The world is reversed due to COVID-19 and the picture is getting more morbid each day with Climate Change adding more to the suffering of people, property, livelihood and nature alike.
- In India, May-June witnesses seriously hot and uncomfortably humid weather. But due to the unpredictableness of Mother Nature, the scorching sun and rains are happening alternatively.
- With more harsh weather, more strain on animals and plants that can’t adapt, water shortage, and increasing loss of sea ice and melting of ice caps and glaciers, climate effects will worsen.
- Declaring a “Climate Emergency” is a political acknowledgement of the crisis. It would imply putting a stop to government backing for fossil fuels, investing in the clean economy, and restoring nature at home and abroad as a top priority.
- Sea level rise can result in catastrophic erosion, wetland floods, salt pollution of aquifers and agricultural soil, and loss of habitat for fish, birds, and plants.
By 2050, 300 million people worldwide will live on lands that will flood at least once a year owing to rising sea levels. By 2100, 20 million people will be living below the sea level line.
There’s a theory that will soon become reality:
Glacier melting will lead to a rise in the sea levels by 60 meters, which will result in New York, London, Boston, Mumbai and more getting submerged underwater. The best example is the Netherlands, with its 26 per cent land underwater due to the increase in sea levels, they have started to build their houses on boats.
Bangladesh and India, with 32 million and 27 million people respectively, would be heavily struck, as would Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan – The countries which will be underwater due to global warming. The Netherlands would possibly be the most affected country in Europe. In the year 2100, about 4 million people are predicted to live below sea level.
India: According to fresh forecasts from the Climate Central research group in the United States, 36 million Indians could lose their homes and livelihoods due to increasing sea levels by 2050.
Increased natural disasters, such as severe storms and hurricanes, create havoc on the countries most vulnerable to sea-level rise. The best example is India, which witnessed 2 extremely severe cyclonic storms in May – Tauktae and Yaas.
THINGS TO PONDER ON:
- Oceans are important ‘carbon sinks,’ absorbing large volumes of CO2 and preventing it from reaching the upper atmosphere. Oceans are already being affected by greater water temperatures and greater carbon dioxide concentrations than normal, which cause oceans to become more acidic.
- At 1.5°C, coral reefs are expected to collapse by another 70-90 per cent. At a 2°C increase, nearly all coral reefs will perish. It’s not just a tragedy for the environment: half a billion people rely on coral reef fish as their primary source of protein.
- Forests are critical because they absorb carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas that causes global warming, and assists to regulate the world’s temperature. Stop deforestation and plant more trees.
- More flooding and droughts are being caused by climate change, which is having a significant impact on the world’s water systems. Warmer air may hold more water, which causes more intense rainfall patterns.
The major cause of species extinction this century is expected to be global warming. According to the IPCC, a 1.5°C average rise could put 20-30% of species at risk of extinction. Most ecosystems will struggle if the world warms by more than 2°C.
Many of the world’s threatened species live in locations where climate change will have a significant impact. Climate change is also occurring at a rate that many species are unable to adapt to.