Tackling Climate Change as the Very Real Humanitarian Crisis That It Is
In many cases, the issues of global warming and climate change are hotly debated and contested, but science consistently backs the findings that environmental changes to our atmosphere are occurring and will continue to occur, and that these are, specifically, changes humans have accelerated and exacerbated.
To solve this crisis, we need to recognize it and implement policies of change. We don’t always think of this as a humanitarian crisis, but it is. Many people don’t realize just how vital every part of the ecosystem thriving is. We are only just recently starting to recognize this and try to find ways to deal with this issue, but more can and needs doing.
The Effects of Climate Change Will Be Felt Around the World
Climate change will have a far-reaching and deep impact on every aspect of life on Earth. It will change weather patterns. It will impact how we grow crops, raise livestock and where we live. Growing crops and raising animals is highly dependent upon the weather. Too many extremes in one form or another — too much rain or not enough — affects what crops can grow and how much yield the crops will produce at the end of the season.
The weather also affects animals. Extremes in cold or hot temperatures can impact how livestock fight off disease, how they reproduce and how much milk they produce in their lifetime. If crops or grasslands are affected by inclement weather, it may be more difficult to feed livestock since they depend on those plants to survive.
Even fisheries and other bodies of water — the ocean, rivers and lakes — will be impacted by climate change. In some regions of the world, fish is a major source of protein for many people. Changes in weather patterns, and hot and cold indexes, will impact where fish live, putting them in competition with other species for food and habitat. This could potentially kill them if they can’t find the resources they need to eat or reproduce.
Climate Change Has Already Had an Impact
Climate change has already affected some areas in this particular way, and experts believe things will only get worse. Crops have failed, leading to food shortages in numerous places around the world. Heat waves and droughts have dried up water sources in various places, forcing inhabitants to move to new areas. A large influx of people into an area with an already short supply of water and food will inevitably lead to more issues.
A few solutions that have been proposed to combat this humanitarian issue are a higher reliance on alternative energy and better management of sustainable resources. But in order to get citizens on board with these strategies, our society as a whole needs a better understanding of what exactly we’re facing.
There’s no denying that global warming and climate change will have a major impact on the world and cause a humanitarian crisis. By working together and acknowledging the threat, we can find ways to combat the issues and thrive as a species.
| Kate Harveston Political Journalist & Blogger |
by Editor