People who argued that climate change is not real are now coming to the realization that if you disturb nature you will not only lose the mother that nourished you from its womb, protected you, and shielded you from the harsh climatic realities of the universe but in turn face a malignant force whose only task is to correct the wrongs of man for a better world and future.
For the last decade or so, the world has been ravaged by wildfires, floods, droughts, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, thunderstorms, air pollution, and much more. Our self-inflicted destruction of the ecological ecosystem has given rise to new challenges that threaten human society as a whole.
Impact Assessments of the Current Heatwaves & Wildfires
The single biggest impact or threat of climate change is the rise of global temperatures, which can be readily observed in the recent wildfires that are devastating Southern Europe.
Spain, Greece, Italy, and parts of the Balkans are all engulfed in extreme heat waves and wildfires with temperatures ranging from 40 to 52 °C between the region. The temperatures are so high that climate scientist at the University of Reading, Hannah[kH1] Cloke, compared the bubble of hot air with a giant oven over the Mediterranean.
Italian forecasters have associated the heatwaves with Charon – the ferryman of Hades in Greek Mythology who takes the souls of men to the underworld. These wildfires are so disturbing that their destruction across Europe can even be observed through satellite imaging in the picture shared below.
So, is there any way out of this? Have the leaders of the world failed us? And was the Paris Agreement all but a sham?
The answer to all these questions is yes but there is still a possible way out if we collectively acknowledge the reality of climate change and implement long-term solutions to combat carbon emissions and greenhouse gases as one single nation-state.
Acknowledging the Facts: Global Warming & Climate Change is Real
Throughout the ages, Earth has maintained natural cooling and warming-up cycles known as the glacial and interglacial periods that have been around since the inception of the planet. The earliest records of temperatures going down can be traced back to the pre-industrial age from 1400-1800, a period also known as the “Little Ice Age”, where the temperature dropped almost 0.3-0.5 °C and the earth corrected itself for posterity. This is the reason why detractors of climate change in the oil industry still argue that the world again will correct its temperatures as it did in the pre-industrial period.
However, with the industrial revolution, the oil boom, and the progress of mankind carbon emissions and greenhouse gases have rose to such an extent that this course correction seems impossible. According to IPCC Sixth Assessment Report[kH2] , the global rise in temperatures in the last 170 years was the highest in recorded history and the current period is the warmest in the last 100’000 years.
Right now, the phase we are in is naturally and historically the cooling period of the Earth. This is the reason why global temperatures are only rising on an average of 1.5 °C annually. Imagine when the warming period hits and global temperatures start to rise from 3-6 °C on average. Outdoor environments won’t be able to sustain human life in such catastrophic temperatures.
Causes of Wildfires
Wildfires have been around since the first man discovered fire through lightning and has been using it for their amusement and progress. The natural causes include lightning, volcanic eruption, and human error. Most of the recent fires are credited to human error. If we examine 19th and 20th-century wildfires, a close inspection shows that not only their severity was mild but our ability to control them also preceded our current efforts.
Contrarily if we switch to present times, with all the technological advancement at our feet, we are helpless against wildfires. So, what has changed?
The simple answer is heat waves, global warming, and climate change! The rising temperatures due to environmental decay are not only increasing the intensity of wildfires but also making it difficult for us to stop them through droughts across major rivers across Australia, Europe, and America.
Scope of the Current Fires
According to a recent report by the European Forest [kH3] Fire Information System, “19 countries are in ‘extreme danger’ from the wildfires, while Spain, Portugal, and France are at a very critical stage.” The United States is also on high alert for both heatwaves and wildfires as neighboring air pollution and wildfire from Canada is seeping through the borders.
For more updates, you can watch the latest on global wildfires on Xfinity cable TV. Through the Xfinity Stream TV App, you now have the convenience of carrying your favorite news channels wherever you go. For a quick fix, their customer service representatives are available 24/7 at the Xfinity phone number.
Considering all the facts,
The famous words of Barack Obama should reverberate in the minds of every individual, “We a[kH4] re the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”
All the solutions for climate change exist, we know what we have to do and how to save the planet. All we have to do is to take the collective responsibility of pushing our leaders to make the necessary sacrifice for a better future and safer planet.
