Climate change is one of the
biggest issues that we as a global society face. Yet many do not know of the
consequences or simply do not believe the science. Never before has humanity
been faced with a problem like the one staring us in the face right now. There
are so many unknowns, so many variables. Scientists cannot begin to predict the
outcome from all the anthropogenic damage we have done to the planet. This is
not to say that it is too late to change. But if change is to be made, society
needs to understand what we are up against. This is not a problem to be brushed
off in the hope that someone else picks up the slack. This is a global issue
and only the global community will we be able to reverse and overcome it. But
people who disbelieve the science of climate change need to understand the
problem and what could happen should it go unchanged.
The
recent severity of hurricanes clearly illustrates the threat of climate change.
The scientific data is there and shows a positive correlation between climate
change and an increase in hurricane severity.
To date we have seen an increase in
hurricane severity in the Caribbean. This is due to a slight increase in water temperature.
As the warm seawater evaporates it condenses and releases energy, which powers
the hurricane. An increase in water temperature will allow for the hurricane to
increase in strength before making landfall. Closer to home, Hurricane Katrina showed
the United States the devastation such hurricanes could wreck on a region. And
it was only a preview of what is to come.
Imagine a world where hurricanes of
that caliber or greater become commonplace. People will be displaced. Land will
become uninhabitable. Cities will become economically unviable and populations
relocated elsewhere.
Researchers have gone out into the
field and taken baseline data of many potentially susceptible locations, such
as Kingston, Jamaica; Fiji; and Tonga.[1]
They put dollar amounts on buildings, roads, highways and other infrastructure,
as well as crops and ecosystems. They have the estimated the costs and now must
ask the questions. Do the costs of allowing climate change to go unchecked outweigh
the benefits of ignoring and denying its existence? Does emitting our current
level of greenhouse gases outweigh the costs of the lives that will be affected
by an increase in hurricane severity?
[1]
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLACREGTOPURBDEV/Images/840342-1264721236030/IntroductiontoExposureDataMapping_KeikoSaito.pdf
I strongly agree with your opinion on the seriousness of climate change. However, I think one of the reason for so many people to not believe in climate change is that no one really knows what the exact or even the major cause is. In order to make people act to the climate change, strong scientific evidences are extremely important. This evidence need not only to proof the climate change is true, it also need to proof that it is caused majorly by human activities. I attended a seminar on climate change. The speaker is one of the top scientists in the field. However, he said that more and more evidences are pointing to other natural causes instead of human activities for the climate change. I believe that human activities can make a difference, what do we need to do in order to make people act without strong scientific supports? I think this is a more effective question than trying to convince people with unsupported hypothesis.
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