Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth!

  As Judy watched the news, with all the wildfires and record heat waves, the saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" seemed to apply. Climate change is long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Some are natural due to variations in the solar cycle.

       Since the 1800s, human activities have been the leading cause of climate change. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas generate greenhouse emissions. These emissions act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, which traps the sun's heat.

           Examples of greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline to drive a car or coal to heat a building. Clearing land and forests can also release carbon dioxide. Landfills for garbage are a significant source of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and land use are among the leading emitters.

           Due to this fact, the Earth is about 1.1° C warmer than in the late 1800s. The last decade was the warmest on record. The results of our production of greenhouse gases are:

     Intense droughts

     Water scarcity

     Severe fires

         Rising sea levels

         Flooding

         Melting polar ice

         Catastrophic storms

     Declining biodiversity

         The top two contributors to C02 emissions do not surprise me. China has the number one spot. With 9697 million tonnes or 28.6%. The US comes in second with 5420 mt or 16.0%. China and the US  are again the top two in greenhouse gas emissions. China is 7.216 MT or 16.4%, while the US creates 6.931 MT or 15.7%. While other counties are making progress, the US efforts have been critically insufficient.

         The German watch institute presented the results of the Global Climate Risk Index 2020 during COP25 in Madrid. According to this analysis, based on the impacts of extreme weather events and the socio-economic losses they cause, Japan, the Philippines, and Germany are the most affected places by climate change today.

         Northern Italy has the worst drought in 70 years, and more than 43% of US states are currently experiencing droughts. Frequency and duration have increased by nearly a third since 2000. Due to the severe drought, the Po, the longest river, is now drying up due to periods of severe drought. The Po is three meters below the zero gauge height. A third of Italy's 17 million people live around this river. The Po River also has more than half of the nation's pigs and cattle.

   According to the IPMA weather service, average temperatures were just over 40°C, almost three degrees higher than the typical July average.

France is experiencing its worst drought since 1958, Water restrictions are in place, and the corn harvest will be 20% lower than in 2021.

         Portugal recorded its hottest July since records began, and 99% of the country is in severe or extreme drought.

         Around 75% of Romania is affected by drought. The country's cereal crop is going to drop by 30 million tons.

         Drought has affected England, which will result in restrictions on water usage. The National Drought Group says that by 2050, some rivers could have up to 80% less water during summer, and temperatures could be up to 7 degrees hotter due to climate change. In July, the UK broke the 40°C barriers. The year's first six months were the driest in England since 1976.

         Africa has had the worst drought since the mean surface temperature has risen, and 2020 was the fourth warmest year since 1910. This change has led to drought and flooding incidents that affect people across the continent. Keyna, South Africa, and Mozambique have had 75 percent of the floods, storms, and drought. Somalia and Mozambique had the highest death toll from natural disasters

         In the US, 69 wildfires have burned 475,766 acres in eight states. Very hot, dry, and unstable conditions will exist. Much of the west is experiencing sweltering, arid, and hazardous situations. These conditions will also affect the Northwest and Great Basin. Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms are possible in the southern and central Sierra into western Nevada and southwest Colorado into portions of Arizona and southern California over the higher terrain. Scattered thunderstorms and showers are likely from the Gulf Coast through much of the Southeast Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. Heavy rain is moving from the DelMarVa through New Jersey and Connecticut. 

         To tackle climate change and its negative impacts, world leaders at the UN devised a plan on 12 December 2015: the historic Paris Agreement, which works on a five-year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action carried out by countries. Every five years, each country is to submit an updated national climate action plan - known as Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC.

         In their NDCs, countries communicate their actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach the Paris Agreement goals. Countries also share in the NDC's efforts they will take to build resilience and adapt to rising temperatures' impacts. There are three courses of action, which include:

          Cutting emissions

           Adapting to climate impacts

          Financing required adjustments

         President Biden has issued an executive order tackling climate change for the United States. These are the issues that this order will help: "will reduce emissions across federal operations, invest in American clean energy industries and manufacturing, and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities." Although these orders only concern the federal government, most companies are also making changes.

         GMC, our number one automaker, has to say. "As we advance our vision for a zero-emissions, all-electric future, we will prioritize climate actions that are inclusive for our current and future workforce, as well as the communities in which we live and work." They are using recycled plastic to make parts for Their current models. Here is the link.

https://www.gm.com/commitments/environment

         Other companies making strides in energy efficiency efforts include Wal-Mart, Bank of America, Google, Facebook, Praxair, IBM, and Microsoft. Even though we are not in the countries making strides toward zero emissions, we have some powerful companies doing their part.

         At the end of the newscast, Judy surmised that global warming is an issue that is way out of hand. It is time to undo the damage we have caused in the world. Many people have died due to the way that we have abused the climate. I know the saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth" applies in this situation.           

Sources

(United Nations Climate Action, n.d.)

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

9/04/2022

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