How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?

Climate change is not limited for study to scientist and researchers alone. Today even the common man wants to be extremely aware of the climate change effects and contribute the best way he can to save himself and the earth at large. Here is what you can learn about climate change.

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change is caused by factors such as bio-tic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have also been identified as significant causes of recent climate change, often referred to as "global warming.

Below are 27 facts about climate change

Fact 1: The global temperature on an average has increased by 0.6 to 1 degree Celsius till the 20^th century.
Fact 2: The United States constitutes 5% of the world population and contributes to 22% of world’s carbon emission.
Fact 3: Around 15% of the carbon released in the environment is due to deforestation and change in use of land.
Fact 4: The golden Toad is the first species to go extinct due to climate change.
Fact 5: Vehicles like cars and truck contribute to 20% of carbon emissions in the United States.
Fact 6: Air conditions and heating elements consume 50% of electricity in America.
Fact 7: Hurricanes, droughts and coral deaths are few of the natural disasters  caused due to climate change.
Fact 8: Climate change enhances the spread of pests that causes life threatening diseases like dengue, malaria, Lyme disease etc.
Fact 9: The hottest years have been experienced since 1990 till 1997. The warmest years have been from 2005-2010.
Fact 10: The number of climate change related incidents have increase four fold between 1980 and 2010.
Fact 11: Land use change and deforestation contributes to 15% of carbon emission every year.
Fact 12: The climate change scenario was much stable before the industrial revolution and has been rapidly changing since then. Today the reality is that climate change is going to get worse than yesterday.
Fact 13: A separate budget of US$ 40 million has been allotted for climate change research since 1990.
Fact 14: Due to the greenhouse effect, the average temperature of the earth is 15 degrees rather than -18 degrees without the greenhouse effect.
Fact 15: Carbon dioxide constitutes only 3.6 % of total greenhouse gases out of which 0.12% is attributed to human activities.
Fact 16: Carbon dioxide is not the only contributing gas towards climate change. Other gases like methane and nitrous oxide are far more dangerous than carbon dioxide alone.
Fact 17: The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a leading body fighting against climate change. This body is a political organization however and not a scientific body.
Fact 18: The Kyoto Protocol, an organization formed to analyze and fight against climate change will cost more than 100 trillion dollars thus making developing and underdeveloped communities to participate.
Fact 19: According to World Food Program (WPF.org), by 2015, the number of people affected by climate change disasters could reach 375 million per year.
Fact 20: Over the last 50 years, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increase by 30%  due to burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other gases, trapping more heat in the lower atmosphere.
Fact 21: The rising temperatures will cause more deaths not due to natural reasons but as a result of overheating and rapid spread of deadly diseases.
Fact 22: Classic examples of climate change can be seen by the damages causes due to heavy rains and disasters like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Fact 23: Above 600000 deaths occur worldwide every year due to climate change. 95% of these deaths take place in developing countries.
Fact 24: Climate change can have serious health impacts such as heat stress, extreme cold which can cause major deaths due to heart diseases.
Fact 25: In 2003, around 70,000 deaths have occurred in Europe alone due to diseases caused by rising temperatures.
Fact 26: Pollen and aeroallergen high levels also lead to rising temperature. This can cause asthma which effects 300 million people worldwide.
Fact 27: Climate change is rapidly causing coastal flooding and displacement of people. Floods further cause major damages by injuring and killing people. They can even cause deadly diseases by spreading infection and vector borne diseases.