The term was used for the first time in 1975, in a scientific article written by the geochemist Wallace Broecker, from the Geologic Observatorium Lamont-Doherty of Columbia University. Ever since, much has been said about global warming.

Nowadays, more than ever, the subject has become inevitable and unavoidable. As Benjamin Franklin stated: “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”

Global warming means that the average temperature of the Earth’s surface and the oceans have increased due to greenhouse effect gases (GEG) released by the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. GEG, like carbon dioxide and methane, absorb heat that, in any other way, would be reflected onto the surface of the Earth.

Even though natural cycles and fluctuations have, frequently, caused climate changes, in the last 800.000 years, global warming has been affecting the planet in the last decades and is directly related to human activity.

Since 1906, the global average temperature of the surface increased more than 0,9 degrees Celsius. Warmth is melting glaciers and ice at sea, changing precipitation patterns, and inducing migration of some animals.

Climate change is the complex change that currently, affects the climate and climate systems. Encompassed in it are the growing average temperatures, but also extreme climate events, changes in population, and wildlife habitats, and an increase in sea levels, among other impacts.

From Man to Adélie penguin. The impact of global warming

In the “Origin of Species” (1859), Charles Darwin explores the struggle for survival in nature and the one that can’t survive isn’t necessarily the fittest, yet the one that adapts best to environmental conditions where they live is.

Global warming has presented complex challenges to all living species. Challenge is: adapting to not disappear. We’ve selected some of the main impacts.

Melting and increase in ocean temperature

The ice is melting all over the world, especially on Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets that cover Western Antarctic and Greenland, as well as the ice in the Arctic sea. In the National Glacier Park, in Montana, USA, for example, the amount of glaciers has decreased to under 30 - in 1910 they were 150.

In Iceland, the disappearance of the Okjokull glacier, that in 1980 was covering 16 square kilometers, was signalled, in 2019, with the unveiling of a plaque, at the location where a glacier once existed, where you could read “415 ppm CO2”, a reference at a carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration record level, registered in the atmosphere, in May 2018.

Still in 2019, in Switzerland, hundreds of activists for climate have held an homage to the glacier Pizol, which disappeared as a consequence of global warming. Over the last 20 years, the Alps have lost 17% of their ice, and two-thirds of their glaciers have lost volume, which represents between 0,70 to 1,70 centimetres, according to information available at 247 News Agency.

According to Ottawa University, in Canada, of the 1773 glaciers of the country, around 1353 have decreased between the years 1999 and 2015.

Having in mind glaciers store around three-quarters of fresh water in the world, ice melting could lead to a shortage of fresh water, in the upcoming years.

A large sum of the melted ice contributes to rising sea levels. Global sea levels are increasing by 3,2 millimetres per year, and this increment has been occurring faster in the last years.

In parallel, ocean temperatures have also grown. A study conducted by Oxford University, in 2019, has revealed oceans had absorbed 90% of the planet’s warmth, between 1971 and 2010.

Another study, conducted by 23 researchers from 14 institutions, has shown that oceans had absorbed the equivalent of the heat released by seven Hiroshima nukes, per second.

Challenges of the sea and terrestrial species

By the report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the UN, (IPCC), up to 48% of plant and animal species of the world have a great risk of extinction due to climate change. However, many scientists believe the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions might reduce the risk of extinction by 70%.

The temperature increase is affecting wildlife and their habitats. The disappearance of the ice is a challenge for species like the Adélie penguin, in Antarctica, where some populations of the western peninsula have lost 90%, or more, of their population.

As temperatures change, a lot of the species are forced to migrate. Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have migrated north or to higher and cooler areas.

Droughts and floods

The rate of precipitation (rain and snow) has risen all over the world. However, some regions are going through a serious drought, increasing the risk of forest fires, loss of crops, and shortage of fresh water.

Some species, including mosquitoes, ticks, jellyfishes, and pests, thrive in these conditions. Growing populations of bark beetles, that feed on fir and pine trees, have devastated millions of hectares of forests in the USA.

How can we help heal the planet?

The cure for the planet starts in our kitchen, table, garage, and office.

1. Mobilize and bring awareness

Mobilize friends and families and make them aware of these issues. Show the simple actions that everyone can adopt for a more ecological daily living.

2. Power your house with renewable energies

This way, you’ll be helping reduce (and if possible fully eliminate) the use of fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and gas.

3. Be zealous about the energetic efficiency of your house

Equipment used to heat and cool houses is responsible for nearly half of the domestic energy consumption. Turn every room in your house more energy-efficient by better isolating air drafts, for example.

4. Invest in equipment and appliances energetically efficient

Energy efficiency is the cheapest way to reduce emissions. At the time of buying equipment and appliances, check the energy label, which should indicate a scale of A (more efficient) to G (less efficient).

In Portugal, tagging this new energy label is mandatory ever since March 1st of 2021 for televisions, fridges, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers, and since September 2021, for LED lightbulbs.

5. Reduce water waste

Pumping, heating, and treating water to supply your house produces CO2 emissions. Take shorter showers, and close the tap while brushing your teeth and washing your dishes.

6. Reduce food waste

By wasting less food, we can reduce the amount of energy necessary for crops, packaging, and food transportation. Compost organic waste. This practice improves soil health and reduces greenhouse effect gas emissions (such as released methane).

7. Choose efficient light bulbs

LED lights use a sixth of the energy to supply the same amount of light as the conventional incandescent and last at least ten times more. In the long run, they are also cheaper.

8. Turn off the equipment not being used

Altogether, the power sockets in your house are feeding several appliances (audio, video, appliances, cellphones, computers), and many of them consume energy even when they’re not being used (some call them “idle load”). Remove the equipment from the sockets that are fully charged or are not in use.

9. Pick an intelligent car and adopt the bicycle

When the time comes to change cars, choose a hybrid or electric vehicle. On January 1st of 2020, the Regulation (EU) 2019/631, came into effect, which establishes goals for the reduction of CO2 emissions for cars and vans, from 2020, 2025, and 2030 and includes a mechanism to prompt the adoption of vehicles with zero and low emissions (ZLEV).

Whenever possible, reduce car traveling, share a vehicle with more people, and choose public transportation or bicycle. This option, besides being eco-friendly, is also good for your health.

10. Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Every year we throw out around 2,12 billion tons of litter on the planet. If all of that garbage was placed in trucks, they would drive around the world 24 times (data from the Word Economic Forum).

Reduce your consumption, reuse whenever possible (bags, recipients, clothing, furniture), and recycle everything you want, according to the applicable laws in your area.

"I am here to tell you our house is on fire. According to IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], we’re less than 12 years of being unable to undo our mistakes”. Greta Thunberg, 16 years, activist (2019)