Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the Earth has seen its share of problems. Although it had its roots in 1700s England, the Industrial Revolution quickly spread to the rest of the world. The use of machinery and factories led to mass production, which caused numerous environmental hazards. Only centuries later would the full effects of the Industrial Revolution be realized.
The use of factories and mass production has led to a depletion of natural resources, leaving the environment forever damaged. Deforestation is compounded by the problem of carbon emissions. Whereas forests would help emit oxygen and refresh the levels of healthy gases in the air, factories are emitting poisonous emissions and eliminating the source of oxygen. Round and round we go.
CO2 acts like the glass of a greenhouse, and traps heat in the atmosphere. Fossil fuel usage has raised the global average temperature by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and most of the increase has happened since the 1970s. Rising sea levels, heat waves, food and water shortage, and a disappearing Arctic shelf are all the direct result of global warming due to rising CO2 levels.
Even though government after government has advocated limiting CO2 emissions, CO2 actually increased 3% between 2000 and 2010. The 2009 global financial crisis halted some of this increase briefly, but since 2010, emissions have increased by 2.6%.
The International Energy Agency, a consortium of thousands of climatologists, warns that a major climate catastrophe is on the way unless we begin making big changes. Now. The experts also maintain that we are quickly reaching the point of no return. According to the World Bank, the global average temperature will most likely be 9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2100, well above what human civilization has ever witnessed, or can tolerate.
