The Earth is Warming

When people think of the future, it usually consists of sophisticated technology and relaxation. No one ever thinks of the future where food resources are scarce, and the weather beats down upon the Earth in unpredictable ways. Sadly, this is the reality of global warming. The phenomenon isn't taken seriously… but the truth hits home harder if you know its effects.

Global warming is responsible for the loss of 5,000 gigatons of ice in just the past 3 decades. If this continues, the entire Arctic could be lost by 2040 and the Antarctic will follow not long after. The continuity of this melting can have disastrous results. This process is practically irreversible once it has completed. If the entirety of the ice on Earth were to melt, we would need a visit to the weather of the Ice Age to bring it all back.

As the ice melts, all that water is added to the oceans. This results in a significant rise in sea levels across the globe. The level increases by 0.13 inches per year on average. That number may seem negligible, but over 361 million km2 is in danger of sinking here. Over the past few years, erosion and inland flooding have increased due to this reason. Many fishes, birds and plants have also lost their habitats. But, the most major impact of the increase is one which perhaps is deadliest…

…storms

The rise in sea level has resulted in extreme weather patterns. As the water gets higher, more of it is pushed inland during high winds effectively creating a powerful storm surge. Bigger water bodies also mean a bigger rate of evaporation as more water is exposed to the heat. This, ultimately, results in irregular rain patterns all across the Earth.

Unfortunately, storms aren't the only effect global warming has on the weather. Widespread droughts and heatwaves are becoming more and more common. The unusual downpours can't make a dent in the eventual rise in temperature. Although rising temperatures aren't unheard of, the temperature is predicted to increase at a more rapid pace in the future and already dry areas will become even drier. The heatwaves are not limited to the tropics. The temperate and polar zones are also moving towards a warmer climate. The counter-intuitive fact about this is that there will be changes towards cold weathers as well as the hot ones. It is predicted that there will be an increased harshness in the winters as heat disturbs both the cold winds and the hot winds.

As with the most natural events, humans are rarely the only affected party. The animal kingdom is also being heavily affected. Over millennia, animals have adapted to survive within a particular environment. When a radical change is brought forth, many of them die off. This is what is currently happening to many species from the diverse fauna on this planet.

Out of all animals, fish are the most affected. This is because the ocean is subject to the hardest hit from rising temperatures. An investigation showed that the temperature at a depth of 4,757 meters, had changed from 0.232 C to 0.248 C. A subtle change at a great depth like this can only be caused by a not-so-subtle change in the overall temperature, since heat currents are supposed to rise up. Due to this heating, fish are in danger of losing their habitats and are having to migrate to cooler parts of the ocean. This results in less chances of survival and reproduction. This issue, if continued, may result in us losing our main food source from the sea.

Fish aren't alone in their suffering. Land animals and birds are also seeing an impact. As the temperature rises, the number of waterholes, from which animals drink, are dwindling. They are having to migrate further and more often in search of food and water. This, again, results in less chances of survival and the chance of passing offspring. A change in an ecosystem does not only have local affects. They can reach out as far as the limits of the world. If the prey was to be lost, what would happen to the predators? It would result in an unhealthy swing of the balance and that will affect us humans.

Change is being seen across the Earth in the wake of global warming. It is bringing unfavorable climate changes and damaging living ecosystems. Every single anomaly, no matter how small, is slowly building up to a permanent effect. Although the future does not hinge solely on one factor, it is still guided by them. And one of those factors is the warming of the Earth.