Climate Change: The Intertwined Challenges

by Naomi Lai

Climate change is the ongoing alteration of global temperatures caused by human activity, primarily the use of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal.

Rising sea levels, temperature extremes, and more frequent and severe storms are all side effects of climate change. Climate change has global repercussions that pose numerous risks to businesses. Extreme weather, regardless of country, has the potential to harm industries, supply chain activities, and other infrastructure while also disrupting transportation.

Firstly, climate change has far-reaching consequences for various areas of society. Drought can harm both food production and health. Our health is vulnerable to fluctuations in weather patterns and other components of climate change. This phenomenon encourages people to migrate, which increases the possibility of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes transmitting disease to new places. Water fluctuations cause diseases like malaria and dengue fever. These health consequences disproportionately affect the elderly, children, and low-income communities. As ocean temperatures rise, hurricanes are getting stronger, which can cause direct and indirect deaths. On the contrary, problems such as dry conditions due to heat lead to more wildfires, which bring many health risks. This will likely be the cause of changes in human health and productivity losses.

In addition, it affects not only humans but also animals and plants. Little critters who are living in the Arctic are slowly suffering due to the rapid increase in heat, snow, and ice melting at a quick rate. Glaciers are mostly to blame for the sea level rise observed worldwide. Despite the damage caused by the Arctic, the ecosystem is becoming difficult to adapt, due to abrupt climate changes. Farmers are also impacted by the drastic changes caused by climate change. Our food supply relies on climate and weather conditions. Although there are agricultural techniques and technologies developed by farmers and researchers, there will be remaining challenges. Farmers put food on our tables, and challenges like increased temperatures, water stress, diseases, and weather harm livestock.

However, to combat climate change, we must cut greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power is an important step. Improving energy efficiency in enterprises, buildings, and transportation has the potential to drastically reduce emissions. Adapting to climate change needs both damage mitigation and future planning. This entails calculating risk and offering incentives for investments. Communities need to make investments in resilient infrastructure and researchers should study the current and future impacts of climate change. Although teaching about climate change might be a difficult task, students need to learn about this topic because it has an impact on many facets of society and our future.

In conclusion, this is a shared crisis where everyone has a responsibility to act. Climate change is a serious and complex dilemma that necessitates a multifaceted response. It calls for action at all levels, from individuals making sustainable choices in their daily lives to governments enacting environmental regulations. As Charley Dudley Warmer once said, "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”