Why the Climate Matters
The climate isn’t just about getting a warmer summer, and a colder winter. It is changing the world as we know it right now, and unless something is done about it, it will continue to do so, to the point of no return. The climate effects everything, and everyone, regardless of what people say. Put simply, if you live on this planet, then the climate affects you.
An argument that many climate deniers use is that the climate has always changed throughout the Earth’s history and therefore we shouldn’t worry about it because ‘it will sort itself out’. And at a very basic level, they do have a point. The Earth’s atmosphere has always changed, but we’re making it worse than ever before. Since 1880, the Earth’s temperature has risen by just over 1 degree. This might not sound like a lot, if anything at all, but that’s massive, especially considering most of that has been since 1975 – coincidentally around the time technology and things like international travel started to boom. But this change, even at just a little over 1 degree Celsius, the consequences can be dire including, but certainly not limited to:
DROUGHTS – Hotter temperatures leads to less rainfall, which can result in drained soil moisture or groundwater, crop damage, or just a general water shortage.
FAMINES – With fewer crops able to grow due to less rainfall, areas of arid land, in predominantly poor, developing countries can experience famines and not have enough food to satisfy the demand of the population.
WILDFIRES – Again, due to the hotter temperature, and below average precipitation levels, wildfires in hot, dry conditions can burn and wreak havoc over massive areas – for example, the 2020 Californian wildfires, which destroyed over 10,000 buildings.
RISING SEA LEVELS – With a hotter climate, this leads to polar ice caps, and glaciers melting at a much faster rate. This excess water results in higher sea levels. In 2020, the global sea level was over 3.5 inches above the 1993 average. This means that in those 27 years, the sea has risen a tenth of an inch every year, however, as the planet warms, this number will get larger.
FLOODS – With more heat, comes more violent weather patterns like large thunderstorms. These storms release major amounts of water, which if an area is unprepared or not suited for, can result in complete destruction.
In the UK alone, we’re experiencing more extreme weather patterns like heatwaves and storms. And again, we have always experienced these, however, the frequency and more importantly, the severity, of these events is what’s putting the both the planet, and human life at risk. The UK and other rich countries might be able to deal with these consequences as well as prepare for the future at not such a massive financial loss, however, that’s not the case for every country.
Poor or developing countries don’t have these excess funds. They have what they have, and if most of their economy and financial imports come from their exports, and something were to change that, for example, a severe flood, then that could be them back to square one. And the worse thing is, these are just the geographical effects. The social and political spheres will be drastically shifted too. A shortage of food in one country, could lead to a war with another. Malnourishment and illness can be caused to due to a lack of clean drinking water. In large urban areas, heatwaves can be fatal, and with more polluted air, breathing problems like asthma, cardiovascular difficulties and lung and skin cancers can all become far more frequent.
This is why the climate matters. Like I said, it affects everyone. The climate deniers can say it’s always changed, but it’s never changed like this, and unless we can do something to stop it, and reverse it, then the future of planet Earth won’t be a happy one.