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Content Summary
Global warming also makes part of the world green. Of course, this does not show that the climate crisis has disappeared, but it gives some hope as it slows the problem.
According to a study published last year on phys.org, a group led by Boston University’s Prof. Dr. Ranga Myneni and graduating student Chi Chen found that carbon emissions also contribute to greening the world.
The main problem is carbon emissions.
While this may initially lead us to the perception that the climate crisis is not as dangerous as we thought, it is not. Rather, the finding reveals how fast we’re warming the earth.
In fact, researchers have been trying to examine the state of green space increases around the world since the 1980s. For this, they try to understand why the vegetation is constantly expanding by scanning 250 articles written on the subject before them, making use of the numerous satellite data that reveal the ratio of trees and plants, and climate and environmental models.
Of course, there are many variables in the process, but the conclusion they reached: The climate crisis also contributed to the greening of a part of the world. Here’s the situation: You know trees and plants do photosynthesis and so on. They take carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into oxygen. Oxygen also helps cool our globe. The continuous increase in carbon emissions has a kind of fertilizer effect for plants and trees. For this reason, areas that were previously barren or in climates that were too cold to grow plants become green again and become suitable for agriculture.
The only real agenda of the world is global warming.
It is estimated that this situation has slowed global warming by 0.2 to 0.25 degrees Celsius since the early 1980s. One of the researchers, Dr. Jarle Bjerkeü describes it as utterly ironic that the carbon emissions causing the climate crisis are also feeding plant growth and mitigating the crisis.
A glacier breaking away from its homeland.
Our world strives to save itself, but its effort is not enough. Over the last 40 years, 160 ppm(1) of carbon dioxide has been added to our atmosphere. 40 ppm of this was passively spread to the oceans and 50 ppm was burned by plants, but our planet could not cope with the remaining 70 ppm on its own.
How Many Degree Does Our World Warm Every Year?
Our world is getting warmer by 1 degree Celsius every year. At the Paris Climate Agreement Talks held in 2015, data on the need to keep the annual warming rate below 1.5 degrees Celsius were shared in order to avoid the striking effects of the climate crisis caused by carbon emissions. The upper limit was determined as 2 degrees Celsius. It is thought that a warming of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius on Earth will make our planet a difficult place to live. However, if we continue with today’s trends, it is seen that the world is moving towards the threshold of 3-4 degrees Celsius.
The earth is a place full of wonders.
According to the report of the World Meteorological Organization, the probability of the world warming 1.5 degrees or more in 2025 is 40%. Previously, this probability was around 20% – even getting to this point is enough to wipe out countless life forms from the face of the earth. For this reason, the scientists who conducted the research say that although it is not enough, abandoning the deforestation policy and giving importance to afforestation projects will contribute to slowing down the climate crisis.
Note
It is stated that we need to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 in order to reach the annual target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and by 2050 we need to reach the target of zero carbon emissions. That’s why we have to change our habits, whether we want it or not. Now the financial sector sees this change coming and supports investments in green energy. States transfer funds for projects that reduce carbon emissions. I think that as a country, we can invest in sustainable green energy businesses in order to both invest in the future and protect our planet.
Footnote
(1)ppm: A term used to describe air polluting gases and particles. Although the welfare level of humanity has increased with the beginning of the industrial revolution, the ppm released to the world has increased by approximately 45%.
References
https://phys.org/news/2020-01-planet-greener-global.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement
https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate