What is Climate Change?
Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects every person in every country, and it is our responsibility as global citizens to educate ourselves about the world around us and do our part to ensure a healthy and stable environment for future generations. Only by educating ourselves about our environment, can we fully appreciate our natural surroundings and work to maintain the quality of life in the future. Climate change is the fluctuation of global temperatures and seasonal weather patterns. Not to be confused with global warming, which is a steady increase in the average global temperature, climate change addresses more specific changes, including precipitation, wind patterns, and storm patterns. Global warming refers to a global scale; however, climate change can refer to global, continental, or regional changes. Climate change directly affects the development of ecosystems and the occupants, including humans, of those systems. Drastic changes in climate can drastically change the manner in which a species functions within their natural environment. Climate change is also effected by the influence of the human population, as people continue to release more methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide into the atmosphere through the constant use of oil, coal, and various manufactured chemicals. How has Climate Change Affected us?
The most notable affect of climate change is the widespread increase of precipitation. A prolonged increase in global precipitation, combine with global warming, has numerous negative effects on the environment, including a rise in sea levels by as much as 23 inches by 2100, according to the International Panel on Climate Change. This specific change endangers the lives of people who live in coastal areas. Structures within coastal areas are more prone to flooding and at risk of encountering sever storms. Changes in the shorelines may force communities to uproot and move farther in land.
Climate change also affects the plant life and crops, grown as a main food source, in specific areas. Different specifies of plant life require very structured weather patterns to maintain their viability in a certain area. With a change in precipitation, the plants and crops may not be able to maintain their normal growth pattern or die out because they cannot adjust to the climate changes. This means that the people, and animals, that depend on these crops for both income and food will have to find an alternate food source.
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How Will Climate Change Continue to Affect Us?
The effects of extremely prolonged climate change are not set on stone. There are many speculations and theories of what will happen to our global environment as climate change continues to increase at rapid rate. Besides changes in the ecology of the global environment, climate also leaves a print on human health. The human body is made to endure a multitude of changes in the environment; we store fat to stay warm during colder times of the year, and sweat to keep our bodies from overheating when it becomes too warm. However, the human body is not meant to withstand extreme temperature. In locations, including Australia, where the population already experiences very warm yearly temperatures, the continuous increase in temperature verges on dangerous. This is especially true for the infant and elderly populations with weaker immune systems and body functions. Such drastic increases of temperature worldwide may result in an increased mortality rate due to exhaustion and heat stroke.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, in places, such as Canada, that experience longer periods of colder weather, the population may see a noticeable change in the temperature in unprecedented leaps and bounds. The people that reside in such places grow accustom to the local climate. Harsh shifts from cold to hot can be detrimental to the human body and cause unnecessary stress on the cardiovascular system.
The United States, with greatly diversified ecosystems and local climates, will need to address climate change in a number of ways. Since there is wide variety of environments, each region, essentially, will be affected in a unique way. For example, in Alaska, the thawing of the tundra is releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but at the same time, coastal areas are experiencing a rise in coastlines and desert climates are experiencing more rainfall than ever before. The affects of climate change are widespread and require flexibility and commitment to address and overcome successfully.
What Has Been Done?
In recent years, countries all over the globe have united to address the climate change crisis. There is an array of organizations for every environmental ailment the global world has suffered thus far, and predicted to suffer in the future. Not matter how big or small, the global population is rising to the occasion to spread awareness of climate change. It is no different for government agencies. With numerous government sponsored programs and agencies addressing climate change, the hope is that the global community will be able to, if not revise our contributions to climate change, limit the amount of damaged cause by pollution and the human population. One example of eco-friendly politics that has positively influenced the environment is The Kyoto Treaty. A very influential piece of legislation resulting from an international summit, the Kyoto Treaty is a commitment between members of the European Union to cut environmentally harmful carbon emissions by at least 12.5% in the next two years. Unfortunately, not all countries have elected to join the treaty, there are multiple organizations, including many in the United States that are committed to sustainability and ecologically responsible practices.
The Earth Summit is the largest environmental summits in the world. Last held on 2002 in Johannesburg, Germany, the Earth Summit began in August and ran until early September of that year. The discussion and implementation of new and innovative plans to reduce the carbon footprint took the forefront of the stage, and the US Secretary of State Colin Powell, pleased with the event has said, “it shows that we have a shared vision of how to move forward.” Such meetings are essential for the development of new environmentally focused plans to improve the condition of the world shared by all of us.
What will be done?
Hopes are high and the global public is listening more than ever to the scientific community and working towards future improvements in the condition of the environment. Check out these organizations that are striving to help the environment and global community by working together: