Climate Change: A Risky Business

(My Essay From 2015... Academic Skill )

The world today has encountered one of the most complex issue it has ever had to deal with; the climate change. Lately, climate change and global warming has become the talk of the town. It is one of the major global issues faced by the world today and everyone is responsible for the change occurring and has the responsibility to prevent it.

The change in the climatic pattern of the world due to gradual increase in the global temperature is defined as the climate change, (Stanford Solar Center, 2008). Many scholars, geologist and climatologist did detailed study on global warming and climate change.  Those studies have revealed that the climate change is taking place and the effects were seen (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007).

Over the decade, the change in climate has been observed and some of the serious causes of global warming have been known. The impacts human have on the world has literally changed the climate; since the industrial revolution, human activities such as using burning fossil fuels for energy, agriculture and land clearing, building up of industries have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, (New South Wales Government, 2011). Carbon dioxide is the main gas responsible for warming. The other contributor includes Methane released from landfills and agriculture, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processing and the loss of forests that would otherwise store Carbon dioxide (National Geography Society, 2015).

The world is facing the most dangerous environmental challenges the current generation has ever seen. No matter what people are passionate about, the climate change is affecting something people really care about. Over the past 150 years, human have changed the balance of planet by living beyond their means. Today, the effect of climate change is happening and the world is experiencing the changes bought about. Climate change is affecting the planet in many ways, (WWF, n.d.).The rise in temperature leading to a change in precipitation and weather patterns are effect of climate change. The change in number and intensity of storm weather reports, prolonged drought, unreliable monsoon and violent thunder storm ensures that the weather phenomena have become extreme (IPCC, 2007). The heating up has caused the melting of ice caps at the poles resulting in the rise of sea level (Stanford SOLAR Center, 2008). Sea levels have risen by an average of 1.88mm per year since 1961 and from 1993 it has increased by 3.1 mm. If it continues to happen the places lying near the coastal area like Bangladesh and India would be in danger (IPCC, 2007).

Global warming is likely to be the greatest cause of species extinction (IPCC, 2007). According to IPCC report (2007), a rise in 1.5 degree Celsius average temperature may put 20-30%species at risk. Experts have predicted that one-fourth of earth’s species will be headed for extinction by 2050 if the warming trend continues. The warming up of the planet causes ecosystem to struggle leading to extinction of those wild life animals that cannot survive in warmer environment, (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.).  The effect of global warming on human health is also expected to be serious. The American Medical Association has reported that increases in mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever and chronic conditions like asthma are occurring as a direct result of global warming, (IPCC,2007).

It is obvious that climate change is one of the utmost threats faced by the world. Some of the latest happenings of climate change around the world include melting of ice at the polar regions of Antarctica and Greenland. The declinations of Adelic penguin, polar bear, and golden toad and Acropora cervicornis at the poles and scientists have correlated the rampant blaze in United States as a result of increasing temperature (Amore, 2014). 

Climate change is not something that is predictable, nor an unconquerable enemy.  Each and every one can control and combat the climate change. A simple measure like recycling the usage of plastic bottles and plastics, planting trees in degraded lands, minimizing the usage of equipments which gives out CFS can be taken as the first steps towards it. The scientists are calling on the World leaders to sign up on an agreement on eight points to combat climate change (BBC News, 2015). The world had been involved in planning the ways to prevent climate change. Various Summits, conferences and meetings in relation to prevent climate change issues were held. As per the Earth League, the United Nations meeting in the coming December is the last chance to avert dangerous climate change (BBC News, 2015).  Of the eight points, some points like safe guarding ecosystems such as forest and oceans can be done by every nation across the world. Climate Change is not only a problem but also an opportunity (World Climate Summit, 2014).  With the entire world concerned for climate change issues and constraint, the world will have better motives toward introducing cleaner energy supplies or reducing the use of energies, air quantity, better health facilities and good quality of life.

Climate change is a risky business. Within the last few decades, various effects of climate change had be seen and known. It is not an issue that can be left out easily. The upcoming dangers and challenges of global warming require a steady and cooperative response from the planet to boost communal capacity to predict, alleviate and adopt. Every individual should be aware of what is happening with the climate change and should be ready to face the challenges. Global warming has become a serious threat to humanity and before it brings an end to the planet earth, everyone should think globally and act globally to mitigate this issue.