Climate Change Explained

What is Climate Change?

Climate Change is change in the usual weather found in a place. This is a global issue affecting every neighborhood, city, state & country.

Weather vs. Climate

We experience weather every day. Was it hot, cold, or pleasant today? What about yesterday? According to NASA, "weather is the changes we see and feel outside from day to day." The weather can even be different on one side of town than the other! 

Climate is the combination of all the daily weather patterns measured over a long period of time. 

​Source: NASA

Major Causes and Effects​

• Causes

  • Burning fossil fuel sources like coal and oil for energy

  • Plastic creation & pollution

  • Deforestation

• Effects

  • Drought & excessive heat

  • Extreme weather events

Common Myths ​

1. The science is still being debated, it's not settled - It's not caused by humans

2. Plants love carbon, so extra carbon is good for the environment

3. Climate change and renewable energy is a scam

4. Western countries aren't the problem, it's China

5. Solar panels need more energy to make than they create - they're toxic too

Debunked

1. Science is settled - a review of studies on the subject of climate change determined that 97.1% of scientists agree that humans are primarily responsible for recent global warming. The 2.9% that deny human responsibility were found to have errors that when corrected, brought their results into line with scientific consensus.

2. While it is true that plants remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, too much CO2 has been proven to negatively affect plant growth through photosynthesis. 

3. The up-front costs of renewable energy are far less than the cost of doing nothing and renewables can actually lower the wholesale price of energy. 

4. China is the fastest growing country in the world when it comes to renewable energy growth.

5. Solar energy systems can repay the energy investment needed to create them in about 2-3 years. Most panels come with a 20-25 year warranty but can last well beyond that point.

Why Should I Care?​

The Earth has developed the circle of life over the course of millennia. Currently, humans are causing a major disruption to the balance nature has taken so long to intricately create. Disrupting this balance that we as humans have spent thousands of years adapting too will cause wide-spread devastation to our built environment, mainly our cities.