The human race is not oblivious to the fact that they are responsible for all the changes that our planet had to undergo. With knowledge, came innovation. The urge to make lives more comfortable and easier has left the human race at the mercy of technology. More than a tool, technology has become the master. To make the necessary development, systemic exploitation of the natural environment was observed. This eventual degradation of the environment heavily impacted the climate and led to its changes in the last half of the century.
Impact of Climate Change
This eventual process of climate change is affecting us all in ways more than one. The melting of glaciers, the exponential rise in sea levels, and the flooding of land are some of the most common consequences of climate change. This places all lives on earth in a compromising position. This heavily affects us in the sense that the overall standard of health has deteriorated in the last 50 years.
The long term effects of climate change are irrevocable. The continuous degradation of nature can never be undone. All forms of life on earth bear the brunt of all the evil that mankind has perpetrated on nature. There is an increased number of tornados occurring, the droughts have worsened, and supercell storms have wreaked havoc in various parts of the world.
The entire ecological balance of the planet is disturbed. Not only have people lost their homes due to various natural disasters caused due to climate change, but wildlife has also lost their natural habitat. Marine life is perpetually under threat. The consequences of climate change are evident in all spheres of our everyday lives.
How does Global Warming Affect Us?
Even though Global Warming is a term, which is often synonymously used for Climate Change, the former is an entirely man-made phenomenon. Climate change may also take place naturally. Ever since the pre-industrial period, the incessant use of machines, producing and releasing various greenhouse gases in the environment has led to Global Warming. The constant use of refrigerators and air conditioners leads to the release of Chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. These gases trap the heat waves reaching the planet and restrict them altogether. This raises the overall surface temperature of the planet. This phenomenon is known as Global Warming.
The National Climate Assessment (NCA), an integral part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCPP), conducts a survey and produces a report every four years. Their findings show various anomalies in their projected temperature rise and the actual temperature rise. The rise in temperature has exceeded their expectations and scientists are busy working out a solution to this global problem. The predicted impact of climate change in the United States is an increase in the rate of melting of permafrost in Alaska. This would create a lot of trouble for the residents of the country.
Climate change hampers the overall economy of the country. It affects the agriculture sector. The production process becomes erratic. The timings of seasonal events are altered. This makes the entire estimation of produce uncertain. Even the availability of fish in the oceans has become a rarity. Most of the heat trapped in the atmosphere due to Global Warming is absorbed by the ocean, leading to Ocean Acidification.
Since 1970, 90% of the excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans. Climate change greatly impacts ecosystems and by implication, human lives. Extreme weather conditions affect human lives adversely. They develop various health conditions like asthma, and allergies that last them their entire life. Climate change leads to desertification and land degradation in various parts of the country. The land gets barren and becomes unfit for use.
The extreme weather conditions and the exponentially rising temperatures greatly affect the precipitation patterns. This renders the nation’s productive capacity faltering. The length of the frost-free season has been lengthening too, as a result of climate change. A longer frost-free season ensures the survival of more pests throughout the winter season. The frost-free season has been increasing across the globe, but the most significant increase has been witnessed in the western United States. It heavily impacts ecosystems and agriculture. A large number of produces has been systematically destroyed by pests. As long as the heat-trapping gas emissions continue, the lengthening of the frost-free season will continue. The predicted impact of climate change on the length of the frost-free season in the United States is an increment of a month or more. The largest increase in the frost-free season has been estimated to be eight weeks long in the western U.S, around the coastal regions, and the elevated lands. Climate change will continue to have bad effects on the entire nation unless some serious measures are implemented.
Humans have to learn to take accountability for their reckless actions. All development comes at a cost. As the most intelligent creatures on the planet, we have to choose whether we choose the development or our natural habitat. Technological development has to be made eco-friendly.
Minimum emission has to be ensured. Mitigation would ensure a reduction in resource inputs, thereby automatically resulting in a reduction of emissions per unit of output. Mitigation would mean taking actions and implementing laws to ensure the reduction in the production of the greenhouse gases which trap the heat on the surface of the Earth. The rampant felling of trees has to be checked. Planting more trees would ensure the absorption of the excess Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, leaving the air oxygenated.
Under such circumstances, all the consequences of climate change will be brought under control and the factors affecting our lives will be lessened. Climate change is real. It is high time that it should be taken seriously. Environmentalists and Nature Activists need to be listened to. They spend the entirety of their lives trying to make our planet a cleaner, greener, and healthy space for habitat. Turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to their research and solutions is an act of utter foolishness and should be avoided. Exhaustible natural resources should be put to use judiciously so that the planet remains to be cherished for the posterity to come. There should be awareness regarding what each of our individual actions entails, and how nature compensates for our recklessness. Everyone should contribute two bits of their own in leaving this space better than how they found it.
