“Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year” (Climate change and health). Moreover, “more than five million extra deaths a year can be attributed to abnormal hot and cold temperatures” (Guo). Ironically, we are at the height of our so-called “development,”, posing as the apex predator, the pinnacle of living beings on Earth. Nevertheless, this precise arrogance as well as our relentless drive for gain has blinded us from the hurt, we are inflicting on Earth. Now more than ever, we are responsible for realizing the uncomfortable truth of our “development” and taking immediate action to correct climate change. By virtue of the United Nations, nonetheless, climate change is addressed through the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Associated with Goal 3, 7, 9,11,13, and 15 of the UN Sustainability Goals, climate action is imperative to Planet Earth as “climate-related disasters between 1998 and 2017 killed 1.3 million people and left 4.4 billion injured” (Goal 13: Climate Action). Of course, we cannot “command z” the ruins produced by human activities on Earth’s climate—yet people have ample time to prevent its worst impacts. Hence, every degree of temperature increase is worth avoiding for the prosperity of our planet and future. Should proper precautions not be taken at present, climate change could engulf the world. Thus, we must conquer climate change through instant and dedicated courses.
How does climate change influence biodiversity?
Climate change demands immediate and ambitious action since left unchecked, it threatens biodiversity, the variety of life which bears human and societal needs. Severe climate, warming oceans, and hotter temperatures exceed the tolerance thresholds of flora and fauna, resulting in mass extinction. For instance, according to the World Wildlife Organization, “Wildlife populations in Latin America and the Caribbean declined 94% between 1970 to 2016 (Shaw). Climate change drastically reduces biodiversity; the loss of biodiversity would threaten the structure and function of the ecosystem, ultimately affecting humans in terms of natural resources. To put into perspective, a reduction in plants would hinder the advancement of medicine: “more than 80% of the developing world continues to rely on traditional medicines, predominantly plants (Shanley). As the population of plants is dwindling, we are losing the means to cope with various diseases. In short, without the presence of biodiversity, homo sapiens would cease to thrive.
Biodiversity is merely a fraction of the problems caused by climate change.
Climate Change Impacts
Climate change affects world citizens environmentally, medically, and economically. To illustrate, “sea level rise has accelerated from 1.7mm/year throughout most of the twentieth century to 3.2mm/year since 1993” (Climate Change Impacts). Some fatal effects of rising sea levels include “erosion of beaches, flooding, and loss of many marshes and wetlands” (Hurricanes and Climate Change). Along with catalyzing extreme weather phenomenon, sea level rise situates island nations in vulnerability. According to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) reports, namely “80% of Maldives could become uninhabitable by 2050” (Manzo). Maldives, a modern-day Atlantis, is fading out of Earth’s framework accompanied by several coastal nations. As a result of drastic environmental changes such as rising sea levels, humans and other species would struggle to maintain stability in their dwellings.
Furthermore, global temperature escalation could ultimately jeopardize public health and safety, water resources, and ecosystems. An analysis by NASA indicates that without significant action to reduce emissions, global temperature would rise by “2.5 °C to 4.5 °C by 2100″ (Is it too late to prevent climate change?)
For instance, civilians are at risk as “higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and conveniently ignite wildfire” (Heat and Health). Since heat-related syndromes proliferate, demand of medications to treat those syndromes will undoubtedly surge. Nonetheless, increased temperatures halt production of remedies; specifically, plant diversity is diminishing because of climate change. Beggs, an Environmental Health Scientist, asserts that “increases in UV radiation from stratospheric ozone depletion…lead to an increased sensitivity to the damaging effects of UV radiation, such as photosensitivity [on medicine]” (Beggs). In simple English, medicine development is hampered by temperature upsurges. This undeniably reveals that rise in global temperature imperils our public health.
In addition, changes in weather and climate patterns directly put our health at risk. Not surprisingly, “heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities every year” (Severe Weather Awareness-Heat Waves). To illustrate, “warmer sea surface temperatures could intensify tropical storm wind speeds” (Hurricanes and Climate Change). Allowing wildfires to spark more conveniently, dry conditions set large landscapes on fire and causing mass casualties.
