About Climate Change
Carbon Footprint
While most of the world is aware that climate change is an issue, the majority of people have no idea how to approach solving this problem as they don’t properly understand it. For the general population to be able to comprehend how they contribute to climate change, it needs to be expressed in simple terms that anyone can understand. This is where “carbon footprint” comes in. Carbon footprint is defined as “the amount of carbon being emitted by an activity of organization.”(Climate Change & The Carbon Footprint - Global Footprint Network). In today’s society so much of what we do is directly produced or powered by the burning of fossil fuels. While this makes for an efficient energy source, it is terrible for the environment as it emits carbon dioxide into the air. While the Earth is able to absorb a lot of Carbon Dioxide from the air, it is not able to handle all the surplus CO2 we expel into the air through the burning of fossil fuels. If nothing is done to change this, more and more CO2 will continue to gather in our atmosphere.
While Carbon Dioxide is a natural part of Earth’s life cycle and necessary in many occasions, a surplus of CO2 in the atmosphere can be extremely harmful. Usually, humans and animals exhale CO2, and plants absorb it to create oxygen, which we in turn breathe in. Without human intervention, this is a balanced cycle, but when you add in the extra CO2 we create post industrial revolution, the cycle is thrown off as there is more CO2 in the air than can be absorbed. The problem with this excess of CO2 is known as the “greenhouse effect”. This is when “CO2 creates a cover that traps the sun's heat energy in the atmospheric bubble, warming the planet and the ocean”(Kazmeyer). In addition to heating the planet, this excess of CO2 also leads to changing weather patterns, which can cause droughts and other unnatural weather events. Many people simply don’t realize how harmful CO2 can be for the environment. While other forms of pollution such as littering in rivers have more obvious effects, burning fossil fuels are way more harmful in the long run.
While many people think of climate change as just global warming, climate change has many other impacts besides just the warming of the planet. One example of an effect of an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere is ocean acidification. When CO2 gets absorbed into the ocean, it decreases the pH levels of water(Increases level of acidity). Over the last 200 years the oceans have seen over a 30% increase in acidity(Ocean acidification). While most ocean species are still able to survive these conditions, certain ones such as organisms with hard calcium carbonate shells are really struggling. When ocean pH levels go down these calcium carbonate shells can begin to dissolve. Ocean acidification can also have effects on other sea creatures. For example, “the ability of some fish, like clownfish, to detect predators is decreased in more acidic waters”(Ocean acidification). While these effects might not seem as major as problems such as rising sea levels, ecosystems are extremely fragile and if we are not careful, the extinction of a couple species could lead to the downfall of entire environments.
Unfortunately, this issue isn’t as simple as just learning about the extent of the problem. The vast majority of people still have no idea how to reduce their carbon footprint. In general, the first step one should take in reducing their carbon footprint is finding where most of the carbon they emit comes from. The industries that contribute the most to carbon emissions are transportation, energy, manufacturing, and agriculture(Carbon Footprint Factsheet). While some sources are harder to change than others, there are a certain things that everyone can do at a grassroots level to help this problem. For example, using cars less and instead biking to closer destinations; or eating food that was produced from more sustainable sources. While one person won’t be able to tackle the issue of climate change on their own, the concerted effort of billions of people across the world can. If we want to have any chance at providing a better planet for future generations, we all have to start working towards it now.
Effect on Species
Climate change is a major threat to all species, but it is especially threatening to endemic species which have smaller ranges and smaller population sizes. One of the first effects of climate change is to lower levels of the tropic pyramid as periods of drought and intense storms make it harder for the environment to sustain the growth of plants and vegetation. As there are less resources available for primary consumers, they tend to decrease in size and in population because of competition for resources. Thus, larger species higher up the trophic pyramid are indirectly influenced by the decrease in flora as they have less prey to feed on themselves. This has a great effect on endemic species which are specialists meaning they have a limited diet and a specific range of physiological tolerance. As their habitats become less suitable for them, they may not be able to migrate to new areas like generalist species would be able to.
Some of these endemic species can be found in mountain habitats where species have a specific tolerance to ranges in elevation. As mountain habitats can be found all around the world, researchers were interested in finding the implications of climate change on the ecosystems there. To do this, scientists identified the organisms in the southeastern side of the Pyrenees mountains and created a food web to diagram the relationship between the organisms. They noticed the populations distributions of each of the organisms and compared how these numbers changed over time as the climate rose. Scientists noted that as climates rose, species richness between elevations rose, but the number of new species found in the area remained about the same. Instead of finding new species, they found a general pattern where native species shifted their ranges into higher elevations. Most of these species were larger, generalist species implying that specialist species were not able to shift ranges. Additionally, scientists noticed that there was a change in the predator-prey mass ratio which suggested that there were more (or bigger) prey species and less (or smaller) predator species.
