Friendly Guide to Climate Change - and what you can do to help #everytoncounts
Summary
TLDREste video ofrece un resumen claro y práctico sobre el cambio climático. Explica cómo los humanos somos responsables del calentamiento global debido a la quema de combustibles fósiles, lo que genera consecuencias graves como el aumento del nivel del mar, sequías y olas de calor. La solución incluye cambiar a fuentes de energía renovable, como la solar y eólica, y reducir el consumo de carne de res. También sugiere cómo cada persona puede contribuir a la solución, ya sea a través de cambios personales, inversiones o participación política.
Takeaways
- 🌍 El cambio climático es un problema serio causado por los humanos, pero como lo causamos, también podemos solucionarlo.
- 📈 En las últimas décadas, la temperatura global ha aumentado rápidamente, lo que genera graves consecuencias como el aumento del nivel del mar y fenómenos climáticos extremos.
- 🌊 El calentamiento de los océanos causa la expansión del agua, derretimiento de glaciares y un aumento significativo del nivel del mar.
- 💨 El principal culpable del calentamiento global es el aumento de gases de efecto invernadero, especialmente el dióxido de carbono proveniente de la quema de combustibles fósiles.
- 🔥 Los combustibles fósiles (carbón, petróleo y gas) son la mayor fuente de emisiones de carbono, y necesitamos dejar de usarlos para reducir el calentamiento global.
- 🌞 Energías renovables como la solar y eólica ya son más rentables que los combustibles fósiles en muchos casos, lo que facilita la transición.
- 🚗 Los vehículos eléctricos están reemplazando los autos tradicionales a combustible, lo que es crucial para reducir las emisiones del transporte.
- 🥩 La deforestación y la agricultura (especialmente para la ganadería) también son grandes fuentes de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, por lo que comer menos carne de res ayuda al clima.
- ⚖️ Es fundamental que los gobiernos y empresas implementen leyes de precios del carbono y reduzcan subsidios a los combustibles fósiles.
- 💪 Todos podemos contribuir al cambio, desde ajustar nuestro estilo de vida hasta votar por líderes conscientes del clima y apoyar iniciativas de energía limpia.
Q & A
¿Qué es el cambio climático y por qué es importante?
-El cambio climático se refiere a las variaciones significativas y duraderas en las condiciones climáticas globales y locales. Es importante porque afecta a nuestro planeta y a todas las formas de vida, incluyendo la humanidad, causando problemas como el aumento del nivel del mar, fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, sequías, incendios forestales y migraciones masivas.
¿Cuál es la causa principal del calentamiento global?
-La principal causa del calentamiento global es el aumento de los gases de efecto invernadero, especialmente el dióxido de carbono (CO2), debido a la quema de combustibles fósiles como el carbón, el petróleo y el gas natural.
¿Por qué es buena noticia que los humanos sean la causa del calentamiento global?
-Es buena noticia porque si los humanos causamos el calentamiento global, significa que también tenemos el poder para solucionarlo. Podemos tomar medidas para reducir nuestras emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y mitigar los efectos del cambio climático.
¿Cuáles son las consecuencias del aumento de la temperatura global?
-Las consecuencias incluyen el aumento del nivel del mar, el derretimiento de glaciares y casquetes polares, fenómenos meteorológicos más extremos como tormentas, inundaciones, sequías, olas de calor, incendios forestales y escasez de agua, así como la destrucción de hábitats naturales y la migración forzada de millones de personas.
¿Qué es el efecto invernadero y cómo contribuye al calentamiento global?
-El efecto invernadero es un proceso natural donde ciertos gases en la atmósfera, como el CO2 y el metano, atrapan el calor del sol y lo mantienen en la Tierra, similar a cómo un invernadero mantiene el calor. Sin embargo, la quema de combustibles fósiles ha aumentado la concentración de estos gases, intensificando el efecto y causando el calentamiento global.
¿Por qué el aumento del nivel del mar es preocupante?
-El aumento del nivel del mar es preocupante porque puede causar inundaciones en áreas costeras, erosionar costas, destruir hábitats naturales y obligar a las personas a abandonar sus hogares. También puede afectar a la infraestructura y los recursos de agua dulce.
