Mira Sobhy: 5 Misconceptions & Realities of Climate Change

1) Misconception: Greenhouse gases are all bad! 

​    Reality: That is actually not true at all. Greenhouse gasses are very important in keeping earth at a             moderate temperature. Without them earth would be too cold and with too much GHG’s earth would       become too hot; that is why we should limit our carbon and other greenhouse gas foot print to a               sustainable level. Everything in moderation!

2) Misconception: Scientists are not 100% sure/ are still arguing that the causes of climate change may         or may not be anthropogenic/ human caused. 

    Reality: Scientists have actually nearly all agreed that the level of climate change that has been seen in     the last century or so is highly due to anthropogenic sources. The extent/degree to which humans have     caused it, and the extent to which it is natural is what is still under debate.

3) Misconception: Carbon dioxide levels are not that high currently, this is because the earth has                   different cycles and this is just another cycle. 

    Reality: Yes, the earth and atmosphere both have different cycles where the gasses vary from year to       year and even century to century. But the truth is that carbon dioxide in todays atmosphere is higher         than it has ever been in the last 800,000 years (we know that because we can detect it in different               things i.e. rocks), and the more saddening thing is that United States produces one-fourth of the CO2         pollution from the burning of fossil-fuels. 

4) Misconception: The sea level rise we see and will see is not that drastic.

    Reality: The IPCC stated in a 2007 report, sea levels will rise by 7-23 inches by the end of this century         due to global warming. This will lead to more than a million species facing potential extinction as a             result of disappearing habitats, changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans.

5) Misconception: It is too late to change our habits, and the adverse effects we have caused our planet        to face.

    Reality: That is definitely not the case, we all have a duty to protect the planet that sustains us, it is not     too late to change little things in our daily habits and try to reverse some of the problems we have             caused. But a failure in preventing further global warming will eventually cause a major economic               collapse and lead to massive food and water shortages. The longer we wait to fix this problem the             more we augment it.