These same changes can be projected towards other mountain habitats, but they also hold true in other terrestrial habitats. Instead of moving to higher elevations as mountain species do, species in flatter habitats move north where temperatures are cooler. Species with wide ranges of physiological tolerance will be able to adapt to the changes in temperature while specialist species and endemic species will be less likely to be able to adapt. Part of this is due to habitat fragmentation caused naturally such as elevation limiting dispersal in mountains. However, the fragmentation caused by increasing development also creates new challenges that make it so that species will not be able to relocate to areas that fit their tolerance range. This makes it even more important that we take measures to decrease climate change so that species will not be forced to adapt because of our actions.
A species that demonstrates these ideas is the Snow Leopard. Snow leopards evolved from species of big cats that existed during the ice age and has remained throughout the period of climate change after the ice age while other species went extinct. However, the species is declining, and it is estimated that there are less than 7,000 snow leopards remaining in the wild. The species is native to the Himalayan Mountains in Northern and Central Asia and lives in habitats between the tree line and 16,000 feet in elevation. The leopard is threatened by warming climates in the Himalayas which is accelerating faster than in most areas because of carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change directly affects the leopard as scientists estimate that they could lose about 10 percent of their existing habitat because of emissions. It also indirectly affects the leopard through tree line shift (the movement of tree lines further north or higher in elevation in response to climate change) that is projected to decrease the leopard’s habitat by 30 percent. This is worrying because snow leopards are private animals, exist in low densities, and need a large area to sustain their physiological needs.
In response to the changes in their environment, the snow leopard has shifted its range to higher elevations in the Himalayan Mountains. Unlike other species that face threats such as habitat fragmentation, snow leopards do not face as much competition with humans for their habitat. This means that for the moment the shift in range will be able to support the leopard populations. However, if the changes in climate continue to accelerate according to recent trends the snow leopard will eventually run out of areas to migrate to. At this point, they would face habitat fragmentation as migration could involve going through areas in lower elevations unsuitable for the leopard. The best hope for the leopard is a change on our part to ensure their populations do not decrease any more. This includes continuing to limit human interaction with the species and to slow climate change, so their habitat is protected.
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Desertification
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I am working to raise awareness surrounding desertification and climate change in the mountains of the state of New Mexico and surrounding areas where the Jemez Mountains Salamander makes its home. The national conservation lands program under the Bureau of Land Management has been doing great work over the last twenty years serving 35 million acres of precious land (“National Conservation Lands,” 2021). It is this type of program that combats desertification in the western United States and I hope to see its continuation and expansion in the decades to come. I support the expansion of this program to further combat desertification.
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Desertification is one of the many effects of climate change. This occurs when areas of dry land such as grasslands or scrublands become drier and turn into desert. There are a number of factors that can cause land to become desert, such as lack of rainfall, decrease in soil quality, overgrazing of plants, and overharvesting of dry woodlands. Because climate change can contribute to and exacerbate these factors, it is one of the leading drivers of increased desertification today. Another large driver of desertification is increased populations in drylands, which increases the need for grazing lands, croplands, and the harvesting of wood for fuel. This often leads to overgrazing by livestock, decrease in soil quality by poorly managed croplands, and large amounts of deforestation of dry woodlands without replanting (Rafferty, 2020).
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According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying (IPCC, 2021). Every region of the planet is facing increasing global changes, but we are focused on regions in the continental and western United States. Of great concern is the report that projects that in the coming decades, climate change will increase in all regions. This extreme warming could create “critical tolerance thresholds for agriculture and health” according to the report (IPCC, 2021).
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We have a desertification threat to our country. Deserts do change naturally but we need to understand that desertification is different from this natural process. Desertification is triggered by the overuse of land and unsustainable agricultural practices. Some examples include overcropping, overgrazing, poor irrigation, and deforestation. According to the United Nations more than 30 percent of North America is comprised of arid or semi-arid lands and about 40 percent of the continental U.S. is at risk for desertification (Trimarchi, 2020). Areas in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona are severely affected due to overgrazing, erosion, and poor irrigation (Trimarchi, 2020). All this leads to desertification.
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Desertification, deforestation, and climate change directly affect species such as Plethodon Neomexicanus, or the Jemez Mountains Salamander, and other creatures which live in the American Southwest. As temperatures rise, the land becomes drier, and natural habitat decreases, these species will continue to become endangered. As someone who loves the outdoors and has travelled throughout the western United States, I have a personal stake in keeping these precious lands beautiful for generations to come. Protecting this land will combat desertification and allow opportunities for wildlife viewing, history exploration, and scientific research to name a few. These public lands benefit future and current generations (“National Conservation Lands,” 2021).
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Climate Change and Human Health
Climate change has its effects on the environment and animals but also on the health of human beings. It can lead to various new health problems for people. This is caused by the disruption people feel in their physical, biological and ecological systems. Some of these disruptions are related to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. As well as injuries and premature deaths that have been linked to extreme weather events.
