generalspeaking

Climate Change

There are ranks of scientists, ecologists, environmentalists, geologists, biologists and economists who, while admitting to the reality of climate change, and upheavals with respect to environmental degradation, claim these changes to be naturally cyclical, not caused by humanity's meddling with the balance of nature, but representing instead nature's timeless and ongoing adjustments to her sovereign rule over this Earth.

Irrespective, however, of whether humans are largely to blame for the increasingly wild and catastrophic weather events and natural disasters we've been increasingly subjected to, there is no mistaking that nature as we know it now is not the nature that we have known. Our atmosphere, our climate and geographies and our reliance on the kind of moderation we have long become accustomed to, have been interrupted by a series of severe events heralding greater problems in the future.

Ice caps and icebergs have been melting at at enormous speed in geological, atmospheric terms. Greenland's Ilulissat glacier has become a symbol of climate change, having lost 94 square kilometres of surface area in four years as a result of global warming. The prospect of rising sea levels, weakening of normal weather patterns, and a spiralling of abnormality seen in emerging weather patterns heralds disaster for many areas of the world.

Drought, rising temperatures, drying out traditional farmlands in Australia, Africa, the United States and Canada are seen to be a symptom of what we can expect on an even larger scale. A new report, Climate change 2009, faster change and more serious risks, looks at the swift progress of climate-change science, and the growing risks of threat to billions of people, world-wide.

The steady and ongoing accumulation of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere as the major gas considered responsible for global warming in the atmosphere is continuing its increase. Whether it's the result a back-log of centuries of industrialization or of increasing industrialization throughout the world, or whether it reflects nature's cyclical alterations in climate change, it's happening.

It will inevitably impact on habitability of various areas of the world, many of which are below or close to ocean levels now. It will cause tropical diseases and disease vectors to increase their range and infect greater numbers of populations, now immune due to geographical distance. Diseases affecting food crops will be more transmissible. It will mean larger dry areas of formerly cultivatable land will result in less production and more costly food.

And that's the direction we're heading in. Good thing human beings are so amazingly resourceful, inventive and capable of withstanding most challenges that come our way through the slow and inevitable processes of nature. With luck and fortitude we may survive this challenge as well and in the process learn to govern ourselves and our stewardship of this planet more intelligently.

Labels: Environment, Nature, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, July 11, 2009