¿Qué son los bucles de retroalimentación positiva y cómo aceleran el cambio climático?
-Los bucles de retroalimentación positiva son procesos que amplifican los efectos del cambio climático. Por ejemplo, el aumento de la temperatura provoca más evaporación de agua, que a su vez es un gas de efecto invernadero que aumenta aún más la temperatura. Otros ejemplos incluyen la reducción de la cobertura de hielo, que disminuye la reflectividad de la Tierra y aumenta la absorción de calor, y el deshielo del permafrost, que libera gases de efecto invernadero atrapados.
¿Qué alternativas existen a los combustibles fósiles para generar energía?
-Existen varias alternativas, como la energía solar, la energía eólica, la energía hidroeléctrica, la energía geotérmica y los biocombustibles. Estas fuentes de energía renovable no emiten gases de efecto invernadero y son más sostenibles a largo plazo.
¿Qué papel juegan los automóviles eléctricos en la reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero?
-Los automóviles eléctricos ayudan a reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero al no quemar combustibles fósiles. Su impacto positivo aumenta a medida que la red eléctrica se vuelve más limpia y utiliza más energía renovable. Además, la tecnología de las baterías está mejorando, lo que hace que los autos eléctricos sean más prácticos y accesibles.
¿Cómo pueden las personas contribuir a la lucha contra el cambio climático?
-Las personas pueden contribuir de muchas maneras: educándose y educando a otros sobre el cambio climático, votando por líderes y políticas que promuevan la acción climática, reduciendo su huella de carbono personal (como consumir menos carne y más alimentos locales, usar transporte público o bicicletas, y adoptar tecnologías energéticamente eficientes), e invirtiendo en energías renovables. También pueden apoyar iniciativas de reforestación y conservación de bosques.
Outlines
🌍 Introducción al Cambio Climático
Este párrafo presenta el tema del cambio climático, explicando que es un problema grave causado por los seres humanos, pero que también nos ofrece la oportunidad de arreglarlo. Se enfoca en cómo las temperaturas han aumentado rápidamente en las últimas décadas, lo que ha generado consecuencias graves como el aumento del nivel del mar, inundaciones, sequías y olas de calor, afectando a millones de personas y causando inestabilidad global.
🔥 El Problema de los Combustibles Fósiles
Se describe cómo los combustibles fósiles, como el carbón y el petróleo, son los principales responsables del calentamiento global debido a la liberación masiva de dióxido de carbono. Se explica la diferencia entre las emisiones de carbono renovables y no renovables, y se discute la retroalimentación positiva, como el aumento del vapor de agua y la reducción de la capa de hielo, lo que acelera el calentamiento global.
💡 Soluciones Energéticas y la Paridad de la Red
Este párrafo se centra en la transición hacia energías renovables, como la solar y la eólica, que ahora son más rentables que los combustibles fósiles. También aborda la necesidad de almacenamiento de energía para cuando no haya sol o viento, el desarrollo de tecnologías de baterías, y la posibilidad de un acceso democratizado a la energía. Se mencionan otras fuentes de energía no fósiles como la nuclear, hidroeléctrica y geotérmica.
🚗 Transporte y Energía Limpia
Se discute el impacto del transporte en las emisiones globales, señalando que los automóviles impulsados por combustibles fósiles son uno de los principales contribuyentes. Sin embargo, los vehículos eléctricos están mejorando en términos de costo y autonomía. Aunque todavía dependen de la limpieza de la red eléctrica, su impacto es menor comparado con los vehículos de combustión interna.
🌱 Agricultura, Bosques y Ganado
Este párrafo trata sobre cómo la deforestación y la agricultura, especialmente para la cría de ganado, son responsables de una cuarta parte de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Se explica que reducir el consumo de carne, particularmente de vaca, puede ayudar a mitigar el cambio climático. Se mencionan otras innovaciones para reducir las emisiones en estos sectores.
🤝 ¿Qué Puedes Hacer Tú?
El texto final explora varias formas en que las personas pueden contribuir a la reducción del calentamiento global. Estas incluyen desde cambios personales, como usar energía renovable, reducir vuelos o cambiar hábitos alimenticios, hasta la inversión en soluciones energéticas o el apoyo a políticas que favorezcan el medio ambiente. Se destaca que cada acción cuenta y que todas las personas tienen recursos que pueden utilizar para marcar la diferencia.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cambio climático
💡Calentamiento global
💡Gases de efecto invernadero
💡Combustibles fósiles
💡Retroalimentación positiva
💡Energía renovable
💡Desforestación
💡Permafrost
💡Captura de carbono
💡Huella de carbono
Highlights
Climate change is a pressing global issue, but humans have the power to fix it.
Global temperatures have spiked in recent decades, leading to severe consequences like sea level rise, extreme weather events, and mass migration.
Greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, are the primary cause of global warming.
Fossil fuels release carbon that was stored for millions of years, which accumulates in the atmosphere, unlike renewable energy sources.
Positive feedback loops, such as water vapor and melting permafrost, are accelerating climate change.
Fossil fuels are still heavily subsidized globally, even though we have cheaper and more effective alternatives like solar and wind energy.
Renewable energy technologies, like solar and wind, have reached grid parity, making them economically viable without government subsidies.
Electric vehicles are becoming more affordable, with longer ranges, and as the grid gets cleaner, so do these cars.
Forestry and agriculture, especially cattle farming, are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing beef consumption has a substantial impact on lowering individual carbon footprints, more than reducing transport emissions.
Individual actions, like switching to renewable energy, voting for climate-friendly policies, and investing in green technologies, can make a meaningful difference.
Crowdfunding platforms offer opportunities to invest in solar panels for communities without electricity, helping them reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
Using an electric car can reduce a family’s carbon footprint, while investing in solar panels in developing countries can have an even bigger impact.
Each person, based on their resources—money, skills, time—can contribute to reducing global warming, whether through personal choices or professional expertise.
Many solutions are available, and everyone can pull different 'levers' to contribute to climate action, depending on their preferences and circumstances.
Transcripts
OK so you've heard about climate change,
and that it's a big deal.
But what is it really about?
And what can you actually do about it?
This video is a simple pragmatic summary of climate change.
We’ll cut through the noise and confusion
and focus on the basic facts
so you can figure out how to help. OK?
So here's the situation
The climate is kinda broken
and we're in trouble because, well...
we're stuck on this one planet so our lives depend on it.
The GOOD news is that scientists have figured out the cause of the problem.
Us! We humans broke it.
Yup! But wait, wait..
How is that GOOD news?
Well, because it proves that we humans are powerful enough to actually impact the earth's climate.
which means we can FIX it. Well, partly at least.
But before we get to solutions
let's examine the problem a bit.
Here's our planet.
For thousands of years our average
surface temperature has been mostly stable.
But now, just the past few decades, it has shot up
By the way, this graph and everything else in the video has references.
Check the description below for links.
On a geological timescale that’s CRAZY fast!
We’ve never been at this level in the history of mankind
and it keeps climbing.
We call this Global Warming because, well, that’s exactly what it is!
But wait. A few degrees warmer, who cares?
It's a global average.
You might not even notice the difference locally.
Well actually, it has NASTY consequences.
When oceans get hotter, they expand
so sea levels rise.
The heat also melts ice and glaciers
sitting on land in places like Greenland and Antarctica
which raises sea levels even further.
This rapid change destabilizes the climate
We get flooding, extreme rainfall, extreme storms.
A lot of destruction.
Others places get extreme drought
which kills crops and causes starvation.
We get heatwaves, wildfires, water shortage.
Basically, Bad Stuff happening all over the place
Sure, we’ve always had storms and droughts and stuff from time to time.
But global warming makes them more frequent and more extreme.
All this climate-related destruction
forces more and more millions of people
to flee their homes, permanently
And where do they go?
Even the places that are lucky enough
not to be hit by extreme weather
they need to deal with the growing stream of climate refugees
showing up at their doorstep
More people fleeing, fewer places to go.
