Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the planet. This has been happening over a long period of time, but has increased drastically in the recent past due to the burning of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas. When they are burnt these fuels release so-called “greenhouse gases” into the earth’s atmosphere – notably carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and water vapour.
These gases trap some of the heat from the sun so that it is not reflected off the earth’s surface to escape back into space.
It is this “greenhouse effect” which is causing global temperatures to rise.
Global warming is changing weather patterns and growing seasons around the world. Sea levels are rising due to the expansion of warmer ocean water and the melting of ice sheets and glaciers.
There has been widespread flooding, and many freak or extreme weather events.
These changes are disrupting the usual balance of nature and thereby posing great risks to humans and to all other forms of life on the planet.
Capitalism and global warming
Global warming has accelerated alarmingly since the start of the capitalist industrial revolution in the global West. But it is developing countries in the global South who are suffering the most from a changing climate.
Capitalism depends on the use of fossil fuels to maximize profits, and heavy industrialization contributes to the destruction of the natural world.
A report by the International Panel on Climate Change shows that 37% of global greenhouse emissions are caused by industry – including manufacturing, construction and energy production. Multinational companies are at the forefront of this as the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Meanwhile, the World Bank estimates that climate change is costing developing countries billions of dollars each year, and this could rise to $210 billion by 2050.
The Paris Agreement of 2015 was a landmark treaty signed by national governments with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and helping to keep global temperatures to 1.5’C about pre-industrial levels. This would avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
The Paris Agreement was signed by 196 countries, but many probably acted in bad faith. Both the United States and China have failed woefully to meet their commitments under the treaty.