Our world is changing, which is not essentially a good thing. Global warming is a real threat and people who turn their heads and shake them, claiming that it is just something made up, are not helping the situation. In reality, every person can somewhat help counteract global warming, but factories, extremely large industries and corporations can make the most difference. When there’s profit to be gained, long-term goals don’t often include the planet’s health, or rather, that of our species and many more. The planet will more than likely survive.
To shy away from the dark tones, global warming has actual consequences which will be discussed.
Global Warming – Emphasis on the Warming
Why is global warming such a big deal? It is, because even a couple degrees Celsius and we are talking shifts in climates, which end up being massive. What was once a predictable climate becomes unpredictable, where a few degrees Celsius turns into massive storms, with lots of water, wind and destroyed households, not to mention lives ruined and ecosystems bent out of shape. Animals will leave such spots, with hopes of finding new and more stable homes, which will in turn disrupt another ecosystem. Warming by itself is dangerous because it has an effect on almost every other aspect of climate.
What’s Really Happening
It’s a very basic thing, when you look at it. Global warming means that everywhere in the world, there is more warmth than there used to be. In climates which were naturally saturated with water, with a high humidity, have more water evaporating into the atmosphere. That water has to go somewhere. It doesn’t just evaporate into space, because that just doesn’t happen. It turns into clouds and then a whole lot of things happen, depending on where you live and what time of the year it is. For those climates which have monsoons and massive rains, things get really dicey really quickly, without much warning.
Meteorologists are getting better at predicting what is going to happen and when, but the crux of the issue is in the steady but slow heat rise.
Glaciers Losing Their Mass
Another obvious thing to note is the loss of glacier mass, or rather, their melting.
Glaciers are found near large mountains in the north part of the world or south, where it is extremely cold. Notably, there are glaciers in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges. These glaciers look notably smaller compared to prior years when they had more mass. Photographic proof exists, for that matter. Just a century ago, they had much more mass. This will eventually turn into a problem, especially given that there are ecosystems which depend on the existence of glaciers, ice and snow.
Looking forward, our world is faced with global warming. What we do about it, individually and on a global scale, will somewhat define us as a species and will definitely affect a lot of other species and ecosystems. Taking responsibility and acting on it is the first step in the right direction.