Page 12 - Erasmus Let's be Eco-sustainAble, towards 2030 Dissemination Activity book
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Did you know that the
        Climate Change                                                                                                use of pesticides on


                                                                                                                    crops and plants in rural
                                                                                                                      and urban areas has
     ❑ Official Definition                                                                                           destroyed populations

     A broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels,                                of honeybees and wild
     which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s atmosphere. These phenomena include the                                         bees?
     increased temperature trends described by global warming, but also encompass
     changes such as sea-level rise; ice mass loss in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and
     mountain glaciers worldwide; shifts in flower/plant blooming; and extreme weather
     events.

     ❑ Causes

     When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space (mostly by
     clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the planet cools.
     When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent heat
     released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the planet
     warms. A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s
     climate system.

     ❑ How to fight it

     To fight climate change, we must first reduce our greenhouse gases (GHG)
     emissions. To accomplish this, the first step is to embrace renewable energies that
     are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides,
     waves, and geothermal heat, and avoid creating energy by the burning of fossil fuels.
     As well, besides swooping the types of energy we produce, we must also make
     everything more efficient, because even if the energy comes from a renewable
     source, it still won’t be carbon neutral and will still contribute to the ozone
     depletion.

     We need to adapt our lifestyles to overcome these growing challenges that climate
     change is bringing. For this to happen, we should start to create a worldwide culture
     of sustainable development, where the energy is wised wisely and efficiently, where a
     circular economy is a strong bet, as well as durable and eco-friendly products. One
     thing is for sure, we need to choose responsibly the products we buy because our                                                                                           12
     demand as consumers influences what we are supplied with.
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