That’s a recipe for instability and war!
Which in turn generates even more refugees
compounding the problem.
It’s like we’re passengers on a leaking boat.
No matter where the hole is
it’s still everyone’s problem!
As this drama unfolds, how do we react?
Some react with denial
some with panic, or shame, or blame.
But none of that helps solve the problem
so let’s skip that.
What does help, is doing something!
At the very least, it FEELS better than just worrying.
And congrats, you’re already doing something
educating yourself by watching this video!
Now, the first step towards solving any problem is to understand it’s cause
so let’s talk about that.
Here’s our atmosphere, otherwise known as The Sky.
You’ve probably heard of the greenhouse effect.
Sunlight continuously hits our planet and reflects back out.
But greenhouse gases, like Carbon Dioxide and Methane
capture some of that energy and keep it in, like a blanket.
That’s a good thing actually
because otherwise the entire earth would be a frozen ball of ice
and you would be a popsicle.
These gases have been pretty consistent for thousands of years
giving us a stable climate
and enabling convenient things like, well, human civilization
But during the past 50 years or so
carbon dioxide concentration has suddenly increased by 40%.
In 800,000 years it’s never been above this line
and now suddenly it jumps to here and keeps rising!
Hmmmm! Rising CO2 levels, rising temperature!
Coincidence?
No!
Turns out, this is the main cause of global warming.
So why is carbon dioxide increasing?
All living things are made of carbon.
Carbon is neither created nor destroyed
it just cycles around our biosphere
as plants and animals live, breath, and die.
So what’s with all the EXTRA carbon
where the heck is that coming from?
It all started a century and a half ago
when we discovered a really neat party trick
dig up coal and oil and gas
and use it to fuel cars and produce electricity! Wow!
These are known as “Fossil Fuels” because, well, they come from fossils
buried carbon from organisms that died millions of years ago.
When we dig it up and burn it
we get LOTS of energy all at once.
Great! But a side effect is that we also get carbon dioxide gas.
Note an important distinction here.
Non-fossil fuel, like burning a tree
does NOT add carbon dioxide to our system
as long as a new tree grows to replace it.
That carbon was already in our biosphere, it is renewable
However, fossil fuels DO add carbon dioxide to our system
because we dig it up and don’t dig it back down again.
And so every year we end up adding about
50 billion tons of greenhouse gases to our atmosphere
and about 70% of that is carbon dioxide
from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and oil.
And it keeps going up
because of more people using more energy.
Hah! We found the biggest leak!
Now we just need to plug the hole.
The SECOND biggest cause of global warming is...
actually we’ll get to that later.
Unfortunately climate change is happening faster than
even the most pessimistic climate scientists expected.
Why? Because of so-called "positive feedback"
which, by the way, isn’t nearly as positive as it sounds.
The biggest feedback loop is water vapour.
Hotter oceans cause more evaporation.
And water vapor is actually also a greenhouse gas
so that causes further global warming.
Second feedback loop: Reduced ice cover.
Ice reflects sunlight.
When that ice cover melts away, more surface is exposed
more heat is sucked in and global warming increases.
Finally, permafrost.
Large parts of Siberia, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska
are covered in permafrost.
Turns out, this frozen soil contains lots of greenhouse gas.
When it thaws the buried gases are released
causing even more global warming.
So climate change is accelerating
because of three vicious cycles!
It all works together like some kind of
evil scheme from a B-movie villain!
These feedback loops are almost impossible to stop
so we really need to tackle the root cause.
Since burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of global warming
we need to....
STOP burning fossil fuels!
(thank you, thank you...)
So wait...
WHY are we burning this stuff again?
We burn it in power plants to generate electricity.
We burn it inside cars and planes to drive them around.
We burn it in factories to produce stuff.
See the chimneys? Exhaust pipes?
Smoke! That’s a hint.
All this accounts for about 2/3 of the 50 billion tons!
And by the way, that smoke is deadly poisonous
so we kinda want to get rid of it anyway.
Here’s the most fascinating thing.
The fossil fuels industry is subsidized!
