Geographic, N. (2019, February 04). Global warming effects. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/ 

The effects of climate change and global warming are becoming more and more worrisome for our planet. The heat is melting glaciers and sea ice which is then affecting the homes and habitats of wildlife and forcing them to move. This heat however is coming from climate change and CO2 emissions which are coming from us, the people. Climate change isn’t only affecting us, it is shifting wildlife populations by destroying their habitats and causing sea levels to rise. All because humans are continuing to trap more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

This final article is nice because it is short and sweet but, it informs you about what damage has been done and what has caused it. It also compiles some documented impacts of climate change from scientists to give you the reality of what climate change can do and what it has done. So, global warming and climate change go hand in hand since global warming occurs because of climate change. With all of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, it stays there, gets trapped, and continues to heat up the Earth’s surface. This global warming is causing our temperature to drastically increase, melt ice and raise sea levels, and affect wildlife and their habitats. This all goes with environmental science because it displays a positive feedback loop that we need to reverse so we can start the cool-down process. Globally, we need to mitigate our carbon emissions and work together to effectively mitigate climate change.

Quick, M. (2021). The state of the climate in 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210108-where-we-are-on-climate-change-in-five-charts 

In previous articles, they discussed the horrendous events that occurred in 2020 and what they might look like this year.  This article expands on the same idea only looking more so into the stats of CO2 levels, heat, Arctic Ice, permafrost, and forests. This amount of CO2 is increasing drastically which is causing all of these other events to follow. Like, the wildfires from the extremely high temperatures as well as the arctic melting. They put into perspective just how much CO2 we are emitting and how it is affecting our planet.

I think that this article was very interesting because it shows the statistics of the CO2 levels and their effects. It states, “The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2020, hitting 417 parts per million in May. The last time CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million was around four million years ago, during the Pliocene era when global temperatures were 2-4C warmer and sea levels were 10-25 metres (33-82 feet) higher than they are now”. I never really knew how much the levels have changed but, when it is put like this it is scary to think that we have let this happen. And because we have let the CO2 levels get this high, this leads to 2020 having record-breaking heat levels as well as this past decade being the hottest decade on record. This release to environmental science because it shows how we need to clean up our carbon footprint so we can continue living on this planet and stay healthy. If we let them rise more and continue to heat Earth, it will not be safe in the future. The Arctic is melting, wildfires are bigger and more common, days are getting hotter; we need to make 2021 a year of climate action and mitigate carbon emissions as a whole.

Rowlatt, J. (2021, January 01). Why 2021 could be a turning point for tackling climate change. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55498657 

Similar to the previous articles, the main focus globally right now is planning how we are going to tackle climate change this year and how we can make it the turning point. In this, they mention the climate conference held in Glasgow where the nations will get together and talk about what we need to do to take action. As well as, countries signing up to deep carbon cuts to hopefully be carbon neutral sometime in the somewhat near future. 

This article was very interesting because it explained how since the last climate conference, which occurs every 5 years except last year due to the pandemic, we have, globally, gotten far off track for reducing carbon emissions. It says, “In Paris, the world agreed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change by trying to limit global temperature increases to 2C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. The aim was to keep the rise to 1.5C if at all possible”. And since then, we are way far off track and instead on track for hitting 3C by the end of the century. I think that maybe with the U.S. back in the Paris Agreement and the world meeting up for the climate conference, things may be put into perspective and begin to look up. As for countries signing up for deep carbon cuts, I think that it is good since it is a big role to step into and it is expensive but, I believe it is a good idea. This all goes into environmental science because we need to all clear up our carbon footprints and keep our planet healthy and safe for us to be living on it.

Nugent, C. (2020, December 31). Climate change 2021: What to expect. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://time.com/5922963/climate-change-2021/ 

2020 was a year full of extreme record-breaking hot and dry weather. And overall, 2020 was maybe the hottest year ever with massive destructive storms and wildfires all around the world and the melting of the arctic. It takes you through hurricanes and storms, wildfires, and droughts, etc., and what those might look like this year. This article talks about the major weather conditions that occurred last year and what to expect from climate change in 2021.

