The climate change

"Climate change" is the change of the climate on the Earth. It is slowly getting warmer and climate researchers confirm that we humans are the main cause of global climate change.

By burning oil, coal and gas to generate energy, we produce the so-called "greenhouse gases". Cars, planes and factories also produce a lot of CO².

Similar to a greenhouse, it also works with the natural greenhouse effect. However, there is no glass wall, but a layer of gases (greenhouse gases), such as Carbon dioxide (Co²), methane (CH4), nitrogen, argon and oxygen, which are in the atmosphere. The sun's rays reach the earth through the atmosphere and heat it up.

Part of it is reflected by the earth, the rest of the rays get stuck in the atmosphere and heat up the earth. That is why our planet stays warm.

Another reason is meat consumption. Cattle breeding is the most problematic. Cattle have a high need for feed and water consumption and their digestion leads to high methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 26 times more harmful than factory emissions. So even agriculture has something to do with climate change.

The climate on our unique, blue planet has changed many times in the course of the earth's history. The warming of our planet is not new, but temperatures have never risen so much in as short a time as it has in the past 50 years.

The global average temperature on Earth was + 14C° in 2019, but it should only be at +2C°. If it weren't for the natural greenhouse effect, it would be -18C°, which would be too cold. Therefore it is important to aim for the average temperature + 2C°. The consequences of climate change are very dramatic for everyone and cannot be reversed.

Extreme weather conditions even lead to the extinction of many animal species.

If global warming continues, the glaciers will melt completely, the polar animals such as Polar bears have no ground under their paws and cannot adapt to global warming as quickly.

In 1980 the North Pole was frozen to 7.8 million square kilometers, which is the area of ​​Australia. In recent years, the ice layer at the poles has almost halved and it could be that in 20 years there will be no polar zones.

Sea levels are rising and many countries that are below or just above sea level are being flooded.

The oceans are heating up and fish, whales and dolphins as well as coral species can be threatened with extinction.

The Alpine glaciers are also in danger and scientists claim that if we do not act immediately, there will be none in 30 years.

While we have floods and floods, the deserts spread on some continents.

Droughts cause rivers to dry up.

It is raining less and less in southern Spain and agriculture would urgently need this rain. It gets drier in the tropics and there is often flooding in the temperate zones.

Water scarcity prevails in southern Europe and forest fires are common in Australia.

As you can see, all of this is very dramatic, even if we may not notice it so much in everyday life.

Another species that is endangered by climate change are the koala bears.

The CO² emissions make the eucalyptus leaves inedible and these animals lose their food source.

The deforestation and slash-and-burn of the forests, but especially the rainforests, are causing koala and many other animal species to lose their habitats.