Curious About Climate Change

PODCAST 194: CURIOUS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JUNE 19TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  EVERY DAY, WHEN WE GO ABOUT OUR LIVES, WE MAKE LOTS AND LOTS OF DECISIONS.  WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT TO EAT, WHAT TO SAY TO OTHER PEOPLE, AND SO MUCH MORE.  LOTS OF THE DECISIONS WE MAKE ONLY IMPACT US OR THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO US, LIKE OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  SOMETIMES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE SO BIG, THAT THE DECISIONS WE MAKE CAN HAVE AN IMPACT, NOT ONLY ON THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO US, BUT ON OUR COMMUNITIES, AND PERHAPS EVEN AROUND THE WORLD.  IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT A TOPIC THAT UNITES US ALL, AND THE DECISIONS WE MAKE WITH REGARD TO THE TOPIC CAN NOT ONLY IMPACT SO MANY PEOPLE, BUT CAN IMPACT PEOPLE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.  

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“YOU ARE THE BEST PODCAST I’VE EVER HEARD.  THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK.  FROM PAIGE.  P.S. I LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  PLEASE DO A PODCAST ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.  

LOVE PAIGE, AGE 6, FROM CANMORE, ALBERTA, CANADA”

O:  THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE E-MAIL, PAIGE.  YOU HAVE AN AMAZING, AND ALSO VERY IMPORTANT, TOPIC SUGGESTION.  WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE FOR YOU THIS WEEK.  BY THE WAY, I DON’T THINK I’VE SHARED THIS IN THE 4 YEARS SINCE WE STARTED THE PODCAST, BUT MY MIDDLE NAME IS PAIGE, SO IT’S AWESOME TO GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO A LISTENER WITH THE NAME PAIGE!

D:  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING, TWO THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR BUT DEFINITELY NOT THE SAME.  THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO LET’S GET STARTED WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW MUCH ICE IS LOST EVERY YEAR DUE TO RISING TEMPERATURES?

D:  SO, AS I MENTIONED AT THE START OF THIS EPISODE, CLIMATE CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US CAN IMPACT, AND IT’S ALSO SOMETHING THAT IMPACTS ALL OF US.  IT REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING ELSE WE’VE DEALT WITH RECENTLY THAT ALL OF US CAN IMPACT AND THAT IMPACTS ALL OF US.  OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS, WE’VE BEEN CONFRONTED WITH A SITUATION THAT HAS FORCED US TO THINK, NOT ONLY ABOUT OURSELVES, BUT ABOUT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR FAMILIES, OUR FRIENDS, AND EVEN COMPLETE STRANGERS.  WHAT EACH ONE OF US HAS DONE TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS ALSO IMPACTED OTHERS IN OUR HOMES, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, IN OUR REGIONS, AND ON OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET EARTH.  DID YOU KNOW THAT WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH ANOTHER CRISIS THAT THREATENS THE BEAUTIFUL PLANET WE CALL HOME, AND THAT WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH THAT CRISIS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, AND THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN ALL DO ABOUT IT TO ENSURE A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL OF US?

O:  WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING.  THINGS WE DO TODAY CAN IMPACT THE FUTURE FOR ALL OF US.   

D:  SO, WHAT ARE GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO ALL OF IT?  

O:  GLOBAL WARMING IS THE INCREASE OF THE TEMPERATURE ON EARTH SLOWLY OVER TIME.  

D:  OUR EARTH IS GETTING WARMER AND WARMER.  IT’S NOT HEATING UP QUICKLY ENOUGH FOR US TO NOTICE, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY HEATING UP OVER TIME.  

O:  SINCE THE YEAR 1900, EARTH HAS WARMED UP BY ABOUT 0.8 DEGREES CELSIUS.  THAT’S JUST A SMIDGE UNDER ONE AND A HALF DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.  THAT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE A LOT.

