Climate Change
Causes of Climate Change
Climate change is mostly caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and the conversion of land for agricultural purposes.
Human influences have many environmental impacts and these certain activities change the land surface which further influences warming and cooling effects on the climate. The most dominant product of fossil fuel combustion is a greenhouse gas commonly known as carbon dioxide.
The greenhouse gases are building up in the atmosphere and have led to what is called the green house effect. Humans have induced this enhancement greatly and the continuously growing amounts of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere have much potential to warm the planet to such levels that have never been seen in the history of human civilization.
Industrial process, agriculture, forestry related activities and fossil fuel combustion also emit other substances that act as climate forcers. Some of these forcers are nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide. This combines with water vapour to form tiny droplets or aerosols that reflect sunlight. Sulphate aerosols remain in the atmosphere for only short periods of time and creates and washes in acid rain. The cooling from sulphate aerosols, however, offset some of the warming from other substances.
Impacts of Climate Change
Air Pollution: Smog
Rising temperatures are proven to make smog pollution worse than it already is and increases the difficulty for people to breathe the air surrounding us. Ozone smog is formed when pollution from vehicles, factories and other facilities react with sunlight and heat. Therefore, the increasing temperatures make the process faster and result in more smog and this is being added to the pollutants and allergens that are already in the air. Exposure to increased smog, puts humans at the risk of having irritated lungs, eyes and noses and it is especially dangerous for people who have respiratory diseases such as asthma and people who have serious allergies.
Heat Waves
Heat waves are periods of excessive hot temperatures that are extreme and unbearable.These extreme heat waves seem to cause the most harm for the young and the elderly. City dwellers are also at risk because of elevated temperatures in cities, known as the "urban heat island effect". This is due to lack of tree cover and paved surfaces in large city settings.
Infectious Diseases
Infectious diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile River Virus and Lyme Disease are brought back by climate change.With the increase in temperatures and rainfall patterns along with longer summers, mosquitoes and other insects have the ability to remain active for longer seasons and in more areas than before which increases the risk of them carrying and transmitting these diseases to the people who live in the affected areas. Humidity also allows subtropical insects to move from their original regions to new places where they will thrive. This means that more countries will begin to become homes for these new and old diseases and that people will get more ill or even die.
Droughts
Droughts are a threat to water and food security. Nearly every single region in the United States for example is facing increased risks of seasonal droughts. As we know, water is essential for life and climate change threatens this important resource. The shrinking amounts of water can concentrate contaminants such as heavy metals, industrial chemicals + pesticides, salts and sediments. Because of droughts, water supply becomes susceptible to harmful microorganisms. This means that we will not have access to clean drinking water. Not only that, but climate change alters precipitation and this will have serious consequences for commerical agriculture. If crops behin to yield less, there will be lessfood products for us as well.
Climate change will significantly affect the sustainability of water supply in the next upcoming decades. With less water available and food available, peoples lives aren't about to be impacted very positively, especially those who are impoverished.
Flooding
Climate change has also contributed to causing flooding and periods of heavy rainfall. Other extreme weather events that climate change has contributed to include higher intensity hurricanes. The increased frequency of heavy rainfall and hurricanes are going to put many communities at risk of destruction.
These natural disasters can cause a huge range of health impacts and risks such as injuries, contaminated drinking water, increased populations of disease carrying insects AND rodents, community displacement and hazardous chemical material spills. As rains become heavier, streams, rivers, and lakes can overflow, which increases the risk of water borne pathogens that will flow into our drinking water sources. The downpours will damage sewers and solid waste systems which will pollute our bodies of water and the exposure to these pathogens are bound to cause illnesses such as giardiasis, and norovirus both of which causing diarrhea, nausea, excessive abdominal pain, fevers, and headaches.
Opinion-
My opinion is that history is telling us that climate change essentially disturbs all aspects of life and that it is messing with everything. Instead of focusing on reversing the affects which do not seem likely or possible at all I believe we should be focusing on limiting the affects we have already caused by industrializing less for example; producing less. We should be focusing on how it will change and what can we do to survive and to feed everyone while it is happening. Climate change have negative effects that have already been starting to outweigh the positive ones. A change in climate isn't always bad as it causes some species to die off while others thrive and others are able to migrate, but we will not be able to adapt to the severe effects of climate change much longer, which is why something needs to be done. In my opinion, people who have been polluting our Earth need to start paying the bills both for prevention and the remediation of the negative effects that have come about. We also have to realize the REAL debate is about "man-made" global warming and climate change, not simply is it caused by natural causes any longer! And some people still are in denial of what the humans have caused which is an abomination. It's true there has been a little natural warming over the last several decades but these ridiculous amounts of change and damage to our environment in no way is natural or normal for that matter. If we are going to go about trying to fix this problem, we are going to have to first admit that we caused it and admit the mistakes we have made. See the scam for what it is and don’t believe any of it. Don't fall into people's lies and start saving our planet.