Basics of the CC Crises
Clearing the air...
Recently, during a podcast, one of the smartest and most popular Tech YouTubers seemed perplexed with the basic concepts of climate change. It was a big deal. Tech nerds are supposed to be well-versed in this field, as reducing the “carbon footprint” is one of their favorite keywords.
In 1985, Carl Sagan testified before Congress to explain why Earth differed from other planets. He clarified directly why it is habitable and why other planets (that we know of) are not. Before jumping into present scenarios, let us dissect what he explained in the 80s.
He put forward the complete definition of the Green House Effect (GHE). Folks who received their formal education after the nineties know that there are gases in our atmosphere. Most of it is nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2). Nitrogen is mostly inert and harmless to us. Oxygen, on the other hand, is the holy gas keeping us all alive. The rest of the atmosphere is 1%. The so-called greenhouse gases are in this 1%.
Dr. Sagan opens by mentioning that we intentionally and inadvertently make significant changes in the global climate and the global ecosystem, and we have probably been doing on smaller scale things like that for a very long time. Those gases in the 1% are capable of making such changes. The classic definition of GHE is the rise in temperature of Earth due to these gases. But that’s not really the complete picture. This is more like the moral of the story. A generalization. How this rise takes place is significant in present times. It has to do with how heat transfers in general and particularly the radiation phenomenon. Heat comes from the Sun in abundance and is reflected from the Earth's surface. This exchange is crucial, and GHE makes it possible for the planet to maintain the right amount of heat. These radiations carry energetic photons of a very wide range of wavelengths(Inc. UV, Visible light, and Infrared), which make the gas molecules vibrate. The vibrations caused by infrared radiation are crucial here! Nitrogen and Oxygen are diatomic linear gases. They have a simple degree of vibration, while greenhouse gases have complex degrees of vibration because of their nonlinear, multiatomic structure. Here, degree signifies how capable a gas is of interacting with radiations. This is the main reason why carbon dioxide absorbs and emits infrared (IR) radiation, while nitrogen and oxygen molecules do not. The same goes for more greenhouse gases like methane, ozone (and even water vapor, etc).
The new moral of the story is that the amount of Nitrogen and Oxygen does not make a difference. More greenhouse gases means more heat getting trapped on Earth. The surface temperature keeps rising to keep the balance. And some gases and aerosols (Methane and fluorinated gases) are even stronger than carbon dioxide. It should be obvious that rising temperature is a problem for the planet. The oceans are all connected, along with the frozen poles at North and South. In fact, they are all connected through a deep-ocean current called the Global Ocean Conveyor. A drastic change in the balance of temperature would melt the frozen parts of the earth(The Cryosphere). This would result in the rise of sea levels, and the planet would eventually be flooded everywhere—just like it was after the primordial age.
The Ozone Opening
Now that we have covered the necessary bases, let’s clear the air on the Ozone layer. The tl;dr is: No, the Ozone hole over Antarctica is not closed (Yes, Marques. You were right).
Surprisingly, the Ozone crisis is relatively better understood than GHE. Maybe it is because UV radiation is better understood than IR radiation. I would argue that the core reason is the visible harm of UV rays—Skin Cancer.
The Ozone layer depletion is very well explained in many videos on YouTube. (Especially in this, this, and this one for sure.) It turns out that life on our planet only favors a handful of all the radiation from the Sun. Long before its discovery in the 1900s, there was a huge envelope of pale blue Ozone gas surrounding the Earth's atmosphere, protecting life by reflecting the harmful UV rays. Some studies suggest that the same envelope is partly responsible for our Bluesky.
So what made the hole in this ginormous entity?
The greenhouse gases. Especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
After the Industrial Revolution, our atmosphere was filled with these gases up to the brim. They were the primary coolants in heavy machinery like Refrigerators, Air conditioners, and even cosmetic aerosol sprays. In theory, all the sources of these gases are banned now. The ban started after the Montreal Protocol of 1987, signed by all the countries globally. It is still in effect, but the Ozone problem is not solved yet. Despite global restrictions, aerosol sprays and other CFC-inducing materials like styrofoam are prevalent in poor and developing countries of Asia and Africa. The replacements for CFCs as coolants are Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), similar greenhouse gases that may not react with the Ozone molecules but cause a massive increase in temperature nonetheless. Therefore, not all of us might be able to see the day when the Ozone layer is completely healed.
The effects of climate change are already visible. Land subsidence, Global floods, Extreme winters, and Heat waves are already rampant across the globe.
End Credit:
This blog was (originally) planned as a prologue to an experimental idea: How an Alien Invasion might save Earth's Climate. Below is one possible roadmap that I have casually devised. For now, I am not sure if I will be able to write such a piece. If I receive enough responses and this pans out in any way, maybe someday. Meanwhile, feel free to send this to MKBHD.
Objective: To exemplify a catastrophic scenario using a direct reference to where Human resources can unite to solve climate change.
Clear the air around the greenhouse effect.
Mention the lapse in the current approach shown by the 2023 broken climate model.
Now or the gradual path to never.
Highlighting the potential of a united approach.
Reminding the potential of technological advancement.
The Ticking Clock of X-risks.
A Hypothetical Alien encounter challenging the planet.
The urgent call to action on climate recovery.
R⁙I⁙P Akira Toriyama