Ana Tvaladze, Salome Mosiashvili, Giorgi Shavgulidze

The Guivy Zaldastanishvili American Academy in Tbilisi, Georgia

There is a lot of research concerning climate change and global warming. The world is already 1°C hotter than it was in the pre-industrial era. And while there is no question that limiting warming to 1.5°C will be difficult, there’s also no question that we have the technology needed to do it—and that it’s worth it. In 2015, 196 countries signed on to a single, sweeping plan that aims to keep the global warming process below 2 degree Celsius as long as it is possible. The Paris agreement builds on decades of gradual work by the international community to combat climate change and adapt to its impacts. But climate change is not a problem that governments can solve alone; we need collaboration across regional governments, businesses, and communities as well.

Here arises a question, how do scientists understand the future climate? Well, they do it by using a climate model. A climate model is a simulation of all the factors that can affect Earth’s climate. A simulation is a way for us to understand something that would be difficult to experience in real life. Climate models scientists to study how different factors interact to influence a region’s climate. Some of these factors are things that don’t change, such as a region’s distance from the shore, elevation, and latitude. Some of the factors are things that do change, such as the seasons, big volcanic eruptions, air pollution, or—over millions of years—the shifts in the continents. NASA’s Earth-observing satellites collect a lot of information about our planet and its atmosphere. Using all of this information, scientists understand how changes in our planet or atmosphere have affected climate over time.

So now that we know how climate is predicted, what will the effects of climate change be if we don't take action, and what are the stakes? Because of human-induced warming, the temperature will continue to rise, which will cause sea levels to rise, seasons’ duration to change, and so on. The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the globe, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen. The increases will be considerably smaller if heat-trapping gas emissions are reduced.

since 1900, some areas have had increases greater than the national average, and some areas have had decreases. For example, more winter and spring precipitation is projected for the temperate climate zones, and less for the tropical zones. Summer temperatures are rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, in summer. By the end of this century, what have been once-in-20-year extreme heat days (one-day events) are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the world. The intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have increased since the early 1980s. It is still uncertain relative contributions of human and natural causes to this problem. Global sea levels are predicted to rise another 2.4 meters by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting ice.

In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea-level rise, which will cause floodings in many regions. Ocean waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century. The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice-free in summer before mid-century. Changes in water temperature cause algae to leave coral reefs, turning them white and making them vulnerable to diseases and causing their death. This temperature change will also affect the Arctic sea. But the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth and ice-free summers could become a reality. Plants and animals at risk of losing more than half of their habitats. As the earth continues to warm. This puts a variety of species at risk, depending on whether they can adapt or move.

In conclusion, we could say that staying inactive against this huge problem will lead to severe and irreversible consequences. Changing everything from our surrounding ecosystems to interfering with our daily lives. That is why everyone should be aware of their actions’ outcomes and minimize the impacts one causes on the environment.

Bibliography:

https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/#:~:text=Effects%20that%20scientists%20had%20predicted,longer%2C%20more%20intense%20heat%20waves.

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/effects-of/climate-change

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/our-planet-is-warming-here-s-what-s-at-stake-if-we-don-t-act-now

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-model/