Contrary to many critic’s beliefs, global warming is a real issue that needs our immediate attention. It should be important to everyone, as it is and will continue to affect everyone’s way of life globally. There is countless evidence that shows that the earth is in trouble. The unbelievers need to open their eyes to see that the earth is pleading for our help, but so far, we have not been listening. The 45th President of the United States claiming that the issue of climate change is nothing but a hoax can cause detrimental consequences to our environment.
While President Trump says that he is indeed “open minded”, he continues to declare rhetoric that aligns more with those who believe that there is nothing to the climate change claims (Gore, Kiely, Robertson 1). Trump, along with long-time enemy to the environment, Scott Pruitt, who is now behind the wheel of the EPA, can set back years of work done towards the reversal of global warming. The rise in power of those who don’t believe that climate change is a serious issue is allowing others to believe all is well too.
The planet now is showing other ways to get our attention. We are being punished now with storms that are getting more severe by the day, causing wave after wave of destruction, rising sea levels that threaten the entire ecosystem including the humans that inhabit it droughts that keep us from quenching our thirst, and the rise in communicable diseases that take advantage of the environment’s misfortunes. Global warming is a real threat. The magnitude of disaster, however, is not yet known for the future.
Critics who claim that climate change is a hoax because summers get hot and winters get cold are missing the point entirely (Mazo 1). Over time, there has been an increase in the intensity of natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding. Per Radetzki, “Violent and frequent hurricanes are widely seen as a compelling consequence of warming. Yet there is neither observational nor scientific support for this relationship” (Radetzki 5). While on the surface, this opinion may seem true. However, even just a small amount of time digging will warrant conflicting information that states otherwise.
While year to year statistics fluctuate in the number of hurricanes and their intensity, it is being proven that there is an upward trend that’s been generating larger and more dangerous hurricanes for the last 45 years or so (Hurricanes and Climate Change 1). As we all know, hurricanes feed and grow from the warm air that is let off by the oceans. As the oceans continue to increase in temperature, this also aids in increasing the strength as well as the hurricane’s intensity (Hurricanes and Climate Change 3).
It is common sense to believe that if nothing proactive is done to help reverse these temperatures and they continue to rise, hurricanes will multiply with even greater intensity than what we are seeing today. Just like hurricanes, tornadoes react and grow with similar circumstances. They need warm air to intensify. With 2015 breaking the record for being one of the warmest years yet, it is no wonder that storms are increasing (Global Warming 1).
Luckily, tornadoes do not seem to be increasing in strength or in intensity, however, they are starting to increase in number and in places that usually do not see a high incidence in tornado development (Understanding the Link Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather 5). While both the new EPA head, Pruitt, and President Trump still feel the topic of global warming and climate change is still up for debate, the sea levels continue to rise (Schipani 2). With the Earth on a continuation of consistent warming, this is causing the ice to melt.
The scary part about the ice melting is that it has increased substantially over an incredibly short amount of years. “The average annual rate of global sea level rise accelerated from 1993-2008, increasing 65-90 percent about the twentieth century average” (Causes of Sea Level Rise: What the Science Tells Us (2013) 1). Even if the high side of that percentage does not continue, the damage has been done and all the consequences of the fast and massive melt are by far not known yet. While ice grew in 2012, it has since retracted again and as of February 15, 2017, is at a record low (Nunez).
The recent news shows that all is not well. This just shows that trying to prove the nonexistence of global warming just because of one incident, or in this case, one good year does not compare to all the contradictory science-backed information proving the ice melting over a stretch of several decades. Additionally, the ice melt is not only disadvantageous to humans but to the wildlife as well. Rising sea temperatures are causing destruction also. An increase in the temperature is killing off many coral reefs.
In consequence, sea species are suffering from lack of food to lack of habitat (Corwin 473). Everyone can recall the infamous clip of the polar bear trapped on a small sheet of ice. So far, it still looks grim for them. The rapid ice melt and its severe fluctuations year to year are cutting short the active hunting season, which in return is having a direct negative effect on the polar bear reproduction rates (Global Warming and Polar Bears 1). This will continue to put stress on the polar bears and limit the population numbers even further.
