A Brief Analysis of Anthropogenic Climate Change

Over more than 50 years of research and statistical analysis, the scientific community has grown almost unanimously convinced that climate change is real, that humans directly contribute to it through carbon emissions, and that it “poses a considerable threat to life on Earth”.¹ In 2015, 194 countries signed the Paris Agreement in an attempt to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, many of these countries have implemented renewable energy tariffs, upgraded their infrastructure, and even limited consumption; and while some countries have been able to dial down their carbon footprint, others, surprisingly, have managed to increase theirs.² In any crisis, it is favorable to be proactive, and anthropogenic climate change is a matter of such grave importance, it warrants immediate action, even if said action may not prove to be truly beneficial for decades to come.

The significance of the changing climate cannot be overstated. It is true that “naturally occurring fluctuations” in the climate “have always existed,” but recent trends toward a warmer period could very likely have been caused by “anthropogenic factors” which have “overwhelmed the environment”.³ Greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels, the depletion of forestry, and the highly temperamental changes in the way we develop and use land “are primarily responsible for climate changes observed in the industrial era, especially over the last six decades”.⁴

Climate change can be considered a global emergency. Rising temperatures clearly have an effect on human health, agriculture, water supply, and energy; but species lower on the food chain are especially affected, as they have even higher sensitivities to changes in the environment—as well as fewer tools for adaptation.⁵ Nature take many cues from the temperature—from plants and insects to much larger mammals—and in this sense, the changing climate threatens the stability of the Earth’s ecosystem.

Despite the staggering evidence that greenhouse gas emissions from human activity is speeding up the process by which climate change occurs, differing opinions run rampant. Due to the naturally occurring changes in the climate over time, it has been difficult to pin-down the root cause of the 40% increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide over the industrial era. While there are those who refuse to believe that humans have been driving climate change, more than 97% of current climate scientists agree that the warming of the climate over the past century is, in fact, anthropogenic.⁶

It is difficult to ascertain which course or courses of action would be most beneficial for the planet. There may be no evidence of the benefit of any action undertaken now for many decades, and humankind can have an unfortunate tendency to be short-sighted. What are some realistic changes that can be made, as well as ways that individuals can reduce their impact on the planet?

There are actions which can be taken in order to prepare for and adjust to climate change—adaptation—as well as increasing efforts to limit emissions—mitigation.  “Adaptation is a form of risk management,” and the “benefits of proactive adaptation exceed costs,” while emissions mitigation can help to reduce the rate at which the climate changes due to human activity.⁷

A recent study found that veganism—avoiding meat and dairy altogether—is the “single biggest way to reduce our environmental impact on the planet”.⁸ This would drastically reduce the individual’s carbon footprint, and would globally reclaim 75 percent of the world’s wild land which had been lost to agriculture—“one of the primary causes for mass wildlife extinction”.⁸

In summation, humankind has a global responsibility to ensure that this planet remains the paradise that it is. “If we wipe out Nature, we ourselves will die,” states notable scientist and author David Brin.⁹ He continues, “Perhaps we are the first to talk and think and build and aspire, but we may not be the last. . . . Some day we may be judged by just how well we served, when alone we were Earth’s caretakers”.⁹