The ISCFC is all about reducing our individual and collective contributions to climate change.
But is climate change really happening? Is it mostly caused by human activity, including our production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases?
In the United States and elsewhere, there are people who are not convinced by the science. But the great thing about science is that we use evidence to evaluate scientific questions. So what is the evidence related to climate change?
Are you or are you not convinced by the majority of climate scientists who say that climate change is real and largely human caused? Why are you convinced/not convinced? What evidence might change your mind one way or the other?
Is Climate Change Real & Human-Caused? >
Polar ice caps
Ice that floats on top of the Arctic sea has been melting way faster than scientists have expected. Over the past 50 years, the ice has decreased almost more than half it’s size! This is happening because of humans. The more fuels we burn, the more carbon we are releasing into the air and the faster the ice will melt. This is important because the ice in the Arctic Sea helps us regulate our global temperature by reflecting sunlight back into space, this causes extreme weather events that can be very deadly.
This can also affect the impact on Arctic animals. Polar bears depend on sea ice to help them find food and create homes for their cubs. If the ice continues to melt, they will have no protection over whales and other sea animals that can prey on them. The longer the polar bears are away from food their reproductive system will start to fail and that could endanger the species tremendously. Another organism that will be affected is ice algae. Ice algae grows on the bottom of ice caps and with the ice melting there so place for it to grow and that can cause food short ages for some sea animals and it can change the surface temperature of the sea which can lead to death in many sea animals and corals.
"Arctic Climate Change." : 5. How Will Animals Be Affected by Arctic Warming? N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
By Wind, Rain From Large Storm. "Arctic Sea Ice Decline." Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.