Before learning about social media and how it will help climate change lets first understand what it is. Climate change is when the temperature of the earth and its patterns start to shift over a long period of time. This started to happen in the 1800s where us humans mainly caused it and are still the cause. You may wonder how us as people are affecting the earth and everything alive on it. Well one thing is your greenhouse gases. This is when “Earth’s greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic). 

Greenhouse gases have different chemical properties and are removed from the atmosphere, over time, by different processes (Denchak, Melissa. “Greenhouse Effect 101.)” I know that before I even learned about greenhouse gasses i thought climate changed because of natural causes. Once I learned how us humans are making it worse and it surprised me. Us humans are burning fossil fuels all over the world everyday. Which includes gas and oil for your automobiles and coal for heat. These are all making it harder for us to help fix the problem when we don't know much about it. We are also increasing the amount of livestock farming which is causing a problem as well. 

We can start fixing this by using things like bikes or walking to areas instead of burning a lot of fossil fuel. I know personally that if I am going somewhere far I'm going to use a car to travel, is it the best option no but sometimes it happens. All I know is that we can start doing things like walking or using a different type of transportation to short areas. Little actions can make a big impact because we want to make this world healthier and a better place. You may also think that how can using too much electricity affect our earth? Well as we know that natural gasses release carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide how is this bad? Because of the earth's atmosphere it wants to contain heat for life to exist.  So by producing those gasses it will be trapped in the atmosphere causing air pollution. Using greenhouse gasses is only going to make it harder for us to help the earth in the long run. 

Another way to help spread information about climate change is Social Media. “Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Tufts, Communications and Marketing. Tufts University 2021.)” I know we all use social media; it is something that almost everyone uses. We repost things, comment, or like things all the time. I know I have reposted many things about climate change because it is just a big topic to talk about. It doesn't matter what you repost because everyone is different. The thing is that social media spreads things so quickly all over the world. If we start to post more about Climate Change it will have a better effect because more people will be aware of it. 

You can post on any social media because there are so many different options and ways you can go about doing this. Once you post something it is out for the whole world to see it. This is good because spreading the word makes it better for people to start acting on it. Although there can be setbacks like negative comments about what you post. Everyone can have their own opinion on what they believe and that's okay but to be rude about it not so much. I think using social media is good and bad because you can have really supportive people wanting to help a cause, then the ones that dont care and are rude about it. whenever you post something it is going to be 50/50 that's how I think of it people will like then people won't. That is not going to stop me from posting what I want to see change and what I believe in. 

How social media and climate change work together is because they fit hand and hand. You can post things online about climate change. Since social media is such a large platform the word will spread quickly. I think social media is a great way to help spread information that needs to be heard. If you think about it, how fast does social media get updated within an hour. A lot of. People are constantly using it and are always commenting, reposting, and or liking something someone has shared. Using this can really help Climate Change because more people will be aware of the effect it has towards us humans and the wildlife.  

As I talked before, social media is a big aspect in helping different causes in the world. One issue where social media could play a key role in combating climate change is with the issue of Polar bears population declining. Polar bears are going to become less populated because of Climate Change. “Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at least twice as fast as the global average and sea ice cover is diminishing by nearly four per cent per decade (CarbonBrief, Wildlife, Polar bears and climate change. March 4, 2015).” This is not good because the Polar bears like and need the cold because it is what they are used to. Having too much heat will mess up their systems for food and survival. “Polar bears feed on ringed seals that live at the ice edge, getting two thirds of the energy they need for the entire year in late spring and early summer. With the ice retreating earlier in spring and forming later in winter, the bears have less time to hunt prey and have to go without food for longer (CarbonBrief, Wildlife, Polar bears and climate change. March 4, 2015).” Not only us as people are having a hard time with climate change, so are our animals. We have to start taking care of this earth because we want to see these animals and us thrive through many years to come. You could look at a website that I have included down below. 

In conclusion I think that it is important to know about climate change. When I started doing this project I learned more about climate change. Climate change is a big topic by itself and once people fully understand what is happening maybe they will want to help more, yes it'll take time but it is better to start now. I also think that social media plays a big role in this as well because it will help fundraisers and other organizations get the views they need to be successful. Overall climate change and using social media is a good way to introduce the topic to people. Also so that we can be more successful in helping the earth. 

Resources 

https://www.climatechangepost.com/ 

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/greenhouse-effect-101 

https://www.carbonbrief.org/polar-bears-and-climate-change-what-does-the-science-say 

https://communications.tufts.edu/marketing-and-branding/social-media-overview/#:~:text=Social%20media%20refers%20to%20the,Instagram%2C%20LinkedIn%20and%20YouTube%20accounts.