D:  THAT’S TRUE.  THE NUMBER ITSELF DOESN’T SEEM ALARMING, BUT HERE’S THE PROBLEM.  GLOBAL WARMING IS ACCELERATING IN A WAY THAT IS HEATING OUR PLANET FASTER AND FASTER.  SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT EARTH WILL GET ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 5 DEGREES CELSIUS WARMER BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY, THE 21ST CENTURY.  A 5 DEGREE WARMTH ALSO DOESN’T SEEM TERRIBLE, BUT CONSIDER THIS.

O:  THE ICE AGE ENDED WHEN THE PLANET WARMED BY 5 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND IT TOOK ABOUT 5,000 YEARS FOR THAT WARMTH TO HAPPEN.  

D:  RIGHT NOW, WE ARE ON PACE TO WARM OUR PLANET BY 5 DEGREES CELSIUS IN JUST ABOUT 100 YEARS, FAR QUICKER THAN THE WARMING THAT ENDED THE ICE AGE.  

O:  HOW ARE WE DOING THIS?  HOW ARE HUMANS CAPABLE OF CAUSING GLOBAL WARMING?  

D:  IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE ARE CAUSING THE EARTH TO GET WARMER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING CALLED THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.  A GREENHOUSE IS A STRUCTURE THAT CAN LOOK LIKE A HOUSE, WITH ONE BIG EXCEPTION.  IT’S ROOF IS MADE OF A TRANSPARENT MATERIAL LIKE GLASS TO ALLOW LOTS OF SUNLIGHT IN.  THE SUNLIGHT KEEPS THE GREENHOUSE NICE AND WARM, AND THE GREENHOUSE IS DESIGNED TO KEEP THE HEAT FROM THE SUNLIGHT INSIDE, USUALLY TO GROW PLANTS THAT WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO BE GROWN IN THE ENVIRONMENT OUTSIDE OF THE GREENHOUSE.

O:  GLOBAL WARMING IS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE ARE TURNING EARTH INTO A MASSIVE GREENHOUSE, BY COVERING THE PLANET IN A LAYER OF CARBON DIOXIDE THAT TRAPS HEAT INSIDE.

D:  AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO ALL OF THIS?  WE USE LOTS OF ENERGY.  WE GET ELECTRICITY BY BURNING FUELS LIKE COAL, GAS, AND OIL.  THESE FUELS ARE CALLED FOSSIL FUELS, AND 80% OF OUR ENERGY COMES FROM FOSSIL FUELS.  WHEN WE BURN FOSSIL FUELS FOR ENERGY, GASSES LIKE CARBON DIOXIDE ARE FORMED.  THOSE GASSES RISE AND BLANKET THE EARTH, KEEPING HEAT TRAPPED INSIDE IN THE SAME WAY THAT A GREENHOUSE KEEPS HEAT INSIDE.  AND GLOBAL WARMING IS TOTALLY ANTHROPOGENIC.

O:  ANTHROPO-WHAT?

D:  ANTHROPOGENIC… THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM.  HUMANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING, SO WE SHOULD DO OUR PART TO SLOW GLOBAL WARMING AND SAVE OUR PLANET.  IF YOU’VE EVER HEARD THE TERM CLIMATE CHANGE, IT’S A LOT DIFFERENT THAN GLOBAL WARMING, EVEN THOUGH THE TWO TERMS ARE SOMETIMES USED INTERCHANGEABLY.  CLIMATE CHANGE DOESN’T ONLY REFER TO THE HEATING OF EARTH, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES OTHER CHANGES IN WEATHER OVER TIME, LIKE RAINFALL AND WIND.  THERE IS SOME DEBATE OVER HOW MUCH WE ARE CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND IMPACTING THINGS LIKE HURRICANES, WILDFIRES, AND FLOODS, BUT SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT WE ARE PLAYING A BIG ROLE IN GLOBAL WARMING, SO HERE’S WHAT WE CAN DO TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING.

O:  YOU CAN TURN OFF THE LIGHTS WHEN YOU LEAVE A ROOM.  

