In the years ahead, climate change will have a significant impact on every aspect of the daily lives of all human beings -- possibly greater even than war. Shifting precipitation patterns and ocean currents could change where and how food crops grow. If icecaps melt and low-lying areas are flooded, as is predicted, entire populations could be forced to move to higher ground. The tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, provided vivid examples of what large-scale climactic catastrophes entail.
Scientific evidence showing Earth’s climate change is abundant and profound. The shift our planet has experienced is so drastic that author and environmentalist Bill McKibben says we should give it a new name, such as “Eaarth (McKibben 2).” The title is familiar yet so very different. By burning fossil fuels, mankind has increased Earth’s temperature by “more than a degree and a half Fahrenheit (McKibben 3).” This rise in warmth is enough to prompt a “45 percent increase in thunderstorms (McKibben 3),” which is capable of producing violent amounts of rain and hail. More storms mean more lightning; in 2008, lightning in California triggered “1,700 different fires...burning a million acres and
Over the past few years record-breaking and extreme weather events including sweltering summers, super-storms, wildfires and shrinking icecaps, alongside the acidifying of the oceans has been the topic of discussion. In Missouri this winter we have seen more snow, extreme freezing temperatures, and then day’s later 60 degree weather just to start over again. Who or what is responsible for these record breaking events and climate changes?
1: Cynthia Tucker “Climate Change Deniers Push Back On Environmental Regulation” 2014 • The Main point of view in this article is how disasters like flooding and drought which are attributed to the changing climate are affecting some parts of the country. Weather forecasters issued flash flooding for
From the populus beaches in Miami, Florida, ranging to the snowy ski slopes of Wyoming, climate change is transforming the real estate market. It is thought that climate change is mostly the product of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being released into the air, but many Americans are unaware
Over the years the droughts in North America have become worse. In 2012 80% of America was affected by very dry months and this is only by mid July. Climate change also has an effect on our health as humans. In 2012, at least 74 Americans were killed from extreme heat. This is nothing compared to 2011. During 2011 there were at least 206 people died from extreme heat.
In the article, “What We Can Say About The Louisiana Floods and Climate Change”, Chris Mooney states that due to climate change our planet is warming, causing the increase the of rainfall throughout the world. He claims that a warming planet overall breaks warm temperature records more frequently than
Wildfires and Floods are both caused by climate change. For example onto why this is a massive problem, California had 10 largest modern wildfires in the last 14 years. The fires are horrible because they have destroyed more than 6,000 structures . Next, Floods are another huge problem for the earth. Floods have became larger in rivers and streams causing massive damage. They were three times more deadly in Hurricane
Disasters occur naturally, but climate change causes them to be more violent and more unpredictable. Climate change also makes it more likely that a natural disaster will happen. “The kind of surge related flooding that Superstorm Sandy brought to parts of New York City is about 50 percent more likely than it was in 1950” (Borenstein). Flooding on coast lines can be caused by the melting of the polar ice caps. The thing that causes the polar ice caps to melt is the rising temperature of the atmosphere. The melting of the polar ice caps is bad because it raises the level of the ocean. When the level of the ocean is raised it can cause less land to be by the ocean. Another way the rising temperatures of the Earth is catastrophic is the harm it does to some national parks. There are several national parks that are getting hit the hardest. A couple that are affected are Glacier National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park. “Across the West, bark beetles, which thrive on warmer winters, are infesting more and more pine trees, turning once-green hillsides into fire hazards” (Duncan). This is a problem because trees are major producers of oxygen, and they help take the carbon monoxide, that we breath, out of the air. Even though there is a lot of evidence that climate change is man made, there are still people who deny it and say that it occurs
It's a fact: climate change made Hurricane Harvey more deadly Michael E Mann, publish a story in the Guardian questioning whether climate change made the recent storms deadlier. He did not claim Hurricane Harvey primarily caused by global warming but certainly made an already bad and difficult situation even more so. Mann explains climate change-related factors will have at least some impact on hurricane season activity, say worsened the flooding. One thing that causes Hurricane Harvey to increase into an intense storm is because of the storm surge was higher, which means the sea level is higher. Anthropogenic impacts, such as oil drilling play a role in Sea level rise – is more than half a foot (15cm) over the past few decades. To understand
Thompson, Andrea. “Climate Change’s Evolving Role in Extreme Weather.” Climate Central: A Science & News Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec.
This article discusses how catastrophic storms were very extreme this year, in line with climate change predictions. It mentions an article from Lancet Magazine that states" the volume of rain and flooding occurring over the past few weeks is "unprecedented and difficult to comprehend". Hurricane Harvey was Huston’s third 500-year flood in the last three years. Even though this is happening the odds of a hurricane hitting the east coast are still the same as 100 years ago. There is still disagreement in their scientific community whether or not global warming has contributed directly to these recent catastrophic weather events. It’s really impossible to say, but one thing is for sure, “the planet will be fine no matter what we human do". Theirs
Environmental change could be highly threatening for kids in expanding countries. Natural disasters affect every one of us, how an individual reacts and recoups from a disaster can decrease post-traumatic stress. Natural disasters affect every one of us, how an individual reacts and recovers can decrease the chance of post-traumatic
Extreme weather is one of the most important climate issues in the world today. Between January 2000 and June 2017, approximately $471.75 billion USD has been spent to repair damage from extreme weather events (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2018). These events have resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Residents
Both excerpts provide thorough descriptions on the causes and effects of disasters. The excerpt from “Super Natural Disasters of the 21st Century” demonstrates three massive natural disasters that recently occurred and the devastation that developed as a result. Similarly, the excerpt from “The Perfect Storm” combines factual information with a personal anecdote on the experience of an intensive storm. Although both authors provide causes and effects on natural disasters, they use juxtaposed strategies and techniques in order to support their claim.