It's time to panic!
- Tejaswini J
- Oct 16, 2020
- 2 min read
Increasing sea levels, unusually heavy monsoon showers, icebergs melting are all evidences of climate change. Scientists have predicted that the effects of climate change are only going to increase in the coming years. Since 1978 there have been 11 El-Ninos out of which three were super El-Ninos (1982, 1997, and 2015) as they broke new average temperature records and set off catastrophic natural disasters.
India is the fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter! Delhi recorded its highest temperature ever in June 2019 with temperatures soaring up to 50 degrees Celsius resulting in deaths due to the heatwave.
Why should you care about Climate change?
1) According to WHO, climate change is expected to cause an additional 2,50,000 deaths every year from 2030-2050 without proper mitigation and adaptation.
2) Climate change causes various health risks among people. One in three people die of lung cancer, stroke, or heart disease caused by air pollution.
3) People across the world are affected by climate change, although some regions are more vulnerable than others. People living in developing countries, coastal and mountainous regions are particularly highly vulnerable.
4) 92% of people around the world suffer polluted air conditions.
But the hazardous effects of climate change are not restricted to the human race. They affect all forms of life from insects to marine organisms. Rapid disappearance of pollinators, animals migrating large distances to cope with the changing temperatures, coral bleaching are all examples of the effect, climate change has had on the entire planet.
As per a recent news article, researchers from the Zoological Survey of India have recorded various species of lepidopterans (Butterflies and Moths) occurring in The Himalayas at an elevation of 1000m higher than the altitude in which they are usually observed. According to the researchers, the lepidopterans changed their habitat due to decreasing ice caps and glaciers leading to water scarcity at lower altitudes. This phenomenon has been observed in several parts of the world including the U.S and UK. The altitudinal shift has been observed in several species of flora as well. This is one of the very strong examples of the effect, climate change is causing to the environment.
Check the links given below to learn more about the issue!
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