The earth's climate has been changing throughout history, experiencing seven glacier cycles in the last 650,000 years. Though the temperature has been rising for 11,700 years, human influence has made it increase faster. It doesn't just affect animals and plants, but also humans too; even now, we are suffering under the consequences of climate change. Climate change is a long-term shift in weather conditions. Climate change is something normal, but the global warming we face now is not. And Carbon dioxide is its main cause. It builds up in the atmosphere and traps the heat with it. This effect is called the “greenhouse effect”.

Across the globe, there are places suffering from climate change. In the United States, most years, heat is the biggest killer, contributing to 1,300 deaths per year. Even areas of high latitude experience heat waves, in the summer of 2020, Siberia suffered a blistering heat wave of about 38℃. High temperatures cause droughts. In 2012, 81% of the United States suffered in a massive drought. 40% of Europe’s fresh water comes from the Alps, however, climate change may cause temporary water shortages in Europe. Dried-up plants are easy ignition sources, California’s and Australia’s wildfires are great examples. California’s most devastating wildfires all started at the end of a six-year drought and Australia’s 2019-2020 wildfires followed one of the worst droughts the continent has experienced.

In Taiwan, the two most major climate change issues are heat and droughts. Between the years 1900 to 1950, Taiwan has only experienced one drought. However, there have been five water shortages since 1960. These data are proof that climate change exists and should be dealt with. The average annual rainfall in Taiwan is about 2500 mm, which is 2.6 times the world's average. It is one of the countries with the most rainfall globally, yet it is still in danger of water shortage. There are several reasons for it, for example, typhoons lessening, high terrain, and draining. Thankfully, Wang Zhonghe, a researcher from the Institute of Earth Sciences, proposed various solutions, including reducing the amount of wasted water, protecting the forest, and raising water costs.

As heat and droughts are two of the most major effects climate change has on the island, to kill two birds with one stone, Taiwan should take action to preserve water, which would indirectly lower the heat. However, action must be taken now; as Jonathon Porritt, British Environmentalist, states, "The wounds we have inflicted on the earth can be healed… but if it is to be done, it must be done now. Otherwise it may never be done at all."