Claims of drought and other effects of global warming often tend to fall victim to the critic’s cry that data is wrong and that the data behind it is nothing but a bunch of lies for money for extended research (Douglas, Sutton 3). With climate change adjusting precipitation trends, this changes where moisture falls. Some areas are experiencing an overabundance of precipitation while other areas are left severely lacking (Understanding the Link Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather 3). This change in weather patterns is causing some areas to experience severe droughts.
These droughts are causing an increase in wildfires and putting stresses on farming. Wildfires are on trend to continue to increase in quantity and in severity. “The western wildfire season has grown from five months on average in the 1970s to seven months today. The annual number of large wildfires has increased by more than 75 percent” (Playing with Fire: The Soaring Costs of Western Wildfires (2014) 1). A 75 percent increase from over forty years back is a huge deal, especially when every little bit adds up.
How can such a large increase that is being documented for a near half-century be a scam for more funding? This kind of thought processing can lead one to believe that all scientists are liars, where then does the line get drawn? Once again, the increase in temperatures is the main culprit for wildfires. Early spring thaws dry out the land leaving areas dry and exposed for longer periods of time, increasing the chance to spark a wildfire in the heat of summer (Playing with Fire: The Soaring Costs of Western Wildfires 1).
In addition to the risk of wildfire, these droughts put a lot of pressure on the farming community. The lack of water in farm cultivated areas can be quite costly. In addition to the general dying off with plants due to long and hot droughts, the lack of water can make for crops than can become more susceptible to disease and other pests (Papworth, Maslin, Randalls 6). Any damage that crops take on costs money, it does not matter who it gets absorbed by. However, it is usually the consumer that gets the bill.
The increase in costs for crop production inflates prices to the consumer, which also increases the cost for livestock feed. This, in turn, increases the price of meat, causing widespread food shortages (Understanding the Link Between Climate Change and Extreme Weather 3). It is ironic that Scott Pruitt is now the head of the EPA. There are numerous instances where he himself has filed suits against the EPA when he was the acting attorney general for the state of Oklahoma (Schipani 2). Some of the very things he is against affect the population’s current and future health.
In one instance, Pruitt filed suit against the Regional Haze Rule, components of which are beneficial against pollution harm on humans (Schipani 2). With such actions as these from the Trump administration, we are even more at risk now with our health. If our society starts to become lax on environmental issues and emissions because of the leadership from Trump and Pruitt, society as a whole will end up suffering. Increases in Earth’s temperature causes changes in weather patterns that affect the breeding grounds for pests that carry disease.
If weather patterns continue to change, we will see disease outbreaks in areas not commonly familiar with such outbreaks (Papworth, Maslin, and Randalls 4). The last thing needed in our society is another plague. One resource that is most important and devastating if unobtainable is clean water. “The impacts of climate change – including changes in temperature, precipitation and sea levels – are expected to have varying consequences for the availability of fresh water around the world” (Papworth, Maslin, and Randalls 7).
These can mean dehydration. If weather systems start passing over areas and temperatures start to climb, this can place stress on water availability. If Scott Pruitt and President Trump get their way to abolish all the hard work that has been done to try to save the planet and reverse the adverse effects of global warming and climate change, we will see a continuation and acceleration of the problems we are already facing today.
We are already on a slippery slope with an ecosystem hanging in a delicate balance. If we let our guard down and throw our hands up to let it be someone else’s problem, it will only continue to get worse. To all the critics, the consequences are very real and we are already seeing them played out today. Accessible drinking water declines as waterborne diseases grow and migrate. The droughts are becoming more widespread, having an adverse effect food shortages and food prices.
Additionally, wildfires becoming larger and the seasons are stretching longer. The continuation of temperature increases is helping to melt the sea ice, putting humans and wildlife at risk. This increase is also causing an incline in the size and severity of storms and natural disasters. The critics have it wrong, global warming very much existent and is here now. We have innumerable studies proving these effects and the upward trends showing that it is present and is noticeably growing for nearly 50 years.
