Global Warming: From analysis to real-time red flag 

Global warming – a phenomenon that is as old as the Earth, but is now more and more in the spotlight. Rightly so. People sure have heard of it, but the number of those who stand up and act against the approaching catastrophe is simply not enough. Besides, we can’t expect a solution for a global problem to come from a single country in a limited time frame. Instead, multiple nations and regions have to work together for global sustainability. 

In this post, we discuss the role of languages in tackling the challenge of climate change and global warming. But first, let’s learn more about what global warming actually is and where it stems from.

Causes and Evidence

The main attribution to global warming is the expansion of the “greenhouse” effect: Gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat. It’s thanks to the greenhouse effect that the Earth has a climate that makes it habitable.

During daytime, Earth’s surface warms up in the sunlight. At night, it cools down, releasing heat back into the air. 

Human activities however are changing Earth’s natural greenhouse effect. Some specific gases are believed to block the energy from escaping: Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane, Nitrous Oxide (NO2), and Water Vapour (H2O). 

Because not all energy is released, the remains are kept within the atmosphere and it becomes heat. 

We humans have been contributing to the greenhouse effect by burning oil and coals, which creates CO2 emissions. The evolution of agriculture and industry contributed massively to global warming. To top it all, deforestation makes the situation worse. Read more about the causes in this NASA’s analysis.

The year 2020 was a milestone: the Earth experienced some extreme heat waves. It is ranked in the top three years of global warming in the last 10 years. However, the Covid-19 pandemic drew slightly less attention to this alerting topic. Nevertheless, global collaboration should be prioritised in order to solve climate change.

Languages and Communication in the fight against Global Warming

The cooperation of multiple countries must be the priority, on a global scale. But sadly, international communication and collaboration is still considered a challenge. To be able to constructively exchange opinions on how to solve the issue requires a willingness to understand different cultures, different backgrounds, and a willingness to speak the other’s language. Why?

To speak in a foreign language is to reach people’s hearts.

Global warming can only be tackled if the whole world is on the same page. Therefore, understanding cultures and languages can play a vital role in the fight against climate change. 

On another note, people are also indifferent to severe climate change because their perspectives of the catastrophe are mainly based on facts and statistics. People don’t react to facts as much as they react to emotions. We need moving stories that can translate into actions.

Our planet is suffering, and the future of natural disasters is nearer by day. There is no better time to start using languages, to learn about how to communicate across cultures, in order to bring together nations and unite people . 

At ProLingua Global, we believe in the importance of making a positive difference to the lives of other. But it’s impossible to do anything meaningful if we don’t protect Planet Earth at the same time. We can be busy with innovative ideas so much so that we forget the one thing we depend on every day: natural resources and our atmosphere.

To slow down climate change, understanding other cultures and knowing how to forge collaborations with those whose world view is very different to ours is essential. The more people talk about global warming, the sooner solutions are found. 

After all, languages are not only useful to learn about exotic cultures and knowledge. Languages represent meanings and destiny. Therefore, they should not be underrated in solving a global problem such as climate change.

If you have a fresh perspective on this, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comment section below.