What You May Not Know About a Changing Climate but Should Be Aware of Right Now

Oceans and coasts face a changing climate, brought on in part by human activities. Oceans and coasts provide us with food, water, support wildlife and important natural functions that can’t be found anywhere else. If we don’t act now to address climate change, the health of our oceans and coasts will continue to decline. Change is happening now. Our climate is changing because of the carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere. We can’t stop this change, but we can prepare for it by addressing the risks associated with a changing climate.

A Changing Climate Doesn’t Affect Us All Equally

Ok, I get it. We all know that the climate is changing, but it’s not affecting us all equally. As this changes, people on different sides of the globe will be affected differently.

Climate change disproportionately affects people with low income and less education.

This is because minority and low-income communities tend to live closer to the sources of climate change. Things like power plants, highways, factories, and other places that emit pollutants.

Areas farther north and south might see wetter weather.

One person might perceive a changing climate as bringing a more pleasant local climate. Yet another could see more flooding and hurricane-force winds.

The impacts of climate change are very real in communities worldwide—and when taken together, they will affect us all.

Each region of the world will be affected differently as a changing climate intensifies over the coming decades.

What’s imperative, then, is that we do not lose sight of the way natural disasters affect different groups of people differently.

While they may all result from a changing climate, they are not all created equal.

There’s no question that a changing climate is likely to affect you, one way or another.

We are entering an era of unprecedented melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and unpredictable weather patterns.

It’s now more important than ever for us to take notice and get involved. This is our planet, after all. We need to:

• – Spend money on helping the most vulnerable
• – Look at long term changes instead of short term
• – See how your city copes with a changing climate
• – Adapt technology to prepare us for what’s coming
• – Check out your local organisations for ways to help
• – See how it affects people in different parts of the world

Warmer Ocean Water Makes Hurricanes Stronger

A warmer sea surface is a more potent fuel for hurricanes than cooler water, scientists have shown.

They say water in the top layer of the Atlantic Ocean, where the strongest storms originate, has grown up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer over the past century as a result of changing climate.

Warmer water allows hurricanes such as Hurricane Harvey to grow rapidly before they strike land.

Additionally, warmer water helps fuel a storm’s intensity by increasing its ability to transfer moisture from the ocean.

As the ocean warms, hurricanes strengthen and become more intense.

This warmer water keeps hurricanes farther away from land and requires more protective measures to lessen the damage they could cause.

However, as the oceans continue to warm, the expected increase in hurricane intensity will affect coastal communities.

These communities may no longer be able to recover so quickly.

Increased global warming from the greenhouse gases we are putting into the atmosphere means that potentially more hurricanes will occur. With increased power.

Warmer water is fuel for hurricanes, just as it is the oceans themselves that gathers heat from the sun which is far hotter than our atmosphere.

This realisation should compel us to take a serious look at our collective energy consumption and its effect on climate change.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that global warming and a changing climate have a significant impact on the environment.

One of the most striking effects is the effect that global warming has had on hurricanes.

As previously said, an increased ocean surface temperatures make hurricanes stronger, last longer, and occur more often.

We must start to slow climate change. We have the technology and knowledge today to fight this global threat.

It is up to humans to use the knowledge and technology we have to change our current path or ignore global warming until it is too late.

Human Health Is Impacted by a Changing Climate

As the world’s population grows and global warming accelerates, watching the climate for changes that could affect our health is essential.

A changing climate is undeniable, temperature records are being broken and glaciers are melting.

The world has become a warmer place and human health is affected by this disruption.

Some health risks can be mitigated, for example, the adverse effects of heat waves, floods, droughts and storms. However, others are already becoming unavoidable.

A changing climate poses risks to human health and well-being in many ways.

The severity of these risks will depend on the magnitude and rate of climate change. And on how human communities and economic systems respond to it.

Reducing these risks will require substantial and sustained global effort since many of the changes needed can only be achieved through changes in societal behaviour over multiple generations.

Rising sea levels, changes in rainfall patterns, severe weather events, and increasing temperatures.

All these bring with them risks to human health such as food and water-borne disease. And don’t forget epidemics spread by insects including mosquitoes, ticks, and rodents.

Changing climate also threatens the economy and social stability of countries around the world.

Just as ‘health’ is more than the absence of ‘disease’, climate is more than just the average weather conditions.

Climate is the condition of the environment in which we live, including natural environmental systems.

It influences our physical health and mental well-being, and on a global scale, it influences human development and societal prosperity.

Whether or not greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate are the primary causes behind shifting weather patterns and extreme weather events, there is no denying that our air and water are undergoing huge changes.