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Ground-level ozone is a key component in smog. It is increased by the effects of climate change. Most specifically the increase in heat. But it is also affected by methane and precursor chemicals, which are chemicals used in the illegal manufacturing of narcotics. This increase in the ground-level ozone is associated with health problems like impaired lung function, asthma and premature deaths. “Estimates that assume no change in regulatory controls or population characteristics have ranged from 1,000 to 4,300 additional premature deaths nationally per year by 2050 from combined ozone and particle health effects” (CDC). The effects of the ozone also increases the severity of allergic reactions. When the same air-pollutants that add to the ground-level ozone are presented with allergens simultaneously to an individual, their effects are augmented. An example is people with pollen allergies. When exposed to both pollen and the climate changing pollutants they have an increased risk for acute respiratory effects. And these pollutants in the ground-level ozone only increase with the change in global temperatures. Causing their effects to be even stronger.
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Diseases that are spread through ticks, fleas and mosquitoes are known are diseases borne by vectors. The distribution of these vector populations depends on many factors, with one major factor being climate. The variations in daily, seasonal, or yearly climate can cause changes in the geographic ranges. These changes can lead to increases in diseases in different areas, depending on the interactions between the hosts and the vectors, the immunity of the host, and how the pathogen has evolved. Ticks and bacteria are strongly influenced by climate. If temperatures rise, ticks now inhabit a wider geographic area, which leads to more diseases contracted by them. And in areas where these ticks already naturally occur, hotter winters will lead to less ticks dying off, and in turn increasing the overall population. Once again leading to more cases of disease. These vectors are also sensitive to the diversity of animals. If the population of certain animals were to decrease because of the change in climate they could also have an effect on how the pathogens spread and where they spread to.
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Extreme changes in climate include more frequent, and heavier precipitation. Increases in precipitation have made flooding much more severe. In the United States flooding accounts for about 98 deaths per year. Making it the second deadliest weather-related hazard in the country. Flooding also gives way for waterborne diseases to make their way to the human population. In addition, the intrusion of water into buildings causes the development of mold. This causes problems with the air quality indoors. The intrusion of water also increases the likelihood of asthma and other lower respiratory tract infections. This is caused by the water creating a damp indoors environment. Extreme climate changes also lead to the complete opposite end of the spectrum; droughts. Droughts are caused by an intense increase in the temperature. This can have effects on the groundwater people depend on. It also changes the conditions in which crops are grown, which lowers crop yields. Which means less food is sold. And subsequently less people get the nutrition they need.
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Most people overlook climate change because they believe it does have a direct effect on them. As far as many people know it only affects wildlife. But that is not true. Some of the same changes in climate that endanger wildlife also endanger us. Everyday we put more greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere and because of this people are getting very sick, diseases are spreading like they never have before. And the changes in climate have become more dangerous than ever. The awareness of these issues would definitely help people realize the true impact climate change has. And possibly it could push more people to act on the global issue.
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Weather Patterns
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One of the main effects that climate change has on the planet is an increase in extreme weather. This makes changes in weather patterns a great indicator of climate change. Weather patterns can be fairly easily measured, and give quantifiable, scientific proof of climate change. This is important, because it shows the general public that climate change is a real issue that must be addressed soon.
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The Environmental Protection Agency or EPA defines weather as, “the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place … Familiar aspects of weather include temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind that people experience throughout the day. Extreme weather includes hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts” (EPA). All those aspects listed can be quantified, and measured to show trends over time. On the CarbonBrief map, it shows that of the 346 formal studies of extreme weather, over 77% were proven to have been caused or affected by human influence. This means that the vast majority of extreme weather events have been made worse or completely caused by humans ruining the atmosphere. This includes droughts, extreme ice and snow, hurricanes and tornadoes, wildfires, and many more. Through the use of weather patterns, we have proven that human actions have caused extreme weather events to become more severe and more common.
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Even if there are more of these extreme weather events, how much can these events really hurt humans directly? From the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, the top U.S. disasters by cost have all been weather events: Hurricane Katrina in 2005 cost $170 Billion and caused 1,833 deaths. In 2017 alone, Hurricane Irma and Maria caused $147 Billion in damages, and caused over 3,000 deaths. These events aren’t just small hiccups that only hurt remote animal populations, they cause massive amounts of destruction and death to huge amounts of people each year.
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Weather patterns are the best indicator of climate change, and they show just how real climate change is. Many people today still don’t believe that climate change is a real issue, so convincing them with irrefutable proof is the best way to get the world to change.
References:
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Desertification. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/science/desertification
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Trimarchi, M. (2020, August 02). Will the U.S. be a desert in 50 years? Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/us-desert-50-years1.htm#:~:text=More%20than%2030%20percent%20of,desertification%20%5Bsource%3A%20U.N.%5D.&text=The%20most%20severely%20affected%20areas,in%20New%20Mexico%20and%20Arizona.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 2). Climate effects on health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm.
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