2020 was one of the hottest years on record and everyone is wondering what 2021 is going to look like. The high temperatures combined with dry conditions made for an extreme wildfire season. Australia’s record-breaking high temperatures led to bushfires burning more than 27 million acres. And California’s wildfires also burned more than 4 million acres by October which doubled the state’s previous record. As for what the high temperatures and wildfires will look like in 2021, it is impossible to fully know right now but, it is clear that an increase in wildfires will be part of our future. All of these past damages like the wildfires and arctic melting are a part of environmental science because it shows the effect of global warming and the increase in CO2 emissions. Now, it is impossible to reduce the number of wildfires that we will get and to completely stop the Arctic from melting, but if we start now, it’s better late than never seems to be the theme of how to make 2021 and the new decade the decade of action. And I agree with this, I think globally, we have not been doing well and it’s better late than never’.

About the author Liam Pritchett, Author, A., Pritchett, L., & Bristol, S. (2021, January 06). Climate change Facts: Where do we stand in 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.livekindly.co/climate-change-sustainability-2021/ 

In this article, they discuss where we are and what happens next in terms of climate change mitigation. They are calling this decade “The Decade of Action” because if we want to reduce the effects of climate change, then we need to take action now. In this, they also mention the “Big Five” which includes the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the U.S., China, Russia, France, and the UK, who are the best placed for climate mitigation. They walk you through what each of the five countries has in mind for climate action in 2021.

I think this article was very interesting and helpful to see what other nations have in mind to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Many talked about the use of solar energy and wind energy and reducing fossil fuels. This article also really puts into perspective how much damage has been done over the past few years and the amount of action that needs to be taken now. This all relates to environmental science because they talk about the different types of energy nations are trying to use instead of fossils fuels as well as discussing which parts of the world are emitting a lot of CO2 and which nations need to take immediate action if we want to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals deadline of 2030. I enjoyed this article because it gave you a good and basic understanding of where everyone is at with their CO2 emissions and what they are planning on doing to reverse those actions.

Rust, S., & Barboza, T. (2020, September 13). How climate change is fueling record-breaking California wildfires, heat and smog. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-13/climate-change-wildfires-california-west-coast 

Summary: Susanne Rust and Tony Barboza speak on how in 2001, a team of international scientists projected that in the next 100 years, the world would witness higher maximum temperatures, hotter days, and a risk of an increase in forest fires. California has had breaking heat records with millions of acres of land burned and skyrocketing air pollution. Climate scientist, Zeke Huasfather, said that what has been happening in California are some of the clearest events of climate change, and that climate change has made matters worse. It has never been this hot or smokey in California, until climate change.

I think this article is interesting because I did not know about the international scientists projection in 2001, and now everything makes sense. I think no one ever thought that these changes in climate would happen this fast and what almost seems like all at once. Our record temperatures are extreme right now and are accelerating due to greenhouse gas emissions. The unprecedented wildfires are primarily caused by the warming temperatures that are drying out vegetation. I think that no matter the levels of strong winds and lightning, the large risk of wildfires is rapidly increasing as an effect of warming. Fires are not unusual for California but with it becoming warmer, the risk is higher than it has ever been before. 

Miller, R. (2020, October 29). Climate Change Is Central to California’s Wildfires. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-is-central-to-californias-wildfires/ 

In this article, Rebecca Miller, Katharine Mach, and Chris Field discuss why they disagree conservative columnists who acknowledge that climate change might play a role in these California fires, but they blame Democratic leadership. They explain how the science is clear and climate change is the main role in these immense wildfires. The amount of warm and dry days California is experiencing is wildfire weather. And those dry days have more than doubled since the 1980s. We have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the reality of increased risk.

I agree with Miller, Mach, and Field that climate change is the main reason and trigger for these wildfires. I think that these conservative columnists ignore the influence of climate change and they politicize treatments that protect our ecosystems and communities. But, the fuel treatments are not going to cure the wildfires by itself. I think it could be a good possible sub-solution because it could reduce fuel overgrowth. However, the funding, burns crews, and dangerous weather conditions make it not such a good solution at this time in my opinion. This goes with environmental science because controlled burns are a way to solve some overgrowth problems but you have to take climate change into account. The dry weather in California is not good for controlled fires and it is why the wildfires are spreading fast and spreading far. 