As such, human health is being affected in many ways.

While some will come up with technological solutions, such as better carbon scrubbing filters on power plants, others will look to change their habits for the sake of their own health.

Whether these changes will have a significant impact on overall human health has yet to be seen. Only time will tell. More you can do:

• – Learn how the climate affects your health
• – Reduce your carbon footprint by buying local
• – Increase fresh veggies supply eat more organic foods
• – Discuss and understand human health in relation to weather
• – Learn what you can do to improve your diet and other habits

Ocean Acidification Is Affecting Marine Life

The world’s oceans are changing – for the worse. Acidification is affecting marine life, including coral and shellfish, which form the foundation of the ocean’s food chain tuna, cod, and lobster.

These changes could have a huge impact on global climate and even sea levels as ocean water is combined with carbon dioxide.

As a result, many organisations are calling for relevant scientific data to be available in a form that can be easily accessed by marine biologists and other key stakeholders.

Climate change is making the ocean messier. Not only is it hotter and more acidic, but it’s filled with more litter.

Fish and invertebrates are getting confused and mistaking everyday junk like bottle caps for food.

A new study shows how rising carbon dioxide in the ocean could alter the ability of marine animals to build shells and skeletons.

The ability of many marine invertebrates to build their protective shells and skeletons is suffering as Earth’s oceans get more acidic in response to rising carbon dioxide levels.

This on top of climate change puts the future of these animals, and the ecosystems they live in, at risk.

This is affecting their survival and, potentially, whole marine ecosystems.

Oceans absorb an enormous amount of carbon and heat from the atmosphere.

As the water temperatures increase, this will have a ripple effect throughout the marine ecosystem.

Coral, fisheries, and ocean life in general will be adversely affected and none of this will be reversible.

This change will affect marine life in ways we do not fully understand.

The Changing Climate Will Affect Animals and Plants

It’s no secret that the climate is changing. What we once considered average weather patterns are now out-of-the-ordinary events.

Perhaps the most obvious way in which the changing climate is affecting animals and plants is through changes in their habitats. Some species are able to adapt by moving from one place to another.

But many species can’t move quickly enough or at all and are becoming extinct as a result of climate change.

Some animals and plants are able to survive only in specific climates, or even a very small range of temperatures.

Climate change has caused many species of frogs, for example, to become endangered because their environment is changing too quickly for the frogs to adapt.

Many types of animals (including humans) rely on water sources that are now affected by a changing climate due to lower rainfall or increased evaporation caused by warmer air.

The melting ice caps have also left many polar bears homeless as they search for new locations in which to hunt.

As sea levels continue to rise, those families of bears left behind may starve or drown trying to catch fish in areas formerly accessible only with ice

The changes have been (and will continue to be) drastic, affecting animals and plants in a number of ways.

While many animals have adapted to survive in our present climate, they likely won’t weather the coming changes well, while others will adapt and change with the times.

We’re living in an age where science is coming to the forefront and technology is changing the way we live.

With all of these changes being made, scientists have been focusing on studying climate change.

Seeking to make sure we are taking into account what it means for different parts of the world. It’s happening now:

• – Plants are getting destroyed
• – Plants have shorter growing seasons
• – Wild animals are becoming endangered
• – The migration of animals is affected
• – Changing climate is killing animals and plants
• – Animals and plants are dying at a much faster rate

You Are a Part of the Solution

We breathe every breath of air, and every one of us is a part of the changing climate solution.

Through everyday choices, like riding your bike instead of driving or washing your clothes in cold water. You can help reduce the carbon pollution that’s contributing to climate change.

In fact, compared to electric-powered cars, it takes seven times more electricity to power a conventional car.

These actions have an impact, so keep on doing them… and when you need something new, get it electric!

Climate change is happening right now, but we can work together to make our communities more resilient to the changes in weather and water quality.

The severity of climate change impacts varies dramatically across the country.

The intensity and duration of extreme temperatures will increase in most areas, placing a greater demand on our energy infrastructure.

Extreme storms, such as heavy rainfall, hurricanes, hail and tornadoes will increase.

Inland regions will face increased risks from flooding and drought. While coastal communities are vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges that result in increased flooding.

The changing climate solution is made up of three steps:

First, take action at home by reducing energy use, saving money on bills, and curbing your personal greenhouse gas emissions.

Second, become involved in your local community by taking part in partnerships to prepare for and adapt to a changing climate.

Finally, action is needed on the national and international level by supporting policies that reduce industrial emissions and develop cleaner sources of energy.

The changing climate affects every one of us – and yet we are doing little to address the associated risks. We all share responsibility for our planet and our future.

Together, we can do something about it.