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SUMMARY <br /> CALL TO ACTION <br /> Climate change is a pressing global challenge that requires collective action and <br /> sustainable solutions to safeguard our planet's future. Greenhouse gas (GHG) <br /> emissions which are emitted from the cars we drive, the energy we consume, <br /> and the products we buy are having a harmful effect on our environment and are <br /> increasing temperatures at an unsustainable pace. <br /> The next few years are critical in limiting global temperature to a 1.5°C increase <br /> and mitigating the most severe impacts of climate change. To do so, global <br /> emissions need to be halved by 2030, and net zero emissions must be achieved <br /> before 2050. According to the most recent report from the Intergovernmental <br /> Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Earth has warmed 1.09°C since 1850 and <br /> many changes such as sea-level rise and glacier and arctic ice melt are now <br /> irreversible. Global temperature rise is likely to reach 1.5°C by the mid-2040s <br /> which will further stress our environmental systems and, at a local level, will <br /> result in more frequent and intense heat waves, floods, drought, wildfire, and <br /> air pollution. As a global community,we are rushing to find ways to mitigate the <br /> worst of what is to come. As a local community, we are seeking ways to thrive <br /> despite the disruptions to our lives and well-being. <br /> THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT <br /> Earth also emits heat <br /> Some solar back toward space. <br /> radiation is + <br /> absorbed by I <br /> the clouds and <br /> Some of this heat <br /> passes directly through <br /> the atmosphere. <br /> Solar radiation <br /> penetrates cothe Earth's2 <br /> Greenhouse Gases <br /> atmosphere. (i.e., CO 2)absorb <br /> The Earth's surface and trap the most <br /> co2 <br /> absorbs most solar heat, enhancing the <br /> radiation,warming the warming effect. <br /> 2023 CLIMATE ACTION PLAN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA 9 <br />