CLIMATE CHANGE IS A MYTH.

It’s not uncommon to find statements like this on the internet (if you don’t believe me, go ahead and try it!). The thing is, the debate over global warming has been going all around the world for a long time now. While few consider it as the biggest challenge of all times, others consider it as a climate shift that occurred in early 90’s and have fallen flat since then.

Those who believe it have their own scientific reasons to back their claims, others have their own reasons to disregard their theory. Understanding global warming and its impact is important to meet the challenges posed by it.

Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era. Shocking, isn’t it?

There’s more and here we present evidence for rapid climate change that is compelling:

Global temperature rise

The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight of the 12 months that make up the year — from January through September, with the exception of June — were the warmest on record for those respective months.

Warming oceans

The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

Shrinking ice sheets

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.

Glacial retreat

Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world, including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.

Decreased snow cover

Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and that the snow is melting earlier.

Sea level rise

Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century.

Declining Arctic sea ice

Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.

Ocean acidification

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.

It doesn’t matter whether you believe in climate change or not, but ignoring this alarming facts that are deteriorating our planet is not an option. What are you going to do about it? Will you be part of the solution or be part of the reason why future generations will not see the world as it deserves to be?

Let’s be the change. You can start by informing yourself about it!

Don’t leave anyone behind.