Climate is one of the words that comes to my mind whenever I think about earth and life. We are very lucky to be experiencing seasons of the year and a change of weather conditions. Sunny, windy, cloudy, rainy and stormy, all these make up the climate.
Climate is recorded after a very long period, like an average of 30 years. And as the years go by, we keep experiencing climate change. It’s known that the climate we had years ago wasn’t as bad as the one we are experiencing currently.
Scientists have amassed an overwhelming amount of evidence that humans are the main cause of climate change. People are burning fossil fuels and converting forests to agriculture. Food is an important basic need of every living thing, but the creatures that live in the forest must suffer because they are missing a place to live, and food. Climate change is becoming a threat to living things.
Global temperature is rising, more water flows into the oceans due to melting of ice, more severe storms, increase of drought, more health risks, loss of species and not enough food, all these are effects of climate change. 2020 was one of the hottest years on record. As the years go on it will get hotter and hotter, leading to droughts, lack of enough food and spread of diseases [“City of Powell River to consider climate action memo,” August 24].
Between 2023 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress. Climate change threatens the survival of species on land and in the ocean. Increases in temperature affects polar bears that survive in cold areas. Also, the water gets warmer, which affects the fish and coral reefs.
Climate change increases factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweep away homes and destroy livelihoods. Heat can make it difficult to work in outdoor jobs, leaving people in poverty. Climate change also affects the prices of food and resources.
The increase in temperature affects patterns of precipitation that sometimes lead to floodings, which destroys plantations. Also, the increases disrupt availability and quality of food. This makes the prices of food rise, leading to poverty, malnutrition and death.
As a teenager, I think people should talk about the effects of climate change and how it will affect future generations. I feel like, when people get to know how serious this is, that is when we can apply the solutions on how to fix this problem.
Lusia Kihiyo is a grade 12 student at Brooks Secondary School.
Join the Peak's email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
