Effects A Changing Climate Has On The World
Many years back, climate change was already a well-discussed topic. Nations across the globe were alarmed by the said phenomenon. Changes were promptly made and undertaken. Unfortunately, those changes proved to be inadequate to mitigate the extent and severity of the damage brought by harmful human practices.
Climate change isn’t something on which to turn a blind eye, nor is it merely a hoax you can just ignore. It’s as real as it can get. Switch on your television and listen to the news, and you’ll find destruction in the world over. Typhoons, tsunami, hurricanes, bush fires, haze, and many other natural disasters are ravaging the world in ways that were never seen before.
This article seeks to enlighten you with the effects that the changing climate has now brought the world. Read on to learn more.
photo courtesy of The Discovery Channel
- Loss Of Sea Ice
Some countries are now experiencing the effects of melting glaciers. The water level is rising due to an alarming loss of sea ice. When you talk about sea ice, this refers to the ice that floats on the ocean surface and which is supposed to be abundant in the Arctic and Antarctic areas. In summer, it normally gets smaller but doesn’t completely disappear as it is happening today.
This is dangerous as animals that consider sea ice their homes are now losing their habitat. Examples of these animals are polar bears, seals, and penguins. Just as humans seem to need more space, animals do, too. If these animals continue to lose their homes, they are well on their way towards extinction.
photo/Agrant141 per wikimedia commons
The loss of sea ice does not only affect the ecosystems that thrive above it, but even those below it. The temperatures of water are changing. For fishers, for instance, they’re losing catch as fish also continue to die because temperatures incessantly rise. Remember that glaciers also play a pivotal role in creating a balance in the earth’s temperature, stopping it from getting too hot.
- Animal Attacks
Climate change today is also causing chaos within the animal kingdom. Animals are constantly attacking each other as they fight for survival. Beaches are no longer considered as safe as they used to as carnivorous animals are coming to shallower shores, attacking even human beings.
Such stems from the very fact that as the planet continues to get even hotter, animal populations are forced to flee their usual hunting grounds. Either there’s no food left or it’s just gotten too warm and dry for them to live in. Mosquitoes are getting more prevalent, bears are coming in even to once-considered bear-safe forests, and storms are pushing tigers closer to where humans are.
As climate change continues to worsen, unnatural interaction between man and animals will exacerbate as well.
- Human Health Is Deteriorating
It’s imperative to note that the harmful activities of human beings have also found its way to hit back on a revenge-like situation. The health of human beings are considerably deteriorating. Many years back, human beings got to live longer. Now, even the younger ones are exposed to many health risks children in the past did not usually experience, and this is due to the unpleasant environment they live in.
- More children now have asthma and other respiratory illnesses due to pollution.
- Breathing in clean and natural air is almost close to impossible when homes and offices have to rely on air conditioners because the temperature is getting too hot.
- Increase in waterborne diseases are making populations more prone to poisoning and other bacterial infections.
- Rising temperatures have seen more people suffering from heat strokes and heart attacks.
While lifestyle also has a lot to do with diseases people experience today, food and environment also have a huge role to play. Food sources are no longer as clean and healthy, urging food industries to engage in chemical practices to produce cleaner products for humanity to consume.. That, in itself, is making human beings ingest more and more chemically-laden produce.
- Fire Tornadoes And Wildfires
The most recent wildfires, fire tornadoes and bushfires that caught global attention this year happened in Brazil, California, Indonesia, and Australia. These wreaked havoc not just on human properties, forests, as well as natural reserves, causing animals to lose their homes. Because of the recent widespread fires in Australia, koalas are now also on the road to extinction after several burned to death.
Wildfires have unforgivable effects, like the following:
- Emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that will only make climate change even worse
- Extinction of animals
- Mass destruction of forests and homes
- Chaos
The leading cause of wildfires? The burning of fossil fuels. Again, human activity has got a lot to do with this.
Conclusion
Human activity is the top contributor to all the negative changes the world has been going through in recent years. However, lifestyle changes can help overturn the adverse effects of climate change. It isn’t too late yet, and right now is the best time to start.
Author: Krisna
photo/ Pete Linforth
