Shattering myths

Climate change, despite finally being a recognised phenomenon linked directly to human activity, still generates a debate full of inaccurate claims that cause confusion. Below we list some of these false claims.

Pop ups

  • Climate change is happening faster than ever before, and it is proven to be caused by human activity. So, although up until now it has occurred naturally, the alteration and acceleration of the process has become artificial and, consequently, unjustifiable.

  • At the current rate of emissions, by 2100 the average temperature on the planet will be 3-5ºC higher. These higher temperatures will mean:

    • A greater quantity of heat warming up the oceans, the atmosphere and the Earth. In Earth’s recent history, a difference of 5ºC is what separates the last ice age from an interglacial period.
    • More frequent heat waves and hot, torrid days and nights, which seriously affect people’s health and alter natural cycles and all associated activities (food, economy, etc.).
       

    In fact, according to a report from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the State Meteorological Agency of December 2018: ‘Climate change: Global warming of 1.5ºC’, half a degree higher or lower can also make a big difference. According to this study, in 2017, the average temperature on the planet had increased by one degree centigrade compared to the pre-industrial era (the period in which human activity changed significantly). In the best case scenario with regard to action and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (the committed scenario), temperatures will rise by 1.5ºC, with clear effects. For this reason, adaptation has also become a high-priority strategy everywhere. Moving from 1.5ºC to 2ºC means changes that will affect between 4% and 13% of ecosystems, for example.

  • CO2 directly affects our health, not through breathing it in but rather the effects resulting from its increased concentration and the direct rise in temperatures: heatstroke, fatigue, problems sleeping, changes to the circulatory system, dehydration, new diseases caused by new associated vectors (insects), and so forth. What’s more, more frequent and intense extreme climate events caused by climate change may also lead to deaths associated with floods, hurricanes, etc. In the case of atmospheric pollution, the effects on health are more related to cardiorespiratory problems and even neurocognitive conditions.

  • The main greenhouse gas generated in a city like Barcelona is CO2 eq. It comes from various sources but is mainly the result of burning fossil fuels so we can drive around in vehicles and have gas, electricity and air-conditioning in our homes, for treating the waste that we generate and producing the products we consume. The basis is the burning of fossil fuels. On a daily basis, our activity contributes to the emission of gases. In the case of CO2 eq, this contributes to a global phenomenon (climate change) that has local effects. In the case of other polluting gases, such as nitrogen oxide or suspended particles, among others, – particularly emitted by motor vehicles driving round the city –, we are talking about atmospheric pollution that directly affects our health through constantly inhaling them. However, the majority of actions aimed at mitigating climate change contribute directly to reducing atmospheric pollution, and vice versa, although there are exceptions, such as electric vehicles (which reduce local atmospheric pollution but depend on electricity generated by fossil fuels, and therefore continue to contribute to climate change).

  • The scientific community has considered various possible future emission scenarios, producing hypotheses on the evolution of energy consumption, economic growth and population growth on the planet, the use of renewable energy and new technologies, etc. Despite this, it is difficult to predict how our socio-economic model will evolve between now and the end of the century. Changing the scale of these projections to see what the impact of climate change will be at a local level, such as in Barcelona, entails a second level of uncertainty. The value of these studies is that they give us an order of magnitude for each of the climate variables and indicate future trends. In any case, it is the best information we have.

  • Heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent in Barcelona, and this is a reality (link). More than just being hotter, it will become increasingly hot until it reaches 3-5ºC more on average; the thing is that this heat is more concentrated in specific periods (heat waves) and at certain times of the day (especially at night, which makes it difficult to sleep at night). Maybe you remember very hot summers from many years ago, but what is changing is the increased frequency of these hot summers. They will become increasingly usual and, what’s more, the temperature will generally also be higher.

  • In Barcelona, we are already working on a whole economic sector related to renewable energy, energy rehabilitation and the development of mechanisms that enable the most vulnerable people to better adapt to climate change. Otherwise, if we carry on with the current economic system, based on fossil fuels, unlimited waste generation, unsustainable consumption of water and other resources such as meat, for example, the consequences we will have to deal with, and are already facing, will not only have a detrimental impact on our economy with considerable associated costs but also on our quality of life. The cost of not acting is already much higher than the cost of taking urgent measures immediately.

  • Precisely, what the Climate Plan aims to do is bring to the table the tools already available in Barcelona city (within the city council and in civil society organisations and among citizens) in order to tackle the effects of climate change already being experienced in our city. We cannot expect the city to adapt without taking measures and without raising awareness among citizens of their role. In addition, we need to promote new instruments not currently available in Barcelona city to become even more resilient. Often, it is a question of coordinating existing services and reinforcing them with a common objective. It is not always about new installations or major investments, but rather about identifying what we have now and how this can be managed to respond to global warming in our city. The climate refuges are an example of this: ten schools in the city will become special spaces that will provide adequate shelter in the event of excessive heat.

  • It is hard enough to understand how climate change might affect us directly beyond the thawing of the poles or rising sea levels, as in our case it is through higher temperatures and the reduced availability of water that we are most affected. But it is even harder to know what we can do in our day-to-day lives to halt this seemingly unstoppable and totally global phenomenon. And yes, it is a global phenomenon but it has local repercussions and it is caused by everyday actions. Therefore, there is a lot we can do, such as consuming more responsibly and consciously (energy, food, water, various products, etc.), making journeys in a more sustainable way (more journeys on foot, by bike and public transport, and fewer journeys using private motor vehicles, etc.) and other everyday actions that you can find out about here.