Recent studies showcase that the climate changes are building up to become more dangerous than ever. With the economic growth of our species comes the overpopulation of the planet which endangers other species. This paper will focus on studying the effects of the economic growth and the more severe changes in the environment.
A Closer Look at the Evidence
The article published on the NASA website show cases increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The graph displays the levels of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the years before our time with the number 0 being the year 1950. Since about 45000 years before our time the level of CO2 has been steadily growing and since 1950 it is still increasing (“The consequences of climate change,” 2017). The article published by the United Kingdom’s National Meteorological Service gives a background for the increasing levels of the carbon dioxide. The article suggests that the increase has to do with the El Niño effect. This effect is caused by the overpopulation of Earth because the CO2 emissions are in direct ratio to the number of people inhabiting Earth. Those emissions are now 25% more than those of the 1997/98, which was the last big El Niño (“El Niño,” 2016).
The evidence given by the NASA website describes the effects caused by the expeditious climate changes. The effects are labeled according to their specifics: there are such labels as “Sea Level Rise” or “Shrinking ice sheets” etc. (“The consequences of climate change,” 2017). There are other sources that give their vision of the climate changes. In another article published on their website, the UK’S National Meteorological Service adduces the facts that illustrate the changes in the climate (“What is climate change?” 2015). Most of the changes that were mentioned in the article published by NASA are corresponding to the ones mentioned by United Kingdom’s National Meteorological Service. The only difference is that not all the effects mentioned by NASA are referred to by the UK’s Service and vice versa.
Summarizing the effects of the climate changes shows that the climate that humankind knows will soon be replaced by an entirely different one. The changes will include the shifting season cycles, increasing sea levels, increasing temperatures which will be followed-up by more intense heat waves and droughts, stronger and more intense hurricanes, and the Arctic becoming ice-free. Some of the impacts that climate change has could be seen even now throughout the U.S. While the overall temperature grows higher, the water supplies are running low because of the heat waves, increasing ocean acidity, and other effects of the climate changes.
How Can Economic Growth Become Part of the Solution?
Although perturbances in the climate pose a significant threat to the species of Earth on their own, there is another important factor: economic growth. The article published by The Economist (“The outlook,“ 2013) states that “The Living Planet Index shows a 30% decline in biodiversity since 1970” (para. 1). The principal threat to the biodiversity, according to the article, is the habitat loss (“The outlook,” 2013). Nevertheless, the economic growth is a problem only in the poorer countries, while the more developed ones display a growing involvement in the preservation of the surrounding environment. Therefore, the economic growth can be a solution, too. The importance of the economic growth lies in the fact that it can result in a greater number of the measure devoted to protecting species and their habitat. All of the facts taken into account, one can see that economic growth is directly related to the climate change. While climate changes are a result of the human activity, economic growth can provide all the tools necessary to effectively increase biodiversity and preserve the habitat of the endangered species.
Conclusion
Preserving the surrounding environment is a duty of the human race. We are constantly threatened with the dangerous shifts in the climate, and the overpopulation of our planet endangers other species. However, due to the economic growth, we possess all the required assets to minimize the negative effects of our exercises. Still, the economic growth must always be focused on the important problems, lest it leads to further increasing the existing ones.
References
El Niño drives record rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. (2016). Web.
The consequences of climate change. (2017). Web.
The outlook: Averting the sixth extinction. (2013). The Economist, 408(8853). Web.
What is climate change? (2015). Web.