REASONS WHY WE SHOULD ALL CARE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change can be natural. If climate changes naturally, then why should we be concerned about the climate change taking place today? After all, the early Cretaceous period discussed previously was warmer than today, but life thrived even in regions, such as the interior of Antarctica, that are uninhabitable today.

One misconception is that the threat of climate change has to do with the absolute warmth of the Earth. That is not, in fact, the case. It is, instead, the rate of change that has scientists concerned. Living things, including humans, can easily adapt to substantial changes in climate as long as the changes take place slowly, over many thousands of years or longer. However, adapting to changes that are taking place on timescales of decades is far more challenging. Hence, the need to look at the effects climate change can have on our existence.

REASONS WHY WE SHOULD ALL CARE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

1. WE ALL DESERVE TO BREATHE CLEAN AIR

With anthropogenic climate change driven by human-caused emissions to the atmosphere, it stands to reason that we face compromised air quality. This affects human health, especially children. Air pollution can lead to asthma, heart and lung disease.

2. WE ALL NEED CLEAN WATER

Did you know that 2 in every 3 people worldwide live in regions of severe water scarcity? Even a small increase in global temperatures will destabilize the water cycle and could make water scarcity much worse. Climate change affects rainfall patterns, meaning both drought and flooding will be more common, and more intense. And although it’s hardly comparable with life-threatening floods, climate change may already be making you late for work.

3. TO KEEP OCEAN CREATURES ALIVE

Finding some species of aqua lives may become harder as their beautiful homes crumble under the stress of climate change. Warmer air and ocean temperatures cause bleaching, where aqua lives lose their color and may die. Ocean acidification – from increased CO2 in the atmosphere – compounds the problem. Today, the ocean is 26% more acidic than it was in 1990, and the ocean has been experiencing unprecedented back-to-back bleaching events since 2016.

4. RAINFORESTS ARE INCREDIBLE

Unique, irreplaceable, and often described as ‘the world’s lungs’, rainforests are some of the most precious habitats on the planet. They really are amazing; the Amazon, for example, is home to an astonishing 1 in 10 of all the known species on Earth. Yet over a third of the Amazon rainforest is already threatened by climate change. It’s a double-edged sword too: worldwide, forest destruction – mainly for agriculture – is a major cause of climate change, generating an incredible amount of greenhouse gases.

5. BECAUSE CLEAN TECH IS EXCITING

It’s not all bad news. Some of the biggest advancements in technology over the past few years have come from trying to limit, and come up with alternatives to, humanity’s CO2 dependency. Solar panels, wave-energy conversion and wind farms are allowing us to harness the power of nature in a clean way, harvesting energy without harming our environment or destroying habitats.

6. WE ARE ALL AFFECTED, NO MATTER WHERE IN THE WORLD WE LIVE

Climate change won’t just impact forest or even people in far-off countries – it will affect all of us. From more extreme weather to increasing food prices, to recreation and decreased opportunities to appreciate the natural world, people everywhere will feel the effects of climate change. Tackling climate change is fundamentally necessary to create a world where people and nature thrive

7. IT WILL BE AWESOME TO KEEP ANIMALS ALIVE

Climate change will mean big changes for animals around the world. So if we care about incredible species, we must care about how climate change will make it harder for them to find food, and decrease their habitats.

8. FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful, diverse, nurturing, awe-inspiring planet. Our children, and all future generations, deserve the same.

If you’re feeling worried by now, you’re not alone. Millions of people are working together for our planet. Already, so much has changed since we first heard about the possible effect of climate change, action on a global scale is speeding up. Now it is more important than ever that we use our action, our votes and our voices to tell political and business leaders that action on climate is absolutely essential.