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How to Solve Global Warming: Challenges & Solutions
Global warming refers to the phenomenon where the temperature worldwide continues to rise – provoking long term heat waves, wildfires, and other devastating natural disasters.
As a result of global temperatures breaking records one summer after the next, global warming has been a largely discussed and debated topic for the better part of the past decade. Many view global warming as an easy issue to solve, such as with the infamous phrase to, “plant a million trees” – but other experts have delineated why solving global warming won’t be as easy as some may think.
👉 It’s important for us to understand the current resources we have available to mitigate future excess greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to stay informed on future innovations that can empower us to ward of climate change better in the future.
In this article, we’ll explain what global warming is, what can be done to stop global warming, and potential solutions to fight against climate change once and for all.
What is Global Warming?
Definition of global warming
Global warming refers to the existential threat to human existence as a result of worldwide skyrocketing temperatures that make life on Earth not conducive to survival.
Global warming is a direct result of increased human activity, such as industrialization, consumerism, and excessive travel.
💡 Many may choose to use the terms “global warming” and “climate change” interchangeably, but the two are not one in the same – as global warming merely refers to rising temperatures whereas climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather patterns.
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Global warming has an impact on:
- Rising Sea Levels – As glacier regions of the world continue to warm up, this ice melts and contributes to rising sea levels and potential coastal inundation.
- Melting Glaciers – Areas of the world such as Antarctica and the Himilayans are progressively getting warmer, which compromise both freshwater supply and animals native to colder regions such as polar bears.
- Ocean Acidification – Higher levels of CO₂ can prove toxic to marine ecosystems long-term.
- Biodiversity Loss – Many species may face extinction if they cannot adapt to changing temperatures and environments.
- Natural Disasters – Rising temperatures worldwide can elicit more frequent hurricanes, floods, droughts, tsunamis and heatwaves – all of which threaten the livelihoods of people around the world regardless of where they live, as no region on Earth is safe from global warming.
👉 Global warming is a direct result of excessive human activity, as the worldwide phenomenon of rising temperatures didn’t exist prior to the Industrial Revolution.
How did global warming start?
Global warming started alongside the Industrial Revolution in the 1880s, which coincides with when humans started burning fossil fuels. Ever since then, we have relied on finite resources of energy to power our everyday activities – creating the global warming dilemma we know today.
All of the activities and production methods employed since the 1880s created additional greenhouse gases, which make it challenging to reduce emissions or seek viable climate change solutions.
We continue to burn fossil fuels and provoke global warming when we use or produce:
- Electricity
- Plastic
- Gasoline
- Heating or Air Conditioning
👉 Clearly, the world has struggled to find ways to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels – remaining a popular topic of political debate amongst all nations during their respective election season.
Causes of Global Warming
| Item | Contribution to Global Warming |
|---|---|
| Electricity | Electricity generation often relies on burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil. This process releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, trapping heat and contributing to global warming. |
| Plastic | Plastic production is energy-intensive and relies heavily on fossil fuels. Additionally, when plastic waste breaks down, it can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The disposal of plastic in landfills or through incineration also contributes to CO2 emissions. |
| Gasoline | Gasoline combustion in vehicles produces CO2, a primary greenhouse gas. The transportation sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally, significantly driving global warming. |
| Heating or Air Conditioning | Heating and air conditioning systems often rely on electricity, which, as mentioned, is frequently generated using fossil fuels. Additionally, air conditioning units may use refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gases if they leak into the atmosphere. |
What causes global warming?
Global warming is caused by various activities, such as electricity production, agricultural practices, and the manufacturing of goods.
Technology has proved monumental in a multitude of ways, but it has also increased our expectations to meet supply and demand beyond initial human capacity – which remains one of the main culprits behind global warming.
Here are some of the main causes of global warming:
Generating Electricity
Despite our new efforts in recent years to take climate action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, the majority of heat is still created by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. This lack of renewable energy usage in favor of finite resources can take a toll on Earth's climate, increase global average temperatures, and spur extreme weather patterns.
Manufacturing
The continuous development of fast fashion, cosmetics, electronics, home decor, and more all require burning fossil fuels and requires the use of other environmentally detrimental resources such as iron, cement, and steel.
💡 Industrial processes as a whole are one of the main contributors to global warming.
Food Production
It requires energy to run farm equipment or fishing boats, and more often than not – these common ways of sourcing food are powered via the use of finite resources such as fossil fuels. As a result, this means that agriculture contributes to excess emissions when using fertilizers. In addition to this, a lot of food is packaged using single-use plastic, which contributes to even more greenhouse gas emissions.
Transportation
Although we have made great strides in creating low-emission vehicles such as hybrid cars and even EVs, the majority of cars, trains, planes, boats, buses, and more still make use of fossil fuels.
💡Road vehicles such as cars and trucks remain the biggest culprits for transportation emissions, as oil and gas for automobiles accounted for 28% of emissions in the U.S. in 2022.
Deforestation
Every time that we cut down a tree in place of a new mini mall, build a new apartment complex, or beach resort – we are releasing the carbon dioxide that has been stored in those trees while simultaneously compromising the biodiversity in the surrounding area. Both of these consequences of deforestation have a direct impact on global warming.
Excess Consumption
These days, everyone seems to upgrade their iPhone every couple of years even if their device could last longer. In countries like the U.S. and the U.K., it is customary to consistently upgrade your wardrobe, car, crank up the A/C, and technological devices – all of which contribute to waste, increases GHG emissions, and exacerbates global warming.
👉 As a result of our modern day society, several aspects of our daily lives are now intertwined with the activities that contribute to excess emissions – meaning that we must find ample solutions to replace our current use of finite resources needed to power these now habitual and expected parts of our lives.
What are some of the challenges to solving global warming?
There are several challenges to solving global warming, such as the potential lack of resources and funding on behalf of developing countries – but remember, the highest emitting countries in the world include China and the U.S., both of which are countries that possess the resources, connections, and funding to employ nationwide emission reduction strategies.
Therefore, one of the biggest challenges to solving global warming is for wealthier nations to employ effective emission reduction strategies without compromising their culture or putting their “most developed country” titles at risk.
Here are some of the main challenges to solving global warming and averting the current climate crisis:
- Consumerist Lifestyle – In many countries around the world, many of us are use to luxuries such as the internet, air conditioning, and consistent access to whatever goods or services we need at any time. As a result, this has created a lifestyle of excess consumerism – which will prove challenging to reverse.
- Need to Travel – As short as 100 years ago, it would take us weeks or even months to travel between continents – but in today’s world, you could go from Europe to Asia in under a day. Ultimately, planes and commercial travel remain one of the most challenging industries to decarbonize.
- Globalization – Our global economy is interconnected on a level it never was before, with countries being able to easily trade and transport goods as a result of the aviation industry. However, the issue with this is that it will be hard to cut back on the amount of goods and services we send and receive on a daily basis – despite the fact that utilizing local resources could help to reduce our carbon footprint worldwide.
- Modern Day Technology – Today, the average person spends over 6 hours looking at a laptop screen – as many people work from home. The issue with this is that it contributes to excess power consumption, and given our newfound reliance on technology – it will be hard for the world to cut back on its social media or computer usage to reduce the GHG emissions needed to fight global warming.
💡 Despite living in a technologically advanced world, we have still struggled to effectively replace the use of fossil fuels to power our now everyday activities – but our lack of incentive to do so up until now doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
10 Solutions to Stop Global Warming
Despite the potential roadblocks to stopping global warming, there are several potential solutions to diminish the current impact of global warming.
Here are 10 ways to reduce global warming:
1. Renewable Energy
Implementing the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power wherever possible can help decrease our current dependence on fossil fuels and finite sources of energy.
Although this can prove costly at first, employing the use of renewable energy is often the better choice both environmentally and economically for your business or household in the long-run.
2. Carbon Capture & Storage
Although this method shouldn’t serve as a replacement for an effective emission reduction strategy, businesses should implement the use of a carbon capture and storage system if they can – as this can allow businesses to compensate for additional, more difficult to reduce emissions.
3. Changing Our Diet
Opting for a plant-based diet whenever possible can help to reduce your environmental impact by reducing water and land usage. This is because it often requires less energy to produce vegetables, grains, fruits, and legumes in comparison to dairy and meat.
4. Improving Public Transportation
Especially in the United States, having a more effective public transportation system could not only encourage Americans to improve their health by walking more and driving less, but it could help to reduce the amount of GHG emissions created by vehicles.
5. Invest Research in Biofuels
Commercialized air travel isn’t set to slow down, with 2.3 billion air travelers expected in 2025 – exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the aviation industry. Therefore, it is important to continue research regarding biofuels to help decarbonize these excessive emitting industries.
6. Require Households to Use Energy Efficient Appliances
Cities around the world such as Paris require apartments to undergo an energy rating, which is meant to incentivize landlords trying to rent out their properties to renovate them to be more energy efficient.
Employing this same method around the world for both insulation and appliance use could help to reduce the amount of power consumed in the average household.
7. Employ Recycling & Compost Bins Everywhere
Oftentimes, people don’t throw away food or plastic because they want – but because there is no recycling or compost bin in sight. It is important to provide households, apartment buildings, and public parks with all options for disposing of waste to avoid an increase in global GHG emissions.
8. Reduce Waste & Throw Away Less Food
We often throw away food that is perfectly edible, when in reality – all it would take to avoid extra landfill is a little bit of creativity. Try to save your food scraps to make veggie stock, only buy what you think you can eat for the week, or use leftovers as compost for your garden at home.
9. Carefully Consider Travel Plans
Millions of people travel everyday, whether it’s via plane to their dream destination or by car to get to work. Regardless, it’s important to carefully consider if your method of transportation is the best choice for the environment – or if it’s simply the more convenient option.
10. Cut Back on Energy Consumption At Home
Living in the U.S., we’ve been enveloped in a culture that commands us to leave the air conditioning on even when it isn’t blistering hot outside. However, if we want to solve global warming – we must make an effort to cut back on our energy consumption at home by reducing our usage of central heating or air conditioning.
💡 This also includes shutting off lights when you aren’t in the room or unplugging electronic devices when not in use.
Overall, there are indeed solutions to combat the global warming crisis – but it will take an extensive effort and dedication from all over the world to truly make a difference.
What about Greenly?
If reading this article about ways to solve global warming has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
Finding the right solution for your company to help tackle climate change can be challenging, but don’t worry – Greenly is here to help. Click here to schedule a demo to see how Greenly can help you find ways to improve energy efficiency and decrease the dependency on fossil fuels in your own company.
Greenly can help you make an environmental change for the better, starting with a carbon footprint assessment to know how much carbon emissions your company produces.
Click here to learn more about Greenly and how we can help you reduce your carbon footprint.
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