Climate Change – Fairy Tale or Reality?

Introduction

Since the buzzwords ‘climate change’ appears in the world dictionary, quite a few groups in society found a way to deepen and exploit the general population’s lack of knowledge. Driven by the desire to profit economically from this lack of knowledge, they began to ‘sell’ the ‘missing’ knowledge, thus nurturing a future catastrophe and leading to uncertainty about the survival of future generations. The planet Earth, our beautiful ‘orange sponge’, named after its ability, to absorb rainfall and moisture, has, only for short decades, been supplying the commodities to maintain the role and function of all living creatures. It has gradually taken over by one species— the Homo sapiens — who have ultimately abused the sponge's outer layer for thousands of years. This succession of Earth by Homo Sapiens, joined by the constant exhaustion of the land, has led to changes below and above the earth’s fragile surface that affect permeability, gas exchange, etc. Together, these factors serve as a temperature rheostat.

Because of the extreme abundance of resources, the ability to create micro- specialized fields has allowed us, as a society, to lose the big picture: the truth about climate change. This loss results in ambiguous conclusions, and ultimately, vulnerable minds are affected. The captive minds and the demands of different communities have inevitably evolved into a more organized movement with increased investments and budgets. These crusades of organizations are supported by governmental funding, and private funding by funders committed to their own and future generations’ survival. As a result, there are now hundreds of specialized organizations competing at zonal, regional, sectoral, national, and global levels. These organizations raise huge amounts of funds and can influence human opinion. They can benefit by raising even more funds, but the investment of this money in the general population or younger generations is minimal.

The number of conferences, meetings, workshops, etc., organized each year on a global level deceive the ton, since they deal mainly with specialized subjects --such as CO2 elevation and pollution caused by a huge range of solids, fluids, and gases that affect soil, water sources, marine environments, the atmosphere, and more –and disregard the greater truth. These meetings are well funded and feature top-notch speakers, but unfortunately, these speakers focus on vague and irrelevant subjects. Additionally, these gatherings have failed to bring together scientists from different disciplines who might have developed a holistic, well-focused approach that could provide answers regarding how, why, or which strategy should be used to cope with the very complex issues of climate change.The different agreements between governments are of great importance, but the crucial implementation of these and other agreements is not taking place. Examples of these agreements include the Paris 2015 agreement and, more recently, the Glasgow 2021 agreement, which were signed by hundreds of nations. The request for huge budget commitments yields a great benefit for certain organizations that focus on only one subject, usually not on the most relevant one, for dealing with global climate change.

The lack of funding for the complex problems related to global climate change in general and the complex interaction between their components in particular, emphasizes the need for a holistic, approach: illustrated by the apportionment of funds by the different unimodal tactics.

On both regional and global scales, changes continually unfold across various ecosystem levels. These transformations, from the standpoint of Homo sapiens, represent pivotal elements in the progression of human development. Milestones such as the invention of the wheel and the industrial revolution have given rise to an array of scientific branches, ultimately leading to the emergence of countless new fields for the betterment of humankind. However, a critical challenge lies in the limited accessibility to new information, which is often hindered by gaps in education and can potentially worsen over time.

The inexorable rise in population results in a pressing demand for housing, leading to the swift expansion of land covered by towering buildings and intensive underground infrastructure, consequently causing soil profile instability. The procurement of necessary resources, starting with larger housing units, escalates further to encompass various commodities such as energy, transportation, and services. Notably, as individuals progress through different stages of life, the functionality of their housing needs evolves, necessitating transitions for the elderly to smaller habitats while still meeting their requirements.

This opens up opportunities for larger, younger families to utilize and aerate grounds previously occupied by the elderly. These developments not only alleviate the hindrance to moisture absorption caused by the 'orange' crust cover but also present rejuvenation of soil surfaces through methods like 'maki-rolling', involving the removal of road pavement to expose soil. In my view, the potential of architecture in addressing climate change has been underestimated, despite its substantial impact on the prevailing challenges.

The increase in global population size from 7.1 to 9.3 and then to 13.5 billion is a natural evolution based on past food availability and commodity increase. This growth naturally correlates with changes in global biodiversity and natural selection. However, how long can our 'orange sponge' continue to sustain and maintain the ever-growing needs of humankind. A long-term balance should be kept between population growth, food production, and services supplied by nature.

We must differentiate between inevitable global changes, and those that are in our control. This change begins with the way we educate the next generations with true facts and lessons. This change continues with accepting the decreasing functionality, for example, of our housing and matching our needs with appropriate commodities to allow for the soil to recover from our constant usage. As the world continues to evolve, Earth's outermost layer will continue to be covered more and more, but with the right education we can minimize the damage caused by this growth. Organizations must join forces and strive to create a more well-rounded assessment of climate change. An assessment not driven by money and interest, but one driven by humanity's obligation to its orange sponge.