Governments around the world spend about half a trillion dollars per year
1% of the global GDP
financially supporting the very thing that’s killing us.
Clearly, change is needed!
So... what, are we going erase 200 years of progress?
Back to candles and horses?
No of course not!
Cuz we’ve grown really fond of electricity and transport
so that’s not going away.
We just need to solve it without burning fossil fuels.
And the good news is that we don’t even NEED to burn it any more!
Instead of coal and oil
we can use solar panels and wind turbines
to generate the same electricity
without screwing up the climate.
This used to be expensive and ineffective
but the technology has finally caught up.
Now solar and wind is often more cost-effective
than coal and oil
even without taking climate impact into account!
That’s known as Grid Parity
a crucial economic tipping point, where people
who don’t even know or care about climate change
will want to switch – because it’s cheaper
Of course, we need energy even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing
so the next big challenge is energy storage
But battery technology and other storage solutions are catching up fast.
An added bonus to all this is that
ALL countries have free access to sun and wind!
It is basically democratized energy.
So, less need for countries to bicker with each other
over unevenly distributed oil reserves and gas pipelines and stuff.
Of course, we have other non-fossil energy alternatives too.
Nuclear, which of course carries its own risks and challenges, hydro, biofuel, geothermal.
From a global warming perspective, ANYTHING is better than burning fossil fuels.
Renewable energy is spreading fast.
But globally, about 80% of our energy is still based on fossil fuels
So we gotta keep that ball moving.
What about transport then?
Transport accounts for about 14% of all emissions
and three-quarters of that is from fuel cars, including trucks and buses.
Oil power plant on wheels.
They are worse than planes only because there are so many more of them.
But now we have electric cars.
Plug it in and charge it up, just like you do with your phone!
Range used to be a problem,
but now some electric cars can go over 500 kilometers
on one charge, and by then you’ll need a break anyway.
They are still pretty expensive, but prices are coming down fast.
Of course, an electric car is only as clean as the electricity it uses.
But the difference is that a fuel car will stay dirty forever
while an electric car gets cleaner automatically as the power grid gets cleaner.
There’s more good stuff going on.
More energy-efficient appliances.
Smart energy distribution systems.
These things help the climate AND lower your electricity bill.
Regulation is also catching up
mainly through carbon pricing schemes
For example tax shifting
where governments charge a carbon emission tax
and use that revenue to reduce something else, like income tax or VAT
So these imported bananas are more expensive!
But hey, these local apples are cheaper!
It’s a shift, not a tax increase.
When companies end up paying the REAL cost of their carbon footprint
they find innovative ways to reduce it.
Some engineers are even experimenting with carbon capture.
Which means sucking carbon dioxide from the air and putting it back into the ground.
Kinda like trees on steroids.
Someday, the whole oil and coal thing will be history.
A horror story that we tell our grandchildren.
A common misconception about climate change
is that lowering our carbon footprint means lowering our living standard.
That’s actually not true.
For example. This is Krakow, in Poland.
Poland suffers about 50,000 premature deaths per year
because of toxic dust from burning coal.
Contrast that with this village in Bavaria
which uses 100% renewable energy sources
a combination of solar, wind, hydro, and biofuel.
They breath clean air
produce 5 times the electricity they need
and sell the surplus for a profit!
Of course, this is a small village so it’s an unfair comparison.
But the trend is clear: this is the future of cities
Better air, less traffic noise, and basically a higher living standard.
Remember, roughly 70% of global warming is caused by burning fossil fuels.
As we gradually shift to renewable energy to power our houses, cars, and factories
most of that stops!
All we have left then is…
oh, yeah
the SECOND biggest cause of global warming.
We destroy ALOT of forests to clear space for crops to feed livestock.
especially cows.
Causes a lot of carbon dioxide, as well as...
methane emissions.
In fact, forestry and agriculture adds up to almost a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions!
More than the entire transport industry.
A lot of innovation is happening to reduce this
But at the end of the day, we really need to eat less beef.
That’s a hard sell to some people.
But meat lovers - don’t panic.
Pork and chicken and other meats have 5-10x lower climate impact
Now you may be thinking
“OK so we have a problem..."
