The climate change has brought about many changes that humanity was not ready for, including a shifting pattern of crop’s growth and emergence of diseases. The Earth’s population must get ready to a new era that will require a more efficient use of energy and a better conservation of people’s health.
The article “Climate Change, Coming Home: Global warming’s effects on populations” starts out by talking about the minimal amount of rainfall in Africa that has caused significant changes to people’s lives. The government has made some steps to better the situation by making dams, but malaria has become the result of such efforts which in turn, has caused more damage to people’s health. The estimated number of deaths that relate to changes in climate is rather high, reaching 150,000 and is prognosed to be even higher.
Even though there are warmer winters and thus, a lower number of cold-related deaths, many places have seen a significant rise in temperature and heat waves that cause much greater deterioration in people’s health. Malaria is cited as one of the most deadly influences on the population, as mosquitoes are not affected by the warming climate and are still active in the higher temperatures (“Climate Change, Coming Home: Global warming’s effects on populations” par. 5).
The crops are also becoming affected by the climate change, as droughts are instrumental to the lessening of food quantity. The amount of rainfall has decreased causing poor countries to suffer even more.
A seemingly small change in temperature, several degrees, leads to the lowering of potato crops which is one of the major foods for southern Mali. There is a possibility of growing rice that matures quicker but there is a downside of the nutrition being lower, as the plants will not be able to absorb the necessary minerals, thus being less vitamin filled.
Another problem is the decease that is transferred by insects like mosquitoes and ticks. Because of the increased temperatures, the periods of breeding are becoming longer, causing a greater exposure to potential viruses. Because of the warmer climate, the plants and animals are starting to migrate north but this in no way affects the distribution of virus carrying insects. The changes in the amount and location of foods available, changes the migration of people as well.
Some countries have seen an increase in population due to immigration. The people from poorer countries are moving to places that have more resources and available opportunities which increases the pressure on the local healthcare system and other social institutions. The societies greatly depend on the established order of the living environment and any changes to the pre-set patterns can prove catastrophic.
The warming temperatures have made obvious many social problems that exist in the world. Minimal access to healthcare is becoming problematic in many poor countries. In addition, there are cholera and malaria that spread over Bangladesh, South Africa, India and some regions in Asia. Even Australia was affected by the changing climate, which proves to be extremely detrimental to people’s health.
An equally problematic result of the warming climate is the variation in the heat waves, rains and general changes of weather conditions. The environment is becoming hard to predict and the fluctuations cause a difficulty in relying on the climate.
Catastrophic events, such as floods and hurricanes lead to an even greater problem, as the land becomes polluted by the harmful substances and plants and animals become infected. The rising sea level is another consequence of the climate change. If there is an increase of one meter, it will cause devastation to many regions. There are several Pacific islands that will be directly affected by the rising waters and so, people are starting to prepare for evacuations.
Due to the fact that the Earth is already overpopulated and there are not enough resources to sustain proper living conditions, climate change makes conditions far worse. Many places will become uninhabitable which will lead to people moving to areas where life is possible and this will cause an even greater overpopulation (“Climate Change, Coming Home: Global warming’s effects on populations” par. 27).
To add to all the problems is the fact that the Earth is seeing a major depletion in the natural resources and fossil fuels which are the established source of energy that must be greatly counted, due to the decreasing numbers.
There are many known ways to produce energy that are not polluting and are in greater numbers, such as hydro electric stations, wind power, Sun energy and nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, some availability is underdeveloped and others sound extreme. Nuclear power is a topic that is discussed with real care and people are hesitant to rely on it alone.
Even though it shows to be beneficial in areas of pollution, it is an extreme step and there is still a danger of accidents and accumulated pollution. There is technology that will possibly lessen the amount of pollution and waste material but it has to be implemented worldwide and with cooperation of many nations. Because there is much separation between countries and people, it would be difficult to make sure that all follow a healthy choice in the bettering of living conditions.
The accumulation of waste materials and pollution to the environment will constantly grow, reaching levels that will be hard to control. Major steps have to be taken before the situation deteriorates any further and the effects become irreversible. Even though the quality of living conditions will be decreasing with time, it can be sustained for longer periods and there are possible solutions to the future worsening of the environment.
Already, the results of studies have shown a steady decrease of quality in both types of energy use but coal usage has shown to be much more detrimental to people and environment. The waste is being accumulated at an increasing rate, causing even more problems to the environment and living conditions. Not to mention, the amounts of nuclear waste have been also increasing but at a much lower rate.
There are many studies that must be done in relation to climate change and further effects. The results of climate change lead to a number of outcomes that can be predicted and controlled. Many years of studies are needed to observe the weather patterns before any methods are drawn out. The changes in winds, temperature, atmospheric moisture and barometric pressure, all play a role in how humanity survives.
Currently, there are technologies that have already proven to be instrumental in decreasing the global warming effect. The use of electric power and other clean energy sources have shown great potential. Nuclear energy may be much more beneficial to people and environment but it must be used with great care. It is evident that more safety procedures and preventative measures would have to be established, so that the risk is minimal to people and environment.
Works Cited
Climate Change, Coming Home: Global warming’s effects on populations 2013. Web.