Climate Change

 There is a major issue going on with climate change, which is caused by various human actions that release greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases that have been released into the atmosphere due to human activities are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. Some of these gases have a short lifetime in the atmosphere so they don't accumulate that much, but the ones that do accumulate for decades and even centuries are carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. These greenhouse gases are also the cause for global warming, which is not the same as climate change. Climate change and global warming both deal with the atmosphere but climate change goes beyond just the temperature and also looks at the changes in sea levels and weather patterns. 

Climate change has a major effect on different ecosystems, mainly the Arctic and the Ocean. In the Arctic, climate change is a big deal because the animals and plants are used to the cold and have adapted to survive in these temperatures. The temperature has been increasing around the world, and the Arctic is no exception. In the Arctic, 30 glaciers that have been studied, shrunk more than 60 feet in the past 40 years. In addition to the glaciers, the area covered by sea ice in the Arctic, during the summer time, has shrunk by 40% over the past 40 years. While the increase in temperature for the Arctic is a very noticeable change, the changes that have occurred in the ocean are not that noticeable to the human eye. The ocean absorbs 30% of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. This absorption of carbon dioxide affects the ocean's acidity level which then affects marine life. Not only is the oceans acidity level being affected, but the sea levels are also rising due to the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. With the rising sea level, the coral reefs become vulnerable to being destroyed by storms, and warming waters which can lead to coral bleaching.

Climate change not only affects different ecosystems and biomes, but it also affects our daily lives. Climate change has multiple affects on our daily lives, ranging from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. As I stated earlier climate change is more than an increase in temperature, it is also the change in weather patterns and sea levels. Food, water and human health are three major things that are impacted by climate change. Our food, as we all know, is dependent on climate conditions. If there was to be a drought or extreme heat, crops and animals may not survive the extreme weather conditions. When it comes to water, flooding and drought are the two main issues that are caused by climate change. Human health is affected by climate change in many ways such as heat stroke, inhaling smoke fumes, getting waterborne diseases, etc. 

Works Cited

    Climate change impacts. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 13, 2021, https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/climate/climate-change-impacts#:~:text=The%20impacts%20of%20climate%20change%20on%20different%20sectors%20of%20society,availability%2C%20and%20limit%20worker%20productivity.  

    Causes of Climate Change. European Commission, https://climate.ec.europa.eu/climate-change/causes-climate-change_en#:~:text=Burning%20fossil%20fuels%2C%20cutting%20down,greenhouse%20effect%20and%20global%20warming.