CLIMATE CHANGE

The tide is higher that it has been in years. On this small Pacific island, in the middle of

open ocean, they are sinking. New diseases are hurting their people. Important food sources are

disappearing, far beyond their grasp. Hurricanes and typhoons are the harshest theyve been.

Something that is happening thousands of miles away is affecting their home. This is a reality for

some islands, but climate change isnt something that is happening miles away from us, its

closer than you think. Its much more than that.

Climate change is defined as A change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns

when that change lasts for an extended period of time. Weather is affected by temperatures.

Temperatures have risen because of CO2 emissions that enter the atmosphere. These gasses

cause the Greenhouse effect. When sunlight enters our atmosphere it warms up the earth,

bounces around a bit, then is sent out into space again. However, the Greenhouse effect traps the

rays of sun, and the heat just bounces around forever, letting only a little fraction of the heat out.

This is what causes global warming, and the effects can last for centuries later.

One of the effects of climate change hurts our and our crops. With increase of

temperature, more frequent and harsher droughts, fierce storms, and new pests will affect the

time that things can be planted. This can make it difficult to grow food for other places. For

example, if a orange farm in California is having drought after drought after drought, they wont

be able to ship any oranges that year. And for the people that want to buy oranges, there wont be

any they can by and the market for oranges will suffer. Now this example about oranges may

seem a little silly, but when this same cycle is affecting staple foods like grains, and in turn meats
and proteins, the health problems quickly add up. If patterns like this continue, food shortage

will be more than just a third world problem.

As the temperature rises, the polar ice caps begin to melt. The Poles are very critical to

the earths ability to sustain life. They keep the globe in balance. But as they melt the ocean level

rises. This had led to the sinking of small islands in the Pacific, and the flooding of several major

cities in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of these cities like Miami are only 6 feet above the sea level.

In upcoming decades, these cities will flood, and an evacuation will be needed. As the poles

melt, hurricanes and storms will become stronger, and destroy more buildings and lives. These

storms also lead to the destruction of animal habitats like coral reefs, scaring away fish, making

it hard to find the fish that people consume. This wrecks havoc on the ecosystem and our health.

Because of rising temperatures and more air pollution, disease can be spread more

effectively. Some diseases need certain temperature and conditions to infect other organisms. In

past years, people farther north didnt have to worry about Malaria because it was predominantly

in southern continents like Africa, South Asia, and South America. Malaria is confined to

tropical and subtropical areas, because thats where the mosquitoes that transfer the disease live.

However, if the world it heating up, that means the tropical and subtropical temperatures will be

more common around the world and even further north than the mosquitos would normally be

found. Infrared maps of the Earth from 1880 compared to 2015 show extreme temperature

changes. If these trends continue, Malaria and such diseases will explode into a pandemic of

massive proportions. It may even become as common as a cold, but much harder to treat, and a

lot more life - threatening.

 In the past century, climate change has become a major problem in our society. And

while some politicians refuse to acknowledge it, this is a real thing. Global warming has

destroyed ecosystems everywhere, wrecked our atmosphere and now our own creation is coming

back to bite us in the butt. While some may argue that the burning of fossil fuels is necessary for

our lives today, there are alternative energy sources that we can harness. And for those people

hoping to get a clean slate on Mars, dont hold your breath. It will take several centuries before

the atmosphere will be breathable and able to support life. But before that happens, the air that

NASA sends you will be just as bad as the air on Mars. Yet there is still hope for the Blue Planet.

Its when society takes action that we succeed. Plant trees at a local park to get rid of greenhouse

gasses. Switch to solar panels as a way to power your home. Become aware of the footprint that

you are leaving on the Earth. We have hurt our planet, now its our turn to fix it.

Bibliography

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/climatechange/health_impacts/index.cfm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

https://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Climate-Change/Facts.aspx

http://www.nap.edu/collection/34/climate-change?gclid=CNeSwNGvg9ICFQx6fgodjtsM6Q

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101