Climate change was a topic that I did not dispute the evidence of, I just chose not to give any of my time an energy learning about it. It was not until the Spring semester of 2019 while taking an environmental class that my thinking changed. That was when I learned about a “garbage island” that is approximately four feet deep and estimated to be the size of Texas just floating in the Pacific Ocean. Since learning of this and educating myself about climate change and pollution I have built a greenhouse, stopped using plastic bags from grocery stores and currently I am looking into purchasing a wind turbine for my home. Climate change is something that all of us should take very seriously, educate ourselves about and focus our energy on. This is the only planet that we have, and we are its last defense against ourselves.

My hope is that after reading my paper and watching my presentation that at least one person will decide to take climate change more seriously in their life then take the necessary steps to help heal our planet. In the presentation I discuss just the tip of the iceberg of some of the causes and concerns of climate change and I hope that you find them useful and educational to you.

Final Draft Knowledge paper

Introduction

            No matter your preference of news sources we are all bound to come across an article or two discussing climate change. Climate change has become a hot topic of discussion and has in recent years been politicized to the point that a percentage of the United States population does not believe that is even exists. No matter what your political views are or what your thoughts on climate change is, there is no denying that we are seeing changes on our planet. We are seeing an increase in storm activity and an increase in intensity. We have had mass flooding and droughts which have impacted farmers nationwide which not only impacts the food supply but also the national economy. There have been reports of rising sea levels causing fear for those living in and around the coast lines that one day their home and lives they have known could be gone forever.

From rising sea levels, projected food shortages, warmer temperatures to the effect’s climate change has on human health. These topics will be investigated farther so you the reader can decide for yourself if climate change is real or a hoax. No matter what your conclusion you will be better educated to continue this discussion with those around you. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to thick critically. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” (Martin Luther King)

Climate Change: Human Health

            Since the beginning of human history our health and wellbeing have been intertwined with the Earth’s climate. Flood waters can carry chemicals and sewage across great distances and can encounter people making them extremely sick. Not only would it make them sick in the short term but the toxic chemicals and dangerous bacteria after the flooding will settle into the ground that farmers farm and can begin leeching into the local populations drinking water supply (5). With flooding intensity and frequency increasing it would be exceedingly difficult for people to clean their habitat and keep it clean and toxic free. If the current trend continues these people may have to relocate. It is clear to see that climate change can affect humans by making the farmland unusable for crops along with contamination of drinking water. In addition to farmland and drinking water local ecosystems can be decimated (7).

There have been drastic increases of ailments that are a direct response to our changing climate. According to Globalchange.gov a U.S. based agency doing research for the betterment of the global community, we will see Alzheimer’s disease triple from today’s numbers by 2050. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (C.O.P.D.) has already increase by 50% since 1980, this trend is expected to continue. By the year 2030 just ten years from now, it is projected that 41% of the population of the United States will have Cardiovascular Disease. People with Cardiovascular Disease are also more sensitive to warmer temperatures which can lead to more difficulties as Earth’s temperatures keep getting warmer. Lastly depression and other mental illnesses are projected to see a 35% increase by the year 2050 (3).

Climate Change: Food

            Increased temperatures, flooding, droughts, and wildfires have made life as a farmer in the United States much more unpredictable and unstable. Food is one of the basic needs that all humans must obtain for survival. Without a steady supply of food, we would slowly get weaker and more susceptible to disease and without it we simply cannot live. This in turn would cause farmers to lose their livelihoods thus causing food insecurity, quantity, quality, and sharp increases in pricing (7).

Climate scientists and farmers have noticed that in recent years growing season has started earlier that it traditionally has in the past. Not only does the growing season start sooner it has also gotten hotter sooner than normal. One issue this presents is that with each passing year there will be more and more generations of pests to deal as the winter months are now shorter thus not killing off the previous year’s pests. One would think that an earlier growing season would be a good thing and in the short term it can be. Another issue with an early spring is the soil can cause crops to grow before it contains enough water to sustain them and makes them more susceptible to being destroyed to early spring frosts. Also, shorter winters mean less snow fall. Snow is important as each year it is needed to replenish making it a challenge keeping water reservoirs full for farms and livestock. Lack of potable water can lead to droughts and drier soils, smaller livestock’s being raised, greater loss of crops. In California from 2015-2016 it has been estimated that nearly $4 billion dollars of economic loss in agriculture as a direct result of droughts (7).

The increase in major storms across the United States has attributed to food scarcity and price increases across the nation. An example of climate change wreaking havoc on farmers crops and livestock took place in Nebraska back in 2018. Unusually heavy rains in the early spring combined with late snowstorms cause mass flooding throughout the entire state destroying farms and killing of livestock in its wake. After the flooding subsided some areas of Nebraska were covered 10 feet deep in sand and other sediments. This resulted in many farmers being forced to delay planting crops which in turn reduced the number of crops they were able to grow that season adding to food scarcity in the region. It is estimated that in Nebraska the total economic loss of cattle alone was close to $450 million dollars.

