Our world is on a path to irreversible destruction and 2019 could be the hottest year yet! This will not be the first time most of us are hearing or reading a piece on global warming and climate change. And never has it been this important to pay close attention to the facts of what is happening. But if you thought it wasn’t your business and that there’s nothing you can do about it, think again. It’s time for everyone, especially the young people among us, to take action on this.
Before stating some of the effects of global warming and climate change, let’s talk about what climate change is. Every region has its weather patterns. The average of those patterns over about 30 years is known as climate. Changes in climate happen from time to time but the current changes are happening too fast. And they are trending towards a threat to every ecosystem and life in every continent.
These disastrous and rapid changes in climate are the results of global warming due to carbon emission. Problem is, the temperatures are rising too fast. The 20 warmest years, according to the World Meteorological Organization, have been in the last 22 years. Predictions by weather experts are that this year, 2019, will be history’s hottest year. The US-based CPC (Climate Prediction Center) has stated that there is an 80% possibility an El Nino will happen this year and that it has started. But the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia says the system which generates hot temperatures is yet to form.
Global warming and the climate changes occurring are changing entire ecosystems – oceans, forests, lands, everything. Surface temperatures are on the increase and with this increase come threats to all life, health and everything on our planet. If the temperatures continue to increase the effects will be worse than they currently are. Storms and hurricanes are going to be so much stronger, Ice melting at the poles will intensify causing threats to fresh water, floods and droughts are going to be very common occurrences, several species of animals are already extinct and many more will follow.
Sea levels have been and will continue to rise threatening land life. There has been the resurgence of several diseases in recent times and will continue if nothing is done about this. An example is the 2016 resurgence of Zika virus. All these and more aspects of climate change will continue and some of these effects will continue for centuries if the average global climate increases to more than 2 degrees Centigrade, even if all emission stops afterward.
It’s good that there is something we can do now. There are practical solutions that we can take to save our world. The international communities and leaders of countries are doing their best to combat the issues. There are different summits and events focused on combating this. There are also different international bodies working at this too. But this needs efforts from everyone, including you. There’s always something you can do.
