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Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national territories and boundaries, and it already affects all continents. Any emission that takes place in one place affects everyone worldwide. Changes in weather patterns, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events affect nature and destroy human settlements and livelihoods.
According to the United Nations Convention, climate change is defined as a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity. Different aspects of climate change The impact of climate change can be evident in various ways in different parts of the world. Below are some of the indicators.
Global warming Changes in precipitation patterns Rising sea levels Melting glaciers and ice sheets Ocean acidification Impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity Alterations in rainfall distribution and monsoons Atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes Do you know? Human activities have been the main contributor to climate change for around 1800 years. The emission of greenhouse gasses caused by human activities results in climate change, which is now at its highest in human history. The world’s average surface temperature is projected to exceed 3 degrees Celsius this century.
Some parts of the world are expected to be even warmer. This will mainly affect the poorest and most vulnerable communities. A country’s resilience and sensitivity to the impacts of climate change are calculated by considering 6 life support systems: food, water, health, ecosystem service, human settlements, and infrastructure.
Climate change and global warming Climate change and global warming do not mean the same thing, even though they are related. Global warming refers to the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities. Climate change refers to changes in the earth’s climate, including changes in ecosystems, that result from changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, global warming, and extreme weather conditions.
Where ice sheets are melting the fastest Greenland/ Antarctica Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been melting since 2002, and the meltwater from ice sheets contributes to sea level rise. Ice sheets from these two areas store a massive amount of freshwater, which is approximately equivalent to 2/3s of the earth’s freshwater count. However, these ice sheets are melting now due to global warming, and Antarctica alone is said to be losing 150 billion tons of ice per year, while Greenland is losing 270 billion tons per year.
Climate change effects on Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is significantly impacted by climate change. Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and increasingly frequent incidents of extreme weather events indicate that impact. Though Sri Lanka usually experiences a monthly average of 27°C – 28°C with slight variations, it has experienced an annual increase of temperature by 0.
016°C during 1961-1990 and 0.036°C increase during 1990-2018. Changes in precipitation patterns Sri Lanka faces include a decrease of annual rainfall by 7ml during 1961-1190 and a 3.
5ml annual decrease from 1990 to 2018. Apart from that, public life and livelihoods are severely affected by extreme weather events such as prolonged droughts, floods, and landslides as a result of climate change. Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the most vulnerable countries in the global climate risk index, taking 4th place in 2016 and 6th place in 2017 in the same index.
74% of the natural disasters that took place in Sri Lanka during 1990 – 2018 were the result of climate change, including floods (58%), landslides (5%), storms (7%), and droughts 4%). The main reason for disaster risks in Sri Lanka is climate change, and floods can be identified as the main risk most provinces face. Droughts recorded during 2016 – 2017 are the worst recorded during the last four decades and have impacted the islandwide badly.
You have the power to make a change! Affordable and scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to transition to cleaner, more resilient economies. As more people turn to renewable energy and change their daily lives, it helps reduce emissions and make societies more adaptable. Positive actions to reduce your carbon footprint Start saving energy at home.
● Reducing the use of air conditioning for heating and cooling. ● Use LED light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances. ● Hang clothes to air dry instead of using a dryer.
● Turn off and unplug devices when not in use. Walk, bike, or use public transportation. ● Consider alternatives to driving your car, such as walking, cycling, or public transportation, especially if traveling long distances.
Eat more vegetables. ● Plant-based foods generally have a lower carbon footprint than animal products, so regularly include vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds in your diet. Consider how you travel.
● Reduce air travel (a fast way to reduce your carbon footprint). ● If your job involves traveling to meet people, consider the option of holding virtual, online meetings instead. Minimize food wastage.
(Food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions as it decomposes.) ● Consume what you buy, and compost what’s left. ● Consider buying local produce instead of imported and heavily packaged foods.
Reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle. ● Buy only what you need. ● Buy alternative items.
● Repair and recycle when possible. Change the energy source in your home. ● Switching to renewable energy sources where possible can significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
● Consider installing solar panels on your roof to generate clean energy at home. Switch to an electric vehicle. ● Consider buying an electric vehicle when planning to buy a car next time.
Protecting the Earth and the Responsibility of the General Public It is essential for all of us to use water, energy, and other resources efficiently, avoid or minimize the use of polythene plastic, avoid banned polythene products, contribute to recycling, and engage in proper waste management. Using organic vegetables and fruits, as well as adopting healthy eating patterns and practicing health education are essential. Planting trees wherever possible, preventing tree destruction, avoiding food, water, and electricity waste, and engaging in environmentally friendly activities are essential for a healthy, safe, and sustainable lifestyle.
Since our earth is our home, we must take every possible step to protect it. The degradation or destruction of the earth is the degradation or destruction of all of us. Therefore, we all must adopt a philosophy of life that is in harmony with nature.
Our “physical life,” where we live comfortably after getting a good education, have high-level jobs or successful businesses, earn high incomes, have luxurious homes, and use high-end appliances here or abroad, can collapse in the face of the “bad health of the earth” that weakens day by day. All the physical achievements we have made can be nullified. Therefore, it is essential to understand wisely that Earth’s ecological life is our life and to build a sustainable, affordable, and harmonious lifestyle.
Also, one of the main responsibilities and duties of all of us today is to work as a “climate activist,” considering it an urgent need to overcome the climate crisis. Although we consider a specific land our homeland, in the face of the climate crisis, our homeland is “the entire Earth.” Therefore, there is a pressing need for the global human society to rally together for “climate justice” as members of a universal family, regardless of narrow religious, ethnic, and political divisions.
Therefore, today, we must all come together to honor and respect the Earth for allowing us to be born and exist as living beings and dedicate ourselves to healing Mother Earth by doing her justice. ShyamaniPeriyapperuma Director, Environment Promotion Central Environmental Authority (An article based on a booklet on climate change published by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science CEFAS.).