In fact, to avoid heat exhaustion, many would employ electricity to remain cool and comfortable. Consequently, our electricity bills are becoming increasingly burdensome. Specifically in the United States, “if the nation’s climate warms by 1.8°F, the demand for energy used for cooling is expected to increase by about 5-20%” (Climate Impacts on Energy). Do we want to carry a financial burden in surplus to environmental and medical hindrances? Due to the fact that electricity burns fossil fuels, we would be trapped in this vicious cycle of climate dystopia.
As such, climate change affects us in every aspect: our environment, medical needs, and financial loads. Nevertheless, effects of climate change depend on our transformational action taken to reduce emissions and adapt to the climate. There are many solutions to combat the devastating impacts of climate change. Should we be resilient and ambitious, we can prevent the worst in the future.
Realistic Approaches to Climate Change
In recent years, the greenhouse effect has been criticized for its principal influence on climate change. Michael E. Mann, a Professor of Meteorology, affirms that “concentrations of greenhouse gases…have driven substantial climate changes at a wide range of timescales” (Mann).
It is not surprising that greenhouse gas concentrations have intensified since the Industrial Revolution due to advancements in automation. Moreover, greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor—derive from “a variety of human activities, including burning fossil fuels for heat and energy, clearing forests, fertilizing crops, storing waste in landfills, raising livestock, and producing some kinds of industrial products” (Basics of Climate Change).
Hence, if we curb our emission of greenhouse gases, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Although completely ceasing to emit greenhouse gases is implausible, methods do exist to reduce the greenhouse effect.
One efficient solution is sustainable transportation. Transportation accounts for “27% of 2020 Greenhouse gas emissions” (Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions). The United States Environmental Protection Agency further asserts that “over 90% of the fuel used for mobility is petroleum-based, including primarily gasoline and diesel” (Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions). Yet, the combustion of petroleum-based products results in the majority of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Notwithstanding the exorbitant greenhouse emissions, some continue to drive planet-slaying vehicles. Instead of engaging in such irresponsibility, global citizens must strive towards sustainable transportation, which is more economic as well as environmentally friendly. Most importantly, it is a realistic solution. Sustainable transportation refers to “any means of transportation that is ‘green’ and has a low impact on the environment…Sustainable transportation includes walking, cycling, transit, carpooling, car sharing, and green vehicles” (Sustainable Transportation). Undeniably, most sustainable transportation does not discharge immoderate concentrations of carbon dioxide. Therefore, people should replace petroleum-based mobility with sustainable transportation, which reduces the negative impacts of greenhouse gases on our planet.
Another method that can be immediately employed to alleviate climate change is renewable energy. Electricity releases copious amounts of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere: “25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from generating electricity…60% of electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas” (Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions). Thus, we must find an alternative to reduce electricity emissions. Harnessing the power of the wind, sun, water, and other planetary resources to produce power, renewable energy is a likely substitute for electricity is renewable energy. Renewable energy ideally replaces electricity, as it “emits[s] about 50g or less CO2 emissions per kWh over [its] lifetime, compared to about 1000 g CO2/kWh for coal and 475 g CO2/kWh for coal natural gas” (Tierney). Of course, some may argue that ‘renewables can still cause pollution’, yet in the long term, renewable energy is far less contaminating than burning fossil fuels. Hence, our planet relies on us to invest more in renewable energy.
Unfortunately, climate change cannot be fixed within a short period. Yet, if we opt for pessimism and neglect our ongoing climate change issues, our planet will retaliate with irreversible consequences. Climate change pleads our devoted and instant attention, before ice caps dematerialize and entire nations are wiped out. Most importantly, what we must realize is that climate change is not an abstract occurrence only affecting remote Arctic areas. On the very contrary, every aspect of our lives, ranging from medicine to the economy, will be directly and adversely affected by environmental changes. However, not all hope is lost. There are various methods to thwart detrimental outcomes: displacing petroleum-based vehicles to sustainable transportation and investing in renewable energy.
In the end, the prophecy of our civilization will depend on whether global citizens cooperate through the efforts of adaptation and mitigation or not.
Works Cited
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