D:  YOU CAN CLOSE DOORS RIGHT AWAY TO MAKE SURE THAT HEAT DOESN’T LEAVE THE HOUSE.  

O:  WALK OR USE A BIKE IF YOU ARE GOING SOMEWHERE NEARBY.  

D:  DON’T WASTE WATER BY LEAVING THE WATER RUNNING WHILE BRUSHING YOUR TEETH OR BY TAKING LONG SHOWERS.  IT TAKES A LOT OF ENERGY TO TREAT, PUMP, AND HEAT THE WATER WE USE.      

O:  ALSO, DON’T WASTE FOOD.  10% OF THE ENERGY USE IN THE UNITED STATES GOES INTO PROVIDING US WITH THE FOOD THAT WE EAT.  

D:  USE LIGHTBULBS THAT USE UP LESS ENERGY, LIKE L.E.D. LIGHTBULBS.  UNPLUG ELECTRONICS THAT YOU AREN’T USING.  THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS YOU CAN DO TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING.  

O:  JUST LIKE WE’VE BEEN TAKING STEPS TO PROTECT US AND OTHERS FROM CORONAVIRUS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER TO DO WHAT YOU CAN TO PROTECT OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET AND STOP GLOBAL WARMING, BECAUSE IT’S TOTALLY ANTHROPOGENIC, OR WHATEVER MY DAD SAID.

D:  THANKFULLY, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO REALIZE THAT WE NEED TO ACT NOW TO SAVE THE PLANET.

O:  IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, LEADERS OF OVER 200 COUNTRIES GATHERED IN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND TO WORK TOGETHER TO HELP STOP GLOBAL WARMING.  

D:  MANY OF THE COUNTRIES AGREED TO A DEAL CALLED THE GLASGOW CLIMATE PACT.  LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS OF THE CLIMATE PACT, AS IT DOES MORE TO PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING THAN ANY PRIOR AGREEMENT.  CRITICS OF THE AGREEMENT ARGUE THAT IT STILL FALLS WAY SHORT OF WHAT IS TRULY NEEDED TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING.  ONE THING THAT BOTHERS A LOT OF PEOPLE IS THAT THE AGREEMENT ALLOWS FOR SOMETHING CALLED CARBON TRADING.  THAT ESSENTIALLY MEANS THAT COUNTRIES THAT POLLUTE TOO MUCH ARE ALLOWED TO BUY CREDITS FROM COUNTRIES THAT CUT MORE POLLUTION THAN THEY PROMISED.  PEOPLE FEAR THAT THIS WILL ALLOW COUNTRIES TO STILL CONTRIBUTE LOTS OF POLLUTION AS LONG AS THEY ARE ABLE TO FIND COUNTRIES TO BUY CREDITS FROM.  THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN THE MEETING LAST YEAR AGREED TO MEET AGAIN THIS YEAR TO AGREE TO EVEN BOLDER ACTION TO HELP SLOW GLOBAL WARMING.  

O:  WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS CAN WE RUN INTO IF WE DON’T MAKE THE CHANGES NECESSARY TO SLOW GLOBAL WARMING?

D:  THERE ARE LOTS OF CONSEQUENCES IF GLOBAL WARMING CONTINUES AT THIS PACE.  MANY OF THEM ARE RELATED TO EXTREME WEATHER.  HEAT WAVES WOULD BECOME MORE COMMON AND MORE INTENSE.  HEAVIER PRECIPITATION, IN THE FORM OF RAIN AND SNOW, WILL BECOME MORE COMMON.

O:  AND THE RISE IN THE OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURES WILL MAKE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR FREQUENT AND STRONGER HURRICANES.

D:  DROUGHTS WILL ALSO BECOME MORE FREQUENT.  A DROUGHT IS JUST A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WITHOUT RAIN.  A BIG PROBLEM WITH DROUGHTS IS THAT RAINWATER IS NECESSARY TO HELPING CROPS GROW.  

O:  WILDFIRES WOULD ALSO BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND MORE SERIOUS.  WE’RE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE THESE VERY DANGEROUS WILDFIRES HAPPEN IN LOCATIONS LIKE CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA. 

D:  THE CARBON DIOXIDE TRAPPED IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL ALSO GET ABSORBED BY THE OCEANS, MAKING THE OCEAN WATER MORE ACIDIC.  THIS COULD POTENTIALLY HARM THE ANIMALS LIVING IN THE OCEAN THAT RELY ON A STABLE pH FOR SURVIVAL.

O:  LAND ANIMALS CAN BE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE TOO.  ANIMALS LIKE THE GOLDEN TOAD, WHICH WERE ONCE PLENTIFUL, ARE NOW EXTINCT DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.  

D:  RISING TEMPERATURES ALSO LEAD TO SEA LEVEL RISE.  THAT’S BECAUSE ICE GLACIERS FROM PLACES LIKE GREENLAND AND ANTARCTICA ARE MELTING AS THE GLOBAL TEMPERATURES RISE, WHICH LEADS TO RISING SEA LEVELS.  THIS THREATENS ISLAND COMMUNITIES AND THOSE LIVING ON THE COAST.  I THINK YOU MIGHT BE ASTOUNDED BY THE ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  OLIVIA, HOW MUCH ICE ARE WE LOSING YEARLY DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING?

O:  WE ARE LOSING ABOUT 1.2 TRILLION TONS OF ICE EACH YEAR.  THAT’S TRILLION WITH A “T”.  

D:  JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH 1.2 TRILLION TONS IS, THAT’S ABOUT THE ESTIMATE OF THE WEIGHT OF ALL LIVING THINGS ON EARTH.  AND ALL OF THAT MELTED ICE IS JUST ADDING TO THE OCEAN WATER LEVELS.  

O:  IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO DO OUR PART TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING.  THE EARTH IS BEAUTIFUL AND IT’S OUR JOB TO KEEP IT THAT WAY, BECAUSE EARTH IS HOME TO ALL OF US.

D:  THOSE ARE BEAUTIFUL WORDS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  194 - CLIMATE CHANGE.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB PAIGE FOR THE ECO-FRIENDLY EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  ONLY 6 WEEKS REMAIN UNTIL EPISODE 200.  WE ARE COLLECTING RECORDINGS FROM OUR AMAZING LISTENERS CONGRATULATING OLIVIA ON 200 EPISODES OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  IF YOU WANT TO SEND IN AN AUDIO RECORDING, SEND IT ON OVER TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM WITH THE SUBJECT “EPISODE 200 RECORDING”.  PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOUR RECORDING IS NO LONGER THAN 30 SECONDS AND GET IT IN TO US BY JUNE 30TH.  IF YOU DO THAT, THERE IS A REALLY GOOD CHANCE YOUR RECORDING WILL MAKE IT INTO OUR 200TH EPISODE.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE FOR THE WEEK, WE HAVE SOME AMAZING PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, HENRY M. AND SAXON S.

D:  A BIG THANK YOU TO HENRY AND SAXON FOR THE SUPPORT.  WE HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING ALL OF THE EXTRA ACCESS YOU GET AS A CKP SUPPORTER.

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK USERNAME “I LOVE THE PODCAST” FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW. 

D:  THE REVIEW SAYS “HI GUYS, YOU MAKE ME SO SMART AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.  I HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY AND I LOVE YOU AND YOUR PODCAST.  WE LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST AND I GOT SO MUCH SMARTER.  I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM SO PROUD OF MY LIFE.  YOU HAVE MADE A GREAT PODCAST.  FROM LUCIE AND MY BROTHER JACKSON.  YAY.”

O:  THANKS LUCIE AND JACKSON.  THAT WAS AWESOME.  

D:  JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT THE RUBIKS CUBE FOR A LISTENER IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.