The Earth we live on and its climate are being threatened. Our world is getting warmer and warmer, and our oceans are evaporating.
Jeff Steuer is a Retired U.S. Geological Survey Water Engineer. He received Climate Reality Leadership training and gave a presentation about climate change at the Stoughton Public Library on Feb. 6, 2024.
Steuer explained that solar radiation passes through the atmosphere through light waves. Around 50% of these waves are absorbed by the Earth and warms it. 25% goes back into the atmosphere, and the remaining 25% is trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. A majority of the carbon dioxide that is trapped is released by humans.
“This acts as an insulation blanket for the Earth,” Steuer said.
The extra carbon comes from coal plants, oil production, transportation, and landfills. Fossil fuels comprise of coal, oil, and natural gasses, and fossil fuel emissions have increased significantly since World War II.
“We are spewing 162 million tons of man-made global warming pollution into our atmosphere every 24 hours,” Steuer said.
Carbon adds to the Earth’s insulating blanket, thus trapping more heat from the sun’s radiation. Increased carbon means increased temperatures.
“North America suffered through multiple record-breaking heat waves
in 2023,” Steuer said. “2022 was the hottest year ever recorded in at least 28 countries.”
93% of the extra heat trapped by man-made pollutants goes into the ocean. This means that aquatic wildlife and our water bodies are extremely harmed. Along with
our oceans being polluted, they evaporate more water because of the increased heat.
Hotter temperatures can also cause stronger hurricanes, wind intensities, and more precipitation. This can be shown in the recent hurricanes in Florida and Texas.
“Extreme weather costs in the US exceeded a record $1 trillion over the last seven years,” Steuer said.
Although the Earth has become damaged, it’s not too late for change.
“We have got what we need to change right now; we just have to want to,” Steuer said.
Some ways to decrease the amount of fossil fuels we emit are by using wind turbines and solar panels. Storage systems can be implemented to ensure enough energy for when the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun isn’t shining.
Several countries have already moved to improve their carbon footprint by implementing these systems.
“Germany, as of three years ago, produced over 50% of their electricity by wind and solar,” Steuer said.
Additionally, more than 2.6 million residential properties in Australia now have solar systems installed.
We don’t need to worry about running out of solar energy because enough reaches the Earth every hour to fill the world’s energy needs for a full year. In addition to that, wind and solar energy are the cheapest energy sources after building the required infrastructure.
Steuer believes that “It’ll be a better life” if we can switch to renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
Cars are also a big factor in the amount of CO2 trapped in the atmosphere. Because of this, many auto manufacturers are moving towards producing hybrid and electric vehicles.
Steuer also mentioned that going from horse transportation to car only took about 20 years. If we can make that change in 20 years, he believes we can change from gas and diesel to all-electric vehicles.
“I’ve come to realize that if we fix the climate, […] we’re going to end up with a better world; we’re not going to have the pollution in the atmosphere and the disease that comes with it,” Steuer said. “We’re going to have air that’s less polluted and water that’s less polluted. If we fix the climate, we potentially can, in many ways, have a better planet than we’ve had.”