McGrath, M. (2020, September 24). Global warming driving California wildfire trends – study. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54278988 

Summary: In this article, Matt McGrath talks about climate change and how it’s affecting California’s recent wildfires. One main focus is global warming, which relates to the fires and how it’s taking control. He also mentions Trump’s input and rejection to climate science and what he thinks the cause of the fires is from. The greater exposure we have to fire risks has been the most since before humans have started altering the climate themselves. 

I agree that the fires in California are partly because of global warming with high temperatures, low precipitation, low humidity, and high winds. But what I do not agree with is Trump’s rejection of climate science since “cleaning our floors” will not solve all problems.  Dr. Matthew Jones says, “In terms of the trends we’re seeing, in terms of the extent of wildfires, and which have increased eight to ten-fold in the past four decades, that trend is driven by climate change,” which shows how climate change is driving the wildfires. I believe that we can do our part of helping our environment and keep up with controlled forest burns so that fires can be contained, but I think we need more representation taking into consideration our current climate state. Climate change is bringing hotter and drier weather, so we need to make better and more beneficial alterations to our environment and fix the ones that have damaged it. I think with a new President and new representatives overall, we could make better decisions.

Flavelle, C. (2020, September 20). How California Became Ground Zero for Climate Disasters. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/climate/california-climate-change-fires.html 

In this article, Christopher Flavelle discusses California’s worst wildfires as well as mentioning our past drought and flood. The manufactured landscapes that have enabled California’s growth, building the state economy, have also left it more exposed to climate dangers. Climate scientist, Kristina Dahl says that climate change is exposing vulnerabilities in the systems we’ve engineered. Like creating reservoirs to store water and overpowering fires, etc. The intensity of the fires reflect past decisions that altered the forests and we are now paying for it. Climate change in California is more than just short- and long- term disasters, it’s also the idea that California can be whatever it wants to be, insulated by physical dangers surrounding it.

Climate change risks in California have increased significantly and a way to look at it is how scientist Kristina Dahl said it, “There’s sort of this sense that we can bend the world to our will”. And if you think about it, that makes sense for our current situation with the wildfires because we are not doing our best to keep our environment clean and healthy so when there is lightning it won’t cause massive fires that spread quickly. This is not related to Trump saying, “clean your floors” I mean clearing the air from emissions and just being aware of the overall health of our environment and atmosphere. And as for the systems we’ve engineered that support the state’s economy and population, they have left California vulnerable. I think that we need to reflect on past alters that have affected the forests and think of ways we can either change them as a society or raise awareness about our climate’s current state. This all relates to environmental science because it talks about how our economy is dealing with these climate dangers and how we are feeding into it as a state. This article made me reflect on how the government is dealing with climate change and how we as a society can help make beneficial change.

Temple, J. (2020, August 22). Climate change is almost certainly fueling California’s massive fires. Retrieved November 14, 2020, from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/20/1007478/california-wildfires-climate-change-heatwaves/ 

In an MIT Review, James Temple claims that climate change in fueling California’s massive fires. Thousands of lightning strikes have caused hundreds of fires across California, producing major clusters burning in the Bay Area. Temple talked to a few other directors and scientists who said that average daily highs for this time of year are now about 3 to 4 degrees F warmer than at the beginning of the 20th century. And how and additional 1.8 degrees F of warming increases the amount of lightning strikes by 12%. California’s heat creates conditions for intense wildfires that spread fast.

The article helps explain different reasons and perspectives for why California is experiencing these massive wildfires. But I agree that due to higher temperatures and lower precipitation levels, California’s risk for wildfires has increased significantly. I also agree with Friederike Otto, acting director of the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, who communicated with James Temple, that the higher temperatures were also partly caused by human-induced climate change. We need to take better care of our environment so we can lower the risk of these wildfires. I think that we need to start cutting emissions significantly because if we don’t then the risks could double in the future. This is related to environmental science because by cutting down emissions, we would be helping our environment by not releasing bad gases into the air like from factories, cars, etc. And I believe that as humans just doing this simple task would benefit our environment and the climate undoubtedly.