Climate Change: Global Warming and Air pollution

            Science understands that global warming is caused when the Earth’s atmosphere takes in more heat that it releases. This is what is called the “greenhouse effect”. One of the main contributors of the greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas as it turns out is great at retaining heat and with more of it being pumped into our atmosphere every day, at current numbers with warming of the planet will only continue (6). Records indicate that since the start of the Industrial Revolution around 1880 that the global temperature of the planet has shown steady increase. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) website an online tool was used to predict that the planet is on pace for the average summer temperatures of Chapel Hill, North Carolina to go from 87 degrees F to an average of 96 degrees F by the year 2100 (8). Air pollution causes nearly 3.5 million deaths per year worldwide (7). If efforts are made to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels thus reducing the air pollution and greenhouse gases that it creates, it could save an estimated 500,000 lives by the year 2030 and nearly 2 million lives by 2100. The NIEHS website stated that during the 2020 global Covid-19 pandemic quarantine greenhouse gasses were reduced by 17% due mainly to less automobile travel (8).

The NIEHS website also discusses how during hurricane Harvey in 2017 there was an increase of rainfall from Harvey type storms was six times greater than these storms were from 1981-2000. By the year 2100 the rainfall from these types of storms is expected to increase times 18 (8). Nasa has conducted extensive research into climate change and their findings are very alarming. NASA reports that nineteen of the hottest 20 years on record have all happened since 2001. The hottest year on record being 2016. The one year that ranked in the top 20 that was not after 2001 was 1998.

NASA also reports that carbon dioxide emissions have increased 47% over the last 170 years. But considering this is more carbon dioxide emissions than what took place from the last glacial ice age about to the year 1850, a 20,000-year period. From the year 2002 to 2016 the carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s troposphere increase 60 ppm (parts per million) (6).

Climate Change: Water and Oceans

            NASA has recorded an average yearly increase in sea levels since 1995 of about 3.3mm per year (1). As the temperature warms, we have more ice sheets and glaciers melting which is contributing to the rise of the oceans. NASA’s last data check of rising sea levels was back in March of 2020 and the sea levels at that time had increased from the previous measurement by 4 mm (1). Florida and New York from 1996 to 2011 have lost more land than they gained from plate tectonics (4). In turn the rising sea levels have turned some dry lands and wetlands into open water, this problem can be seen all throughout the United States Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Both coast lines have also seen an increase in frequency of flooding since 1950 due to rising sea levels (2).

With the increase of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere it has increased the oceans acidity (6). The increased acidity causes several events to occur that affect both humans and animals alike. Acid rain for example damages crops, buildings increases the erosion of soils by increasing the rate of weathering. Increase ocean temperature and acidity also have been shown to harm marine life. The Great Barrier Reef for example is dying due to the acidity of the ocean and its warmer temperature. This combination is causing irreversible damage to the reef and it is in grave danger of being around for future generations unless structural changes take place (5).             Warmer waters are the perfect climate for bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens to multiply and flourish in. These toxins can be in our lakes, rivers, ponds, and oceans and can be contracted either by direct contact with the water or indirectly through us eating marine life that originates from these water sources (5).

Conclusion

            This article was created with the intent on educating the reader about what data exists to support that climate change is real. What is not included in this article is data from those with the opposite view. That research is being left up to the reader to investigate. There are several things we can do to help combat climate change. We can reduce carbon emissions reducing out dependency of fossil fuels and instead using renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydroelectric. Also, the elimination of single use plastics along with recycling and reusing items and planting trees all help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Test Questions

Since 1995 NASA has been tracking the rising sea levels. On average how much has the sea levels raised each year since 1995?

• 3cm
• 5cm
• 3mm
• 4 inches

What is blocking sunlight from shining onto parts of the Great Barrier Reef preventing photosynthesis?

• Acidic Clouds
• Sediment
• Plastic garbage
• None of the above

References

1. Center, N. G. (2020). Vital Signs of the Planet: Sea Levels. Retrieved from climate.nasa.gov: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
2. Climate and Health Assesment. (2016). Retrieved from globalchange.gov: https://health2016.globalchange.gov/
3. Climate Change and Human Health. (2016). Retrieved from globalchange.gov: https://health2016.globalchange.gov/
4. Climate Change Indicators: Oceans. (n.d.). Retrieved from epa.gov: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/oceans
5. Foundation, 2. G. (2020). Climate change: Climate change is the single greatest threat facing the Reef. Retrieved from barrierreef.org: https://www.barrierreef.org/the-reef/threats/climate-change
6. (2020). Vital Signs of the Plane: Carbon Dioxide. Retrieved from climate.nasa.gov: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
7. Simmons, D. (2018, September 18). A brief guide to the impacts of climate change on food production. Retrieved from yaleclimateconnections.org: https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/09/a-brief-guide-to-the-impacts-of-climate-change-on-food-production/
8. Yewell, J. (n.d.). Climate change worsens air pollution, extreme weather, expert says. Retrieved from niehs.nih.gov: https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2020/7/science-highlights/climate-change/index.htm

 

Presentation

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AtXYAifPXAmlyjupEjQ-596r0U6C?e=EcgSv5