Climate change real or a hoax?

THE EDITOR: Are severe weather patterns that are causing havoc around the world a direct result of human activity?

With hurricanes, severe weather conditions such as flooding happening with increased strength and regularity, depending on whom you ask, climate change is either a direct result of human activity (fossil fuel, coal etc) or, as some claim, it is a hoax perpetrated by countries that want to continue using these fine-particle air pollutants to their immediate economic advantage.

However, there is another view on the causation of these air pollutants. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US, the cause of most of the fine-particle air pollutants that cause global warming is produced by the US, China, Russia, and Europe and are as a result of nitrogen-rich fertiliser and animal waste.

Moreover, as the Earth’s global population increases, the need to feed more people means that the use of fertilisers and the production of animal waste will further increase. Therefore, simply reducing fossil fuel usage alone is not the entire solution. There is also an increased pressure to look at alternatives to utilising scant land resources for animal production.

It has been proven that plant-based food sources can be a more effective use of resources than animal farming. Furthermore, even though the majority of air pollutants are caused by the big countries, climate change affects all nations; therefore, all must take an active role in doing their share in becoming part of the global solution.

REX CHOOKOLINGO, Diego Martin