Zoomin' with Zoe: A look at the science backing up climate change

How do we know that the Earth is warming? 

Everybody has heard the phrase 'climate change,' but how do scientists know that the Earth is warming? Let's zoom in on the science behind climate change. 

First and foremost, the term climate change refers to the long-term temperature shifts and weather patterns across the globe. NASA scientists analyzed weather data from over 25,000 points across the world, both on land and in the water, to make a graph of global temperature since 1880. 

The Y scale is based on the departure from the 1951-1980 average global temperature. As you can see, from 1880 through about 1970, temperatures warmed and cooled in a relatively normal pattern. But since 1970, the temperature hasn't gone down once. It doesn't ebb and flow like it should over the course of 50+ years. We have definitive data to show that the climate is warming. 

But there are normal ebbs and flows, warm and cold periods throughout the history of Earth, well before humans were alive, like ice ages and volcanic events, and climate change includes it all, not just the heat!

In fact, we are actually coming out of an ice age, so it's relatively cold in the grand scheme of Earth's history. But the issue is the rate at which we are warming that is cause for concern. Since 1950, just over the past 70 years, the Earth has warmed 2 degrees F. 

Now, that doesn't seem like a lot, but the largest mass extinction event in history occurred when the Earth warmed more than 18°F over the span of 50,000 years.

If we continue warming 2°F every 100 years, and that's underestimating because we've warmed 2°F in the past 70 years, we'd be up to 18°F in less than ¼ of the time it took the biggest mass extinction event. 

Plants and animals cannot keep up with this pace of warming, which means another mass extinction is inevitable. In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources found that 44% of all coral reefs and 41% of all amphibians are at risk of extinction. 

Technically, a mass extinction event is 75% of all species, so we aren't there yet, but it will take massive conservation efforts to protect these animals from the sixth mass extinction.  

And temperatures don't show any signs of backing down soon. Each of the last four decades has been warmer than any previous decade since 1850. So, there is a lot of concrete data and science to prove that yes, the Earth is warming, and yes, it's creating some devastating impacts for living things. 

Now, the bigger question is why the climate is warming, and that's something "Zoomin' with Zoe" will take a look at soon.