Interview: Climate Change with Rob Pickford
The earth had gone from cool to warm phases in the past, even before humans were present. The main forces leading to climate change are the strength of the sun’s heat, geological emissions such as volcanic eruptions, and a shift in naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere that has a greenhouse effect. However, studies indicate that the current climate warming since the middle 20th century is happening at a much faster rate than it was ever before and cannot be justified by natural phenomenon alone (“Global Climate Change: What You Need to Know”, 2020).
Environmental activist Rob Pickford paid a visit to the European Climate agency headquarters this week, and I had a chance to interview him after the visit about climate change. Mr. Pickford has often been involved in climate issues for a long time and is known for his commitment to and shouting out various things that negatively affect the environment.
Me: Mr. Pickford, what are the current statistics of climate change?
Rob Pickford: Figures from NASA shows the earth is currently experiencing a mean change in global temperature of 0.8 degrees (“Global Warming”, 2020). The amount of emissions from human activities is rising cumulatively, and in the next few years, the mean figure shall rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius without making a trail to change that sudden change.
Me: But there is information pointing that there has been climate change in the past before humans, and you seem to single humans. Do you think humans should be solely blamed for global warming being witnessed?
Rob Pickford: Not totally, but humans are the main culprits. Statistics from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration show that natural causes are there. Still, their effect is minimal or too slow for them to justify the global warming seen in the last few decades. In fact, records show that greenhouse gas being emitted from human activities are the leading cause of global warming. Greenhouse gasses are vital in playing an important role in making the earth warmer for it to be habitable to humans, but too much of these gasses in the atmosphere makes the earth warmer than it is desired to be. The amount of carbon (iv) oxide, nitrous oxides, and methane in the atmosphere has increased to undesired levels in the past 800000 years. Carbon (iv) oxide alone has increased to 40% since the start of industrialization.
Me: As you have said, humans are the lead drivers of the current climate change; what if all humans agree right now to bear the responsibility by taking sufficing actions that forestall the direct impact of climate change? Will it be a little too late?
Rob Pickford: We can still achieve the limit, which is within 2 degrees Celsius, that scientists consider to be relatively safe as approved in Cancun and Copenhagen. The door is closing quickly. My most important message is to act right now fast with a strong will. At 2 degrees Celsius, it might still be feasible to revert the earth, but it requires strong political will and quick actions. The 2 degrees Celsius is quite a significant global warming for the earth. It has catastrophic results in an ecosystem shift, possibility of species extinction, health-related effects on humans, poor agricultural productivity, and many more negative effects.
Me: In summary, Mr. Pickford, what message would you like to pass across to the international community on the significance of combating climate change?
Rob Pickford: First of all, lookout. Making it a universal topic, let every human know about this looming disaster. All they need is to pay attention around. I mentioned negative examples, but all you got is to look around, and you will see hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts.