are increasing rapidly.
Photo by Pixabay.
What are the main causes of climate change?
Prosperity has its price. Parallel to economic growth, the environmental degradation increases.
The question arises whether our uncontrolled growth actually leads to more prosperity or even contributes to prosperity if we lose the basis for all life on Earth as a result?
Humans use 1.75 Earths to cover its needs. We are living far beyond our means. Do we really need all of this?
Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas
Production of goods in energy-intensive processes
Agriculture, animal feed production and mass meat processing
Forest fires, forest use, degradation and management
Passenger and fright transport
Housing and house construction - heating and energy needs
What is the 1.5-degree target?
In 1997, through the Kyoto Protocol, a first legally binding limitation regarding the increasing temperature average was published. In 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement gave the final declaration of a 2-degree target. This means that the average temperature shall not exceed more than 2 degree of the average temperature in 1900 (pre-industrial time).
However, even these 2 degree would be way to much. 2 degree of warming would already have irreversible consequences for our Earth and for us. In 2021, the G20 Summit agreed on a lower target of 1.5 degree.
This is the lowest "target" we can go for, but as climate scientists confirmed in 2024, we have already reached +1.2 degree compared to the average temperatures of 1900. This leaves us with only +0.3 degree.
But what does this mean "we still have +0.3 degree"? The 1.5-degree "target" is misleading. This is not a goal that we are targeting for, but rather a limit that we do not want to exceed. Also, +1.5 degree does not mean that we will have 21.5 instead of 20 degree. This number refers to the average temperature, and an increase of the average temperature will have long-term consequences for all life on Earth.
Photo by Markus Spiske/ Pexels.
What does climate change mean for us?
The Earth has always experienced natural disasters, and will always do. They are sudden intense events.
Climate disasters are extreme weather events caused by long-term human-made changes in the climate. Climate and natural disasters have increased since 2004, with a peak in frequency and intensity in 2023. The year 2023 was the warmest year in over 170 years with the most intense storm events.
What can we expect by 2030?
Increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves and droughts.
Photo by Pixabay.
Continuing melting of glaciers and ice in the arctic.
Photo by Francesco Ungaro/ Pexels.
More intense and extreme storm events and storm surges.
Photo by Ralph W. Iambrecht/ Pexels.
Global rising sea levels and frequent flooding.
Photo by Connor McManus/ Pexels.
Loss of habitats for animals and plants.
Photo by Tom Fisk/ Pexels.
Increasing water scarcity in more countries on the planet.
Photo by Safari Consoler/ Pexels.
But what will this mean for us?
We have to understand that climate change DOES affect us in our daily life. We are not apart from it. Even if we do not experience it yet and where we are, this WILL change for sure. We might live in a region of the world where the effects are not as visible as in other ones, but this WILL change. How?
Heat waves and droughts will come to us, too. We will experience higher temperatures, less rainfalls, dying of plants, less crop, dying of wildlife, more fires, and so on.
The melting of glaciers and ice in the artic will affect us, too. We will have to fight sea level rise, more storm events, more flooding, loss of wildlife such as polar bears. There will be no polar bears on this Earth.
Storms and storm surges will happen more often and intense in our area, too. This will let us lose our houses and homes, this will endanger, injure or even kill us.
The rising sea level will happen in our coastal region, too. Dams and dykes will not be able to hold back the sea anymore. This will destroy our houses and homes, this will endanger or injure us.
The loss of habitats for animals and plants will happen in our region, too. We will lose our wildlife, but also our food sources such as fish. Biodiversity will decrease, and we will live in a world without these incredible creatures.
Water scarcity will affect us, too. At the moment, you may not live in a region that has to fight water scarcity, but what would you do if it would happen to your region, too? Because it will.
Photo by Markus Spiske/ Pexels.
What does this mean for our children?
Anybody born in 2014 will be 86 years old in 2100. So, what will a world we leave them look like?
Let's have a look at the "optimistic" scenario of 1.5 degree:
Statistics show that
- there will be 2 months of drought throughout every year
- wildfires and forest fires will burn 41% more land
- the sea level will have risen by around 48 cm
- 70 - 90% of world's coral reefs will have disappeared
- 46 million people will have to abandon their homes and will have to relocate
Does this sound like something you want for your children when they are adults? Do you want this for your grandchildren or grandgrandchildren?
Many people think that they will not experience this scenario anyway, but YOUR CHILDREN WILL. This is not a maybe, but a for sure. This is not a future that lives far away, but one that is just around the corner. It may sound A LOT, OVER-DRAMATIC or WAY-OUT-OF-REALITY, but it is not.
This means we need to act - now, immediately and right. It is not hard to do the right things. Small people can to small things in small places and can still change the world. Let's do this, let's save the world for our children and grandchildren. They deserve it.
Photo by Markus Spiske/ Pexels.
What can we do as individual?
The project
Here you can find details of the project, the time schedule and organisation, and of participation possibilities.
About the locations
Here you can find description of the locations Wadden Sea and Great Barrier Reef and important facts of the regions.
Climate change
Here you can find some information about climate change, sustainability and what you can do on small-scale.
About me
Who am I? Where am I from? How did I get here? And where do I want to go? All about the PhD student and her plans.
Participation information for Workshop Great Barrier Reef
Here you can find all relevant information and data about the workshop at the Great Barrier Reef.
Photos
Here you can find all the beauty of the Wadden Sea and the Great Barrier Reef captured in photographs. And some more expressions of the project, the workshops and much more.
PhD project by Sharlene Fechter at the University of Queensland.
Photos © Sharlene Fechter