Climate change has been a problem for quite some time and we still are not paying enough attention to it. The estimate is that there will be 200 million climate migrants by the year 2050. This is the world that we are living in and it will become a reality if we do nothing to stop it.
What are we doing to cause global warming today?
Global warming is increasing our planet’s temperature at a very alarming rate. In the last century, this has been due to human advancement.
We power our inventions and factories by burning fossil fuels (Riebeek 2010).
This has released more than the natural amount of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, warming the core temperature of the earth (Riebeek 2010).
NASA has confirmed that because of deforestation and advancements, carbon dioxide levels have gone up by 38% and methane levels by 148% since 2009 (Riebeek 2010).
Global Temperature Increase from 1890 to 2010:
What are the effects of climate change on the arctic?
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world and is being substantially effected. This is melting sea ice at a rate that we can not keep up with (Marine Mammal Commission n.d). This has already endangered polar bears, ice seals, and walruses (Marine Mammal Commission n.d). The extra carbon dioxide in the air is increasing the acidity of the ocean and is changing ecosystems which unbalanced the delicate life that all of the organisms live depending on another for survival (Marine Mammal Commission n.d). All of this melting ice is greatly adding to the sea level and creating an unnatural rise in it which is already presenting problems and will no doubt continue to do so in the future if we don change (Marine Mammal Commission n.d).
Infographic:
What will the future hold if we don’t change?
Sea levels are rising because of melting icebergs in the arctic (NASA). Every year the sea level rises another .13 inches and from this coastal habitats are being destroyed by erosion, flooding, and more (Nunez 2019). More and more deaths are being reported from things like storms and hurricanes (Nunez 2019). Coastal families have to relocate because their homes are being destroyed, this number could reach millions (Nunez 2019). Lack of food and the internet are the challenges people face today because of climate change and this will only continue to get worse as time passes (Nunez 2019). Finally, paying for these precautions we need would be very expensive. You need to ask yourself if a 40 billion dollar 80-foot storm wall is worth it when we can still reverse these changes now (Nunez 2019).
What are some things that you can do to help?
1: You can switch to renewable energy.
- Solar powered energy
- Green energy
- Electric cars
These are the inventions that can avoid burning fossil fuels.
2: You can save energy in everyday household items. Turning off the lights or any electronics you don’t need at the moment stop excess waste. Ex: Even turning off the water while you brush your teeth instead of letting it run for two minutes.
3: You can also just switch to less meat or dairy in your diet. Something like this may seem unimportant but meat production is greatly through the process of burning fossil fuels.
4: Use less plastic and paper to avoid ocean pollution and deforestation. Plastic poisons our oceans and animals and adds to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Paper is so highly demanded that entire forests are being brought down which means less clean oxygen for the atmosphere.
Why should you be worried about this?
Climate change is threatening everyone. If we don’t stop it now then not only will coastal families be affected, but everyone else will be to no matter your position. All of this has been proven by sites and scientists like national geographic and NASA. This is your reason to help fix humanity’s mistake.
Check out the sources we used to find more information on this topic:
I hope we encouraged some of you to start considering the effects of climate change and what you can do to reverse them. Check out a bunch of other interesting topics on our homepage of Students of the Sidewalk.
By: The CSS Community (2021)
Students of the Sidewalk 