Considering the Climate

So, what about it? We hear all the time about how governments around the world change policies and opinions on the climate, going back-and-forth on how important global warming is. Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement on his first day in office (as he did during his first Presidency in 2015). Of course, Joe Biden, during his stint in the White House, re-joined in 2021. Such poor consistency from the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases is not good when it comes to the climate.

Companies change their opinions too. Yesterday (Feb 26th, 2025), BP announced they are cutting investments in renewable energy in favour of oil and gas, after a couple of years of flat-lining shares.

But you see, THE CLIMATE DOES NOT CARE. The environment in general is impartial to humanity and our actions. However, it will respond to them according to physics. This is where the problem lies - the climate is rational, behaving according to known laws, whereas humanity is highly irrational.

The idea of global warming is not new either, with early calculations of the greenhouse effect going back to 1896 (a quick Google search will show you this). One article really stands out to me, published in Popular Mechanics in 1912:

So, we've clearly known about humanity's potential impacts on the climate for a while - although a more comprehensive understanding didn't come about until the 1970s.

While I'm not here to talk in detail about the Greenhouse Effect (the science is well-known and is taught to kids in school) a quick reminder that it's the reason behind anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change. I am here to highlight that the climate is changing (warming) in a far more profound way than most people realise. It's warming everywhere and it's happening now. This is far removed from the ideas I was taught at school - that a warming climate was something to worry about in the middle of the 21st century.

There are two fundamental things we need to realise:

1. Global temperatures are increasing (with the increase accelerating).

   

   
   

2. Global greenhouse gas emissions are increasing (with the increase accelerating).

Shit. We're going in the wrong direction and, worse, accelerating away from the correct path.

Here lies the problem.

Something clearly needs to be done, but can we rely on governments and global organisations to do the job for us? Despite what my earlier comments may suggest, I'm not totally dismissive of governments and major companies. Most of them recognise there is a problem and something needs to be done. They just need our help - that is, the help of the individual, your help.

But the solution doesn't have to be eating leaves and seeds, selling your car and never flying again. There's a happy-medium in there, somewhere, where you can still enjoy a rich life with some luxuries, all while significantly decreasing your impact on the climate. But guess what? This life can even be better than what you currently live. That is what I'll show you on Consider the Climate.