Climate change is happening before our eyes. All over the world–“from Japan to the Middle East, and North America to Europe,” the heat waves, floods, droughts, and wildfires “have clear links to human-caused climate change.”
What’s happening globally this year was predicted decades ago. What we are seeing now are extremes–heat and rainfall (too much or too little). This is occurring when Earth has warmed “only” about 1.8 degrees F (or 1 degree C). What will happen when Earth warms to higher levels? “We’re on a trajectory to reach [warming of] 3 degrees C or 5.4 degrees F, by 2100.”
A warmer, wetter climate has exerted “its influence on day-to-day weather.” Researchers have “found a clear link between climate change and extreme heat in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia.”
Heat and drought drive the deadly, explosive wildfires in California, Oregon, Greece, Scandinavia, Siberia, and many other places.
The impacts of a changing climate are and will be variable from region to region. Some regions are experiencing the changes forcefully already; some areas will experience the changes more in decades to come.
The bottom line though is “that as average global temperatures increase, the impacts of climate change are becoming more visible” and are happening right now impacting places like Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, etc. “where hundreds of millions of people live.”
We need to try to prevent further extreme changes but also mitigate and adapt to the climate changes already happening. What are you doing individually? Are you holding decision-makers to account?
Read the article to learn more (Andrew Freedman, Axios, July 27, 2018).
For more information about climate change, search Science Primary Literature (database).
Questions? Please let me know (engelk@grinnell.edu).
