The year 2015 received the ominous warmest year on record title, and 2016 is likely to be even hotter. It's becoming clear that these warmer weather trends are not arbitrary, but confirmation that climate change is upon us.
As global temperatures rise, climate change is becoming a reality — rather than a problem looming on the horizon. WeatherDB, a weather data site by Graphiq, breaks down climate change into five charts illustrating three of the major players in the complicated climate change web: temperature, carbon dioxide and water. Whether or not you believe that climate change is caused by humans, the numbers tell a convincing story of a planet rapidly changing, and heating up.
Temperature
Of course, the climate change narrative begins with temperature. Since NOAA began recording data in 1880, the Earth's temperature has continuously risen. As the visualization above illustrates, every year since 1977 has been warmer than the 20th century average. Perhaps what is most alarming is that temperatures are steadily increasing by greater margins each year. 2016 is on course to be the first year ever in which the temperature anomaly surpasses 1 degree Celsius. If the trend continues in 2016, the Earth's temperature will be 1.08 degrees Celsius (1.9°F) hotter than the 20th century average.
Almost 2 degrees? That's barely noticeable at all, some may think. Can these small numbers really make a global impact? Science answers with a definitive yes.
If the yearly temperature anomaly surpasses 2 degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), scientists fear that the planet will be threatened by flooding, massive habitat loss and extreme drought. The article "2 Degrees Will Change the World" published by the Huffington Post in December 2015 vividly describes the problems the planet could face should Earth's temperature continue to rise.
Carbon Dioxide
What is causing this spike in temperature? Carbon dioxide, a naturally occurring greenhouse gas which is also emitted by the combustion of fossil fuels, is the suspected culprit.
On one hand, carbon dioxide is essential to our planet. Without this simple pairing of carbon and oxygen, the planet would be at least 33 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than it is today. Carbon dioxide keeps the planet at comfortable temperatures by trapping radiated heat from the Earth's surface and re-radiating it back toward the surface.
However, it takes more and more energy to fuel the lives of the 7 billion people on this planet. We are emitting CO2 into the atmosphere whether we are eating, driving, working — or even standing still. CO2 levels in our atmosphere have steadily been on the rise since recording began in 1958, but scientists can go much further back in time by looking at the carbon dioxide concentration in Antarctic ice. The last 100 years have seen an unprecedented spike in CO2 levels, particularly since automobiles have become a staple in the developed world.
Carbon dioxide levels took center stage in Al Gore's 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," in which he notes, "there is one relationship that is far more powerful than all the others, and that is this: when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer because it traps more heat from the sun ... Ultimately, this is really not a political issue so much as a moral issue. If we allow [CO2 levels to increase without regulation] it is deeply unethical."
Water
There is another compound seriously affected by climate change — H2O. Water covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface and while droughts could restrict our supply of fresh water, melting ice is causing sea levels to rise.
In 2002, NASA began using satellite images to research Greenland's ice sheet, and in those past 14 years, 3,540 gigatonnes of the ice sheet has melted (the equivalent of nearly 10.7 million Empire State Buildings). Antarctica is losing an average of 118 gigatonnes of ice per year, while the Arctic ice sheet is shrinking by 13.4 percent annually. According to NASA, "the planet has been shedding sea ice at an average annual rate of 13,500 square miles (35,000 square kilometers) since 1979, the equivalent of losing an area of sea ice larger than the state of Maryland every year."
Of course, all this ice needs somewhere to go. It is melting — sometimes in massive sheets — into the ocean. Rising ocean levels could force the 1 billion people living in coastal areas from their homes and cities to be seriously damaged. Large cities including Miami, Los Angeles and New York could be underwater within the next century if sea levels continue to rise, according to Climate Central. If all the ice in both ice caps melted, projections show that most of Florida, London and Denmark would be totally immersed in water.
The data paints an eerie picture. It will be up to humans — the most crucial character in the climate change narrative — whether or not we want to reduce our carbon footprint or continue to turn the heat up on our ailing planet.
Junk mail is the worst. No one likes it, and it only serves to clutter up our homes, trash cans and landfills. But, did you know there is a way to "opt-out" of junk mail?
You can get off most unsolicited mail lists simply by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688).
Also, instead of browsing through catalogs, look at products online—most catalog companies publish online versions of their products, perfect for saving paper and going green.
During the holiday season, there is plenty of energy to be saved on the highway by sharing rides with family members or friends headed to the same place.
Before you’re going somewhere, start thinking about who you might be able to carpool with and make arrangements so one car instead of two or three are on the road for the trip. Even if it’s just for a few miles, this adds up and can reduce gridlock and air pollution.
