Climate Change
Climate Change: What It Is and How It's Hurting Us.
By: Gigi Nuzzo
With half our planet up in flames due to fatal forest fires, accompanying half submerged in lethal flash floods, it's only natural to invest yourself in the understanding of climate change and how it is affecting us as a whole daily. So what is climate change? What causes it? It's a profusion of things. From the burning of fossil fuels to deforestation, overproduced livestock to power plants, the list of these man-made problems continues. in result, we are our greatest danger. What needs to be considered is not only the irreversible damage caused, but how we are currently being affected. According to National Geographic the earth's atmosphere has raised 1.8 °F since the industrial age. The ceaseless rise in heat causes plenty of global issues. Hot and dry conditions are the mating ground for forest fires, and as a consequence, 7 million acres of land are burned yearly. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protections (CAL fire) the federal government is forced to pay up to 3 billion dollars annually on these fires.
California forest fires, 2020
Polar bear suffering from the damage of global warming, 2019
This rise in heat doesn't just prompt forest fires. In addition to the earth heating up, it is dampening. A warmer atmosphere will produce a larger abundance of water. Research done by NASA shows that due to global warming destructive flash floods are 40% more likely to happen, and 10% more intense. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in the result of these issues, natural disasters like hurricanes are up 80% in category 4 and 5 storms. From the years 1998-2014 the national flood insurance program (NFIP) paid up to 48.6 billion dollars in flooding damage.
Hurricane Ida damage in the Bronx, 2021
These floods not only leave structural and land damage, but long-lasting harm on the human body. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flood waters are full of contamination. They can carry raw sewage, leaked toxic chemicals, run off water from hazardous waste sites and factory farms. It pollutes drinking supplies and causes ear, skin and gastrointestinal infections. As ocean temperatures rise, the earth's glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost melt. Our ocean levels have increased 7-8 inches since the 1900s causing destructive erosion prompting a loss of sea life and ruining agricultural soil. As Permafrost melts its process releases colossal amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon and methane. This melting process also produces a banquet for ancient bacteria, bacteria that our immune systems never had to face before.
Protesters making a stance against global warming, 2018.
So, why should you worry about something that seems so fixable and far away? New research by the NRDC has shown that dangerous global warming will most likely be crossed by 2027-2042. The first time I read that I was struck with panic, as I'm sure you are too. However, it is not too late to start making considerate life decisions that protect and provide for our earth. If none of that induces a need for lifestyle adjustment, climate change has been affecting coffee production. Producers are now constantly noticing reduced harvests and dealing with more pests. So if you're an uninviting person without their coffee, maybe it's time for you to consider using more considerate planet choices. We only have one world, it is our duty to care for and be respectful towards it. The causes of frequent storms, droughts, heat waves, and rising sea levels cause direct harm to not only animals and the planet, but wreak havoc on communities. It's nobody's but oursjob, but ours,to put an end to it.