Climate Change And Its Negative Effect On Wildlife And Human Life

From the Stone Age until now, humans have had a significant development in every aspect of life. Apart from many crucial inventions, the industry has reached its peak mainly thanks to natural resources such as coal, gas, minerals and many other supplies. Moreover, natural environment also plays an important role in improving human’s life. Advancing as life is, this phenomenon has both advantages and disadvantages. Despite the huge profit humans get, the environment is being overexploited. The greenhouse effect, carbon emission and natural disasters occur regularly. Wildlife extinction as well as serious diseases warn people about the consequences of overexploitation. Some people assert that these phenomena are normal. They say humanity just needs to have suitable solutions, and the problems would be solved. On the contrary, others have reservation about this issue, arguing that people should consider reality more seriously in order to save the Earth. In my view, everyone should raise his or her awareness about the seriousness of climate change to improve the situation before it is too late.

First and foremost, a persuasive reason for the seriousness of climate change is the grave effect on nature. The rising temperature causes greenhouse effect and global warming. According to NASA, the temperature increased drastically compared to a few years before (“Effect”). There is a group of 1,300 scientists and specialists of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reporting that the temperature would increase from 2.5 to 10 degree Fahrenheit the following century (“Effect”). Furthermore, climate change also brings about melting glaciers. Not only in North Pole and Antarctic but also above the surface of rivers and on the mountains is the ice melting with a massive speed. Many people are concerning if the Earth can keep its permafrost or not while the warmth is on its high peak. Scientists measured the melting glaciers, and it was almost shocking that “the number [of 150 glaciers] has decreased to fewer than 30” in Glacier National Park (Glick). With this rapid decline, there will be no more ice elsewhere.

The recent situation can be described as a continuing chain of consequences. When the ice melts, the sea level rises dramatically. At the present, in the circumstance where fresh water is rare, sea level rise makes water shortage become more terrible than ever. Research illustrates that the oceans will be “one to four feet higher, threatening coastal systems and low-lying areas” (Denchak). For example, in Vietnam, it is predicted that lots of rivers such as the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta will be “submerged” in large percentage (Dao). 80.78 percent of Binh Thanh District in Ho Chi Minh City, where my family is living, is forecasted to be “under water by the end of this century” (Dao). Thus, whenever it has heavy rains, the roads are flooded with ten to fifteen centimeters height.

The list of negative effect of climate change on nature has not stopped. The climate has been more severe, leading to plenty of natural disasters like droughts, tornadoes, tsunamis and blizzards. These events are expected to change the whole biosystem, meaning that “wet areas become wetter and dry areas [become] drier” (Denchak). Apart from this, the unusual changes not only devastate the environment but also do harm to people’s life. Whenever a disaster happens, it causes a vast loss of people and wealth. Thousands of people die each year, along with billions of money and substance (Denchak). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a study concluding that “at least $1 billion in losses” had been calculated in the USA only (Denchak). Another side of how serious the climate change affects the Earth is wildlife extinction. For instance, since the ice is melting fast, animals like sea seals, penguins and polar bears have no other places to go. They have to climb up to the mountains and try to adapt with the warmth in a short period. Also, to escape from the heat, many species with “backbones, like fish, birds, … and reptiles” are “disappearing 114 times faster than they should be” (Denchak). Global warming also causes forest fires and bare hills on a large scale.

Another angle can clearly be seen is the effect of climate change on human’s life due to their activities. The success of science and technology brings about tremendous consequences in return. Probably the most noticeable evidence is carbon emission. From the industrial era, factories and transportation system have burnt fossil fuels and energy, releasing pollution into the air. Furthermore, carbon emission results from deforestation and wildfires producing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (“Carbon”). According to NASA, the line graph illustrates a sharp increase of carbon dioxide in the period between 2005 and 2020 (NOAA). People’s health is also reported to be worse because of this contamination, especially respiratory disease.

Apart from air pollution, humans are struggling to figure out the way to survive under extreme weather, which include the heat, the cold and natural disasters. For example, some tropical countries such as Vietnam and India have to suffer from the hot temperature. A few years ago, the death rate in India due to the high heat brought up an alert to other countries around the world. The body cannot adapt and respond to the sudden changes of the climate. Moreover, the instant switch of temperature from hot to cold can cause vein rupture, threatening human’s life. In details, extreme weather relates to many other issues. Because of wildlife extinction and the poisonous atmosphere, food and drug scarcity will expand rapidly.

Last but not least, climate change causes not only wildlife extinction but also the death rate of human beings. There is research about climate change where scientists have to admit that the human race is in danger. It is said that the heat is expanding, even in frigid countries like South Korea. In addition, the heavy rains in the summer and the coldness in the winter are getting considerably intense. This can bring about more diseases such as “heat-exacerbated, life-threatening illness, such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke and cardiovascular [disease]” (Denchak). All of the phenomena above are signs for humanity to take the problem more seriously and thoughtfully.

Although the circumstance of climate change is serious as it causes a lot of negative effects, there are people thinking that the situation, at this moment, is not as harsh as others say. They argue that as soon as the governments found out about climate change, they have had immediate action. They provide practical solutions to tackle the problem and propagandize citizens to help save the Earth. For instance, environmentalists and rangers plan to preserve the jungles and rainforests, including their ecosystems. Additionally, some wastes and pollutants treatment systems have been invented and put into practice to purify the water before going to the sea. Besides, some people might view the extinction and the destruction as normal occasions according to Mother Nature. They believe every creature has its prosperity and poverty. This is the time people need to accept the truth that everything will be gone someday. Likewise, some individuals would claim that health diseases have existed for a very long time. Because there was no advanced equipment in the past, people could not find them until now. Hence, not all of the health problems are caused by climate change. Perhaps their strongest viewpoint is that even if climate change is serious, people cannot stop all the works and activities to prevent carbon emission or global warming.

There is some truth that governments and individuals have taken initial steps to prevent climate change. However, although some realistic solutions have been effective and played an important role in reducing the greenhouse effect, they are applied only when the situation gets worse. For example, planting trees or purifying water help protect natural habitats, but they take a long time to truly have effectiveness. Furthermore, the amount of planting trees is far less than the woods being cut down. In other words, the effort is not enough for massive change compared to the rapid devastation. Another point is that even though people notice about climate change, they keep exploiting and polluting the nature for their instant profits, making the situation even worse than ever. I personally believe that climate change is improved only when everyone is aware of it and take action immediately. Hence, people need to have a serious attitude towards the problem and a long-term vision for the future. Besides, it cannot be denied that climate change has made lots of health issues gotten worse than before. Many diseases, especially cancer, appear recently due to air and water pollution. Perhaps the only way to prevent all of these problems is everyone’s participation to the environmental protection campaign in everyday life.

Nowadays, the authorities and individuals have taken certain actions to reduce climate change; therefore, people can clearly see the changes. However, it is vital to warn other people about the current circumstance and work harder to address climate change as a real deal for all living beings on Earth. From my perspective, climate change is one of the greatest problems humans are facing now since the contamination and the devastation are substantially increasing. If people are really concerned about climate change, hopefully, more ideas will be proposed and put into practice to tackle the issue as soon as possible.