Everyone knows that water is the healthiest beverage option, but next time, instead of grabbing for a bottle of water, drink tap water out of a reusable cup or bottle.
World Watch says "use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste."
You can buy reusable water bottles at nearly any department or home goods store, and you'll save money by not constantly paying for bottled water.
Few things can warm a room as well as the sun. Those warm rays of the sun can heat homes, even when temperatures outside begin to dip.
"Before you go to work, open your blinds or curtains in your home where the sun shines most. When you get home, don't forget to close them to lock in your free heat. In areas where your home doesn't get much sun, especially in areas shaded from trees, keep your curtains and blinds closed," writes Save on Energy's Craven.
In order to save energy and reduce heating costs, open your shades during sunny days, even on colder days. The sun's radiation will do the work so your home heating system doesn't have to.
Changing the batteries to your smoke detector when you switch your clocks this Sunday? Make sure to recycle your batteries rather than throwing them away.
Recycling your batteries keeps them out of the landfill, where heavy metals may leak into the ground when the battery casing corrodes, causing soil and water pollution. If batteries are incinerated with household waste, the heavy metals in them may cause air pollution.
Are you an ornithology enthusiast? Do you love the sights and sounds of songbirds outside your window?
Keep your feathered friends returning to your yard by using a pinecone as a natural bird feeder. Recycle pinecones found in your yard by adding birdseed and peanut butter to your pinecone.
Do you send your kids off every day with their lunch in a brown paper bag? Try using a reusable lunch box instead to cut down on waste.
Even after middle and high schoolers have grown out of using their favorite superhero lunch box, there are plenty of subtle and understated designs to complement their style.
Dry cleaning is far more harmful to the environment than your standard load of laundry done in a conventional washing machine.
If you have clothes that can be machined washed rather than dry cleaning, try giving them a run through the washer. And, if you're in the market for a new wardrobe, don't buy clothes with the "dry-clean only" label on them.
"Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying," says World Watch.
Visit a pick-your-own farm and grab some of the freshest food that you can find.
Save on Energy writes, "visit a pick-your-own farm for fresh produce such as apples, pumpkins, and root vegetables. You may even find locations that let you pick fresh nuts such as pecans or walnuts."
According to the U.S. Energy Department, pumpkins cause major waste issues each year on Halloween. The majority of the 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the U.S. end up in dumps and landfills, according to the Energy Department’s website.
If you have a ceiling fan in your home, reverse the spin of it.
According to Save on Energy, "If you reverse the direction to clockwise, your ceiling fans will push warm air back down. It will also redistribute the warm air from your heating system, making sure pockets of cold air don't settle in the corners of each room."
In order to save some energy (and some money) turn down your house's thermostat a few degrees this fall. You may not notice the difference, but the environment sure will.
If you're still a little cold, throw on a sweatshirt. For even more savings, turn your heat down even lower when your family leaves for work school or a vacation.
When it comes time to get all the fallen leaves off of your lawn, don't reach for your electric or gas-powered leaf blower. Appliances like those can release pollutants into the atmosphere, and that is definitely not going green.
Instead, use manual lawn tools like a rake to save energy.
"Once you're done, reuse the leaves by transforming them into mulch for your plants or compost them to enrich your soil," wrote Itzler.
Think fall is for harvesting, not for planting? Think again!
Fall is the perfect time to plant spring-flowering plants like tulips to make sure you have gorgeous flowers when warmer weather rolls around again next year.
If you're headed to the grocery store to pick up food and supplies for your next party try to make as few trips as possible. You'll save money on gas, and have to drive less, making this a perfect way to go green.
If you can, try to get all your items at one store. This way, you'll use even less gas when shopping.
Do you send your kids off every day with their lunch in a brown paper bag? Try using a reusable lunch box instead to cut down on waste.
Even after middle and high schoolers have grown out of using their favorite superhero lunch box, there are plenty of subtle and understated designs to complement their style.
To keep the cold fall wind out of your home, and keep your warm air inside, be sure to seal up any drafts around windows or doors in your house or apartment.
"If your air conditioning was running non-stop all summer, then you might have unnoticed leaks in your home. Before it gets too cold, check all your doors and windows for drafty chills that could keep your heater running non-stop too," writes Save on Energy's Jordan Craven.
Drafts can do serious damage to your heating bill, and will be a major drain on energy usage, so make sure to seal them up soon.
For more information on how to seal them, click here.
Insulation is one of the best ways to save money and energy in your home. Insulation will keep the cold air out of your home, and, better yet, keep the warm toasty air right inside your house where you want it.
If you better the insulation in your home, not only will your home be warmer, you'll go green and save money on your heating costs.
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