“ Some 90 climate scientists from 40 countries conclude that if humans don’t take immediate, collective action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040…”
“ To avoid global catastrophe, according to the report, we’ll need to reduce global carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent by 2030.”
(source: https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/climate-scientists-world-we-have-only-20-years-theres-no-turning-back )
GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL and it is happening right now. But what’s the big deal? Why are so many people talking about it? What’s the impact that it’s going to have on our future?
Lets “ time travel” to thirty years or so in the future and observe the potential consequences resulting from Global Warming today.
HEAT. HEAT. HEAT.
A huge and obvious result of global warming is the increase in the average global temperature, creating a higher temperature on Earth’s surface. The global average temperature has increased about 1.4°F over the past 100 years. There’s also been 17 years that have been more hot than most others. 16/17 of these years have been recorded after 2001.
Still don’t care? okay what about-
“Act Now Or Swim Later”
Sea levels will rise. Miami will literally be underwater. The average global sea level has increased 8 inches since 1880 but has been increasing at a rapid rate recently in the East Coast of the United States, as well as the Gulf Of Mexico. “As the average global temperature increases, sea level is projected to rise more than one foot by 2045, which would put a fifth of Miami underwater at high tide. While the entire East Coast of the United States is at tremendous risk, Miami is particularly vulnerable.”
(quote source :https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/miami-faces-an-underwater-future/amp )
I get it. If you don’t live in Miami… How else would it affect you?
More Destructive Storms ; hurricanes, wildfires, floods…
We all have had our fair share of hurricanes recently. Whether you were impacted personally, or you have family members living within a hurricane affected area. However, all of us have been watching the news and observing this continuous cycle of destructive storms. If the average global temperature continues to increase, the hurricanes will receive more energy. This energy comes from the contrast between the atmospheric temperature with the temperature of the ocean or Earth’s surface. Increased temperatures in the Spring/Summer allows ice and snow to melt quicker. Thus leaving forests drier and hotter for longer periods of time, leaving them vulnerable to increasing wildfires. This is even more of a vulnerable condition because it also worsens the ability to stop the fires, due to the dryness that allows the fire to spread.
COSTLY, HEALTH RELATED PROBLEMS
Care about your kids? Yeah. Global warming is going to make it a lot more difficult to perfect your health in the future. The rise in temperatures will most likely lead to increased air pollution, exposing individuals to constant harmful/toxic chemicals. Increased temperature also can result in a longer and more intense allergy season. yes. a MORE intense allergy season… and you thought it was horrible already! More frequent and dangerous heat waves are expected as well. This is dangerous for anyone to be outside for too long or even just exposing your children to the heat under certain circumstances can damage their health. Even the risk of more destructive natural disasters not only poses a threat to the safety of people, but a huge investment of our money in the future.
Can’t find Nemo? Neither can I….
Destruction of Marine Ecosystems. Yes, there will be another post dedicated to my love for marine biology and the affects of humans on our oceans. The high concentrations of CO2 in the air are somewhat absorbed into the ocean. This increases the acidity of the seawater. Higher acidity can dissolve shells on sea creatures and pose a huge threat to many organisms.
We can’t lose our beautiful Polar Bears.
Our Ice is melting. The worlds glaciers are melting at a faster rate than ever! To be quite honest, it’s hard for people to comprehend why the ice melting is such a big issue. “There’s so much ice… why would some of it melting matter?” “We had an ice age once and survived?”
Yea ok. That’s not really how it works. In a National Park, scientists observed 25 glaciers that were over 25 acres in size. This might seem huge! How could we not have a sufficient amount of Ice for our environment? Well, this is in contrast to the 150 glaciers that previously were there. Our Polar Bears are becoming malnourished. They can’t hop on the ice and fish for food because there is no ice for them to go on! Polar Bears use ice as nurseries as well, allowing their cubs to be safe and protected with a constant supply of seafood. Now that the ice is melting, cubs are left without a sufficient means of survival. We need the ice. Not only for polar bears, but all the other species within our planet.
I encourage you to visit the world wildlife conservation fund website and adopt a polar bear. It’s amazing to feel like you’ve helped out even a little with the current issue of global warming. 🙂
Want to know more?
Here’s another incredible website that accepts donations for support of Climate Action. It’s also great for educating yourself with the impacts of global warming : https://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/science-and-impacts/global-warming-impacts
Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or just concerns about anything, especially if it involves the ocean or polar bears! thanks for reading!
Addicted To Living 