In this day and age, it is almost impossible to live life without witnessing direct and indirect impacts of climate change. Whether it is in the form of extreme weather, changes in crop growth and yields, reminders to use reusable bags at grocery stores in place of plastic bags to help the environment, or online educational awareness campaigns such as this one, reminders of climate change have slowly crept into our day-to-day lives, making it incredibly difficult ignore.
Nevertheless, there continues to be a selection of people who do not fully understand climate change and what it entails. Often, this is due to the fact that they are either misinformed about the subject matter or know little to nothing about it. We must realize that as time progresses, our society changes along with it and compared to ancestral ways of life, our modern day lifestyles are simply not as sustainable, causing significant implications for all living beings around the world
So to start off, what exactly does climate mean, and what are the changes associated with it?
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is a long-term alteration in global climate patterns caused primarily by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. This change increases the frequency and severity of weather events, such as wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, floods, and other climate disasters.
The Difference Between Climate Change and Weather
It is essential to distinguish between climate change and weather because they are often confused. Weather refers to the atmospheric conditions that occur over a short period, such as hours or days, while climate refers to the average weather conditions over a long period, typically 30 years or more.Weather is the present (short-term) state of the atmosphere, whereas climate refers to the average of weather over time and space. For example, in Canada, summer is often associated with hot sunny weather whereas winter is associated with cold snowy weather because of long-term patterns that have been observed about the changing seasons throughout the years. In other words, Canada’s climate.
Climate change is a long-term process that occurs over decades, while the weather is a short-term phenomenon that can change daily. Therefore, while one extreme weather event cannot be attributed to climate change directly, the long-term trend of more frequent and intense weather events can be attributed to climate change.
Why is it important?
Amongst other implications, in the Canadian context, climate change presents dangers and life-threatening environments to Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities in particular as a result of negligence and acts of environmental racism during the environmental policy making process for marginalized regions.
This campaign is set to provide enlightenment on the adverse effects of climate change in Canada, particularly regarding those suffering from environmental racism, and how they can be reduced or averted through adaptation and mitigation measures. Join us again tomorrow as we dive into the causes of climate change together.
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