Over the past 150 years, we as humanity have become the main factor shaping the climate. All natural factors operate much more slowly and are significantly weaker
鈥� said Prof. Szymon Malinowski during a Dean鈥檚 Lecture delivered at the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection of the 91桃色.
Climate change is one of the most important challenges facing the modern world. During the lecture, Prof. Malinowski explained how the Earth鈥檚 climate system works, why temperatures are rising and what consequences this has for us all. Below we present the key issues he addressed.
The Climate System and Its Secrets
The Earth鈥檚 climate system is a fascinating and complex network of interactions between oceans, the atmosphere, ice, the biosphere and land. It functions like a precise mechanism that maintains balance between the solar energy reaching our planet and the heat radiated back into space. A crucial role is played by the greenhouse effect 鈥� a natural process in which the atmosphere retains heat, enabling life on Earth. However, human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, disrupts this delicate balance by intensifying the greenhouse effect.
Other factors also influence the climate 鈥� from changes in the Earth鈥檚 orbit, through solar activity, to volcanic eruptions. Internal processes, such as variations in the reflection of solar radiation (the so-called albedo) or ocean currents, can further amplify or weaken these effects. To understand these relationships, scientists use advanced climate models based on the laws of physics and historical data. These models allow us not only to study past climate changes but also to forecast its future.
Consequences of Change and What Lies Ahead
In recent decades, we have observed a clear increase in global temperatures. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached levels unseen for hundreds of thousands of years, leading to rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events 鈥� heatwaves, torrential rainfall and droughts. These changes have far-reaching consequences: they disrupt ecosystems, pose a threat to agriculture and cause enormous losses in coastal communities.
However, climate change is not only an environmental issue. It is closely linked to the biodiversity crisis and resource depletion. Prof. Malinowski drew attention to a startling fact: the mass of human-made objects has already exceeded the mass of all living organisms on Earth. This symbolic 鈥渙verload鈥� shows the immense impact we have on the planet.
What Will the Future Bring?
Everything depends on our actions. Even with ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, further warming is inevitable. That is why it is so important to act now 鈥� and to combat disinformation, which still hinders the development of widespread awareness of the scale of the problem. As the scientist emphasised, growing interest in this issue, including among decision-makers, offers hope.
Prof. Malinowski鈥檚 lecture is an invitation to reflect on how each of us can contribute to protecting our planet. Knowledge is the first step towards change 鈥� and change begins with ourselves.
Prof. Szymon Malinowski, Known as the 鈥淧olish DiCaprio鈥�
is an atmospheric physicist, Professor of Earth Sciences, corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He is a specialist in cloud and precipitation physics as well as numerical modelling of atmospheric processes. Since 2016, he has headed the Institute of Geophysics at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw, and since 2020 he has chaired the Advisory Team on Climate Crisis to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Within the Polish Academy of Sciences, he has served, among others, as Chair of the Committee on Geophysics, and since 2011 he has been a corresponding member of the Warsaw Scientific Society. An outstanding populariser of climate knowledge. Prof. dr hab. Szymon Malinowski is the co-author of the textbook Nauka o klimacie [Science of Climate], President of the Management Board of the Climate Education Foundation, founder and editor of the Nauka o Klimacie [Science of Climate] platform, which combines reliable scientific research with accessible communication. He is actively engaged in explaining the mechanisms governing the climate, reporting on the latest discoveries, and debunking myths related to global warming.
In a pop culture context, Prof. Malinowski is sometimes referred to as the 鈥淧olish DiCaprio鈥�. This label emerged in connection with two films produced in Poland and the United States. In 2020, the documentary 鈥淢o偶na panikowa膰鈥� [You Can Panic] was released, featuring Prof. Malinowski as the main protagonist. A year later, the film "Don鈥檛 Look Up" premiered, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dr Antall Mindy, a climatologist who speaks about climate change but is persistently not taken seriously by the media. The characters of Randall Mindy and Prof. Malinowski are similar both in appearance and in the media context in which they operate. Reflections by Prof. Malinowski on the film Don鈥檛 Look Up can be found in (in Polish).
Edit: Micha艂 Gruda, Kamila Knol-Micha艂owska, Ma艂gorzata Jasi艅ska