4 degrees celsius. It might not be much. Perhaps it is just the small difference that you feel after wearing a sweater in one of the early spring mornings. But the very same temperature difference can be horrifying to nature around us.
Experts believe that we are consuming natural resources and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Earth will be warmer by 4 degrees Celsius by the end of 2100. This small temperature rise can have grave consequences.
According to the National Climate Assessment, humans play a major role in global warming. Human activities like burning up fossil fuel and cutting trees for generating electricity are the main cause of carbon pollution.
All the pollutants that we release in the atmosphere act like a blanket. They trap all the heat dissipated by the Earth, thereby increasing the surrounding temperature.
Why Is Global Warming A Serious Threat To Humankind?
Evidence shows that the year between 2000 to 2009 was warmer than any other decade in the past 1300 years. This unnatural warming of the Earth’s atmosphere is changing the natural climate system.
Here are some of the shreds of evidence that will prove to you that global warming is a serious threat to humankind.
Severe Weather Changes
With the temperature rise, the world is becoming more prone to natural disasters like floods, droughts, and famine. A warmer climate creates an atmosphere that either retains moisture or drops more water, thereby changing the weather’s whole cycle. This change in weather pattern makes you either dry or wet.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it has been seen that the irregular weather conditions have invited natural disasters that have caused more than $10 billion of loss annually.
The increasing number of droughts, floods, and storms is a clear sign that Earth temperatures increase at an alarming rate.
Polluted Air
The temperature rise is directly affecting the ground-level ozone. The atmospheric rise in temperatures is a favorable condition for air pollution. All the gases released from the home appliances, factories, and cars, mix with the air making it harmful to breathe in.
The smog we see in the city is the mixture of all air pollutants and ground-level ozone. The polluted air is one of the major reasons for people suffering from respiratory problems.
After seeing that the threshold of air pollution has been breached, the government has started putting restrictions on the released gases. If you are a car owner or a business owner, you need to follow the pollution protocols. If this sounds like some complex document work for you, you can hire a professional like Douglas Healy to ensure that you are clear with all the documentation process.
Wildlife Extinction Rate
As humans and dominators of the world, we face every kind of problem, but that does not mean that the anime all are not affected by the rise in temperature. With the temperature rise, both land and sea ecosystems undergo rapid changes, and to survive in the harsh climate, animals need to adapt quickly.
In the recent survey by the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, many animals are changing their geographical origin to cooler places to escape warm environments.
Acidic Oceans
The climate changes have affected Earth’s marine ecosystem. The ocean is becoming acidic due to the absorption of some of the pollutants. If this phenomenon keeps on accelerating, it might pose a great threat to marine life. The first victims of the acidic ocean will be the creatures with the calcium carbonate shells and skeleton.
In 2015, the ocean’s acidification caused problems for the pacific Northwest Oyster industry with more than $110 million.
Higher Sea Level
The rise in temperature poses an extinction threat to the polar ice caps. The rate of increase in temperature is twice as fast as the rest of the world. The ice caps are melting at a rapid rate, thereby increasing the sea level. The rise in sea level has posed a threat to the coastal areas and flora and fauna inhabiting the coastal regions.
It is estimated that by 2100, the continent will sink by one to two feet. This prediction is threatening the coastal region into extinction.
The Bottom Line
There is no doubt that climate change promises you a frightening future. The ways things stand now, it is too late to turn back now. In the past few decades, we have already taken care of pumping centuries’ worth of carbon into the atmosphere. We can delay the outcome now.
The only way we can fight back this crisis is by adopting sustainable living by releasing a net worth of zero-carbon in the atmosphere by the end of the next decade.
