For anyone wondering what impacts accelerating climate change will have on the lives of our children, there are plenty of examples around the world.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in the USA, Florida is becoming increasingly hotter. Amazingly, this doesn’t seem to have yet dimmed tourists’ enthusiasm for the sunshine state, although complaints from residents are rising with the temperatures.
According to a Salon magazine report, specialists warned of a climate driven catastrophe in Florida back in 2001. Now, reports Salon, warnings read less like forecasts and more like headlines.
Warnings relate to a rise of sea levels and temperatures, damage to the Everglades, coral reefs, beaches and coastal ecosystems, lower yields of crops (such as sugarcane, tomatoes, and citrus fruits) and increased risk of wildfires to forests, other natural areas and homes.
Unsurprisingly, there’s also increased risk of heatstroke, especially among senior citizens.
I believe global warming is an established fact that is, increasingly going to impact segments of the world’s population in the coming decades.
Looking abroad
Those who favour a taste of what their world may look like a few years down the line may wish to visit Pakistan, which recently hit the headlines due to stratospherically rising temperatures.
As Pakistan and India (which share a border) are part of South Asia, some might argue that rising heat is to be expected in that area. Nonetheless, news of soaring temperatures in the region is disturbing.
In June 2024, newspapers in India reported the longest heatwave in Delhi in 74 years, which led to hundreds of people dying or becoming sick. Temperatures reached a blistering 48 degrees Celsius in northern India.
Pakistan’s highest temperature of 53.8°C was recorded in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, on May 28, 2017 and May 26, 2010 respectively. Soaring temperatures might top that record soon enough.
As we face the reality of climate change, we need to consider that scientists estimate the ocean produces roughly half of the oxygen we breathe on land and it is the largest carbon sink on Earth. It also absorbs approximately 30 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions from humans.
The ocean has, effectively, put the brakes on, slowing the full extent of climate change. Its deepest parts (the deep sea) cover so much of the ocean’s global volume that they play a major role in reducing the effects of global heating.
According to a Salon magazine report, as CO2 emissions increase it acidifies the ocean, making it less hospitable for life. This is especially alarming considering the ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.
Even more disturbing, US president Donald Trump has issued an executive order promoting deep sea mining, currently prohibited under international law.
Industry is beginning to eye up mineral nodules on the ocean floor to extract the raw materials needed for making various things including electric car batteries. We can only register concern at the ultimate impact this mining could have on the lives of everyone sharing this Earth.