"...and it’s bad..."
"...but it’s being solved."
"So... why should I do anything?”
The problem is we need to speed up!
There are plenty of bumps on the road.
Technical challenges, political challenges
and of course resistance from oil-profiting organizations
that don’t really appreciate going obsolete.
The faster we move the ball
the less of these horrible consequences we need to suffer.
So what can YOU do?
In management circles, people are often referred to as resources.
Naaaaa....
People aren’t resources. People HAVE resources!
Money, time, passion, creativity, skills, tools.
And, of course, connections to other people
who in turn have their own resources.
The mix will vary from person to person
but ANY resource can be used to help reduce global warming.
For example use your personal network by simply spreading this video
and already there you’ve made a contribution.
For every person that sees it
the likelihood increases
that someone will do something.
And even if only 10% of our actions end up being effective
with a million people doing one thing each
well, that’s 100,000 effective actions! It adds up.
For example, use your voting power
to put climate-aware decision makers into power
or carbon pricing laws in your country.
Use your purchasing power.
Put solar panels on your roof.
Or switch to a renewable energy provider.
Buy an electric car
or invest in a company that produces them.
Tweak your personal habits.
Less flying, more train.
Less driving, more biking.
Less beef, more… anything else.
As a bonus, many of these things improve your health
as well as the climate.
But keep in mind, changing your personal lifestyle
isn’t the only way to contribute.
Look beyond just yourself.
Got some savings? Invest in solar panels somewhere else in the world.
Over a billion people in the world lack electricity entirely.
so they burn kerosene and diesel for light and power.
There are now crowd-funding platforms that provide these villages with rental solar panels instead
which is a triple win
Inhabitants get electricity and a better living standard,
global warming is reduced
and you can earn a return on your investment.
Think about the global impact, as well as local.
On average, each person on earth causes 3-18 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year
depending on income level
Doing the math makes it more interesting, almost like a game
For example, for me, switching to an electric car
reduced my family’s footprint by 3 tons per year.
But a single $500 investment in solar panels in Kenya
enabled a 14 ton yearly reduction
because of all the kerosene they no longer need to burn.
My point is, a ton is a ton
no matter where in the world it is reduced.
Overall, renewable energy is a fast-growing area
so there are plenty of opportunities to make a buck
while also making a difference.
And if you don’t have extra money yourself, well
you can help your rich cousin do something useful with their money.
Do a lot of business trips?
Get your boss to carbon offset your flights.
That means compensating for your emissions
by paying to reduce it somewhere else.
Got programming skills? Testing? Design?
Help create apps and web sites.
Like this one: electricity map.
A cool open source project that visualizes, live
the climate impact of each country’s energy production.
This helps people make better decisions.
There’s more things you can do.
Like digging data?
Do research to provide the raw data for tools like this.
Got a big network? Form a community, or join ours.
Got writing skills? Inspire people with success stories.
Engineer? Build all this cool technology.
Lawyer? Politician? Improve legislation.
Reduce fossil fuel subsidies.
See the pattern?
There are LOTS of ways
you can help reduce global warming.
You may even totally disagree
with some of these actions, and that’s fine.
Think of these as levers you can pull
YOU decide what you’re willing to do
and what you think will make an impact.
This atmosphere is the only one we’ve got
it’s shared by all countries
So no matter where you are or what you do
every ton counts!
Wanna help translate these subtitles? See instructions below.
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
¿Qué es el Calentamiento Global? - Eco Housing
Efecto invernader bien explicado.wmv
🌍 ANTES que Sea TARDE - RESUMEN | MEJOR Documental de CAMBIO CLIMATICO C/Leonardo DiCaprio ♻️
EL CAMBIO CLIMATICO, SUS CAUSAS Y SUS CONSECUENCIAS
EL MEJOR VIDEO sobre CALENTAMIENTO GLOBAL, SOBRE POBLACIÓN Y CONTAMINACIÓN 2020
📖 ANTES Que Sea TARDE Resumen COMPLETO 🌴 [Causas, Efectos & Soluciones del CAMBIO CLIMATICO] ⇇
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)