In a report released by the United Nations, it was emphasized that the divesting of resources from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy won't be enough to revert the problem on global warming. There are several other issues that also require public attention including deforestation and agriculture. The problem on the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is worsening and people need to act on it immediately.
The surface temperatures of the land have increased the global average temperature at least twice as much, saying that human activities on land has contributed at least 20% of global gas emissions. Protecting the forests that help absorb the carbon in the atmosphere and reform agricultural practices could both play a huge role in saving the world, the UN report says.
"Land has always played an important role in the survival of a climate system," said Jim Skea, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "Forestry, agriculture and other forms of land use account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions," he said. "At the same time, natural land processes absorb the carbon dioxide that is equivalent to the total amount of carbon emissions that industries make from burning fossil fuels."
An analyst from a non-profit research group called the Berkley Earth, Zeke Hausfather, emphasized that it was important for people to look at the impact of climate change on land use at the range of global averages because that is where people are most affected.
'The temperature of the whole world has increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius from the temperature before industrialization has set in. However, if you look at the land areas, they're warming about 50 times faster than expected," he told ABC News. He also added that the difference is partly because oceans have a greater capacity to absorb heat.
The analysis of the land-surface temperature conducted by Berkley Earth in the last 250 years showed a slow but steady increase in temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius. It has about 0.9-degree increase has occurred in the last 50 years.
Forest destruction is not just about losing trees that help absorb the carbon in the atmosphere. Rather, destroying forests lead to the release of carbon dioxide in the air and there are no longer trees to absorb what has been released.
"Deforestation is a significant part of the problem, but with better management of the forests and a steady program on rebuilding what was lost, it could be part of an even better solution to fight climate change," said Frances Seymour, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute. "It is not just about carbon being released in the atmosphere when a forest is cleared to turn it into something else. It is a lost opportunity for a possible carbon capture that could save the world."
