Over the years, the term “climate change” has been interchanged with that of “global warming” or the rise in Earth’s temperature. This is has been mainly attributed to the effect of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3), which makes Earth’s temperature warmer than it should be and, thus, conducive for living. While the concept of global warming is generally positive in nature because it allows for a habitable planet, the advent of “Industrial Revolution” magnified the gases’ effectsmaking it harmful to the environment. Though the effects of an increased CO2 emission cannot be seen for another decade or so, the Earth is already showing signs that the changes in the atmosphere can and will hit us hard.
One such major effect of climate change is its impact on weather. Even in the early 90s’s climate change has been predicted to affect the Earth’s weather condition owing to an increase in the global temperature of up to 1.5 to 4.50C mainly due to atmospheric CO2 conditions doubling from preindustrial times. (Trenberth et al. 22) The increased CO2.and temperature is predicted to speed water cycle by 10% due to an increased evaporation and consequently precipitation. Rainfall instead of snow is also more likely to be seen during the winter because of increased precipitation. Heavier rainfall means more probabilities of tropical storms, typhoons, hurricanes and flash floods in different parts of the world. In the U.S. alone, some of the most disastrous floods happened during the last 12 months (nrdc.org), such as Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Katrina, and most recently Tropical Storm Sandy.
An increased rainfall during the winter also provides for easier melting during the spring and thus less water during the summer thereby enhancing the likelihood of drought. (Trenberth et al. 23)The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) was able to record the largest drought ever to occur in the U.S. affecting more than two-thirds of the country by the end of July (nrdc.org). An analysis by Tetra Tech in 2010 forNRDC showed that climate change may have a “significant impact on the sustainability of water supplies” (“Climate Change, Water, and Risk” 1) as a result of such changes in precipitation. A reason for this is the decreased amount of available precipitation during the hotter days contrasting with an increased water demand for personal and industrial activities such as agriculture and power plant cooling. Such phenomenon is expected to worsen by mid-century as per projected decreases in available precipitation based from historical records on Tetra Tech’s analysis.
The rise in the global temperature has also caused severe effects on health as a result of extreme heat and flooding. The occurrence of heat waves has caused mortality to 74 Americans by first half of 2012 with an increasing trend from the early millennium (nrdc.org). Tropical countries, on the other hand, have experienced the rise of water-borne and vector-borne diseases due to stagnant water in floods. Such deluge may also disrupt normal provision of food supply and health services owing to destroyed roads and several-feet-high floods (pagasa.dost.gov.ph).
Evidently, climate change is already happening and fast. While most may claim that the effects are generally inevitable, social responsibility must be implemented the soonest in order to minimize, if not stop, the devastating effects of climate change. Despite countless efforts by governments to lessen fossil fuel emissions, especially by large industrial countries, people’s continued ignorance of these pressing issues may cause the nation both human lives and the Earth. The effects cannot and will not wait, and so must the people.
Works Cited
National Resource Defense Council. “Climate Change, Water, and Risk: Current Water Demands Are Not Sustainable.” National Resource Defense Council July 2010: 1-4. Print.
National Resource Defense Council.Extreme Weather: Impacts of Climate Change. National Resource Defense Council, 31 July 2012. Web. 4 November 2012.
N.p. Impacts of Climate Change. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, 2011.Web. 5 November 2012.
Trenberth, Kevin E., Miller, Kathleen, Mearns, Linda, Steven Rhodes. Effects of Changing Climate on Weather and Human Activities. California: University Science Books, 2000. Print
