CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY IT MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY Ramji 1

Climate Change: How it Affects Us and Why it Must Be Taken Seriously

Jordan Ramji

Clayton Rhodes

15 November 2020
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Climate Change: How it Affects Us and Why it Must Be Taken Seriously

Climate change is the long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns that usually

results in the rise of global temperatures (National Geographic Society, 2019). The main causes

of climate change are actually human-created like greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation,

polluting the land and water systems, etc. (Government of Canada, 2019). Climate change can

affect us in many different ways. Predominantly, it can negatively impact us economically,

environmentally, and personally.

To begin, if we do not act to stop climate change, it will affect us economically. One

example of how this can happen is rising sea levels. Due to rising global temperatures, glaciers

and ice caps are melting at exponential rates (Cho, 2019). In fact, polar ice caps are actually

melting six times faster than in the 1990s (Carrington, 2020). This in turn causes the sea levels to

rise, putting all property and infrastructure on the coast at risk of intense damage. There is also a

link between rising sea levels and natural disasters like hurricanes (Cho, 2019). Texas’s

estimated losses from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 are around $200

billion (Gibbens, 2019), and with hurricanes becoming more and more prevalent, economic

losses and debt will only increase. Another example of how climate change affects us

economically is a loss of productivity. Statistics show that if nothing is done to tackle the climate

crisis, the annual losses of productivity due to temperature-related deaths alone are projected to

be around $140 billion (Cho, 2019), and if infrastructure is damaged due to the forementioned

rising sea levels, productivity will only go down over time. Increasing warmth and precipitation

is also linked to the spread of water and foodborne diseases (Cho, 2019). In fact, the Zika Virus

epidemic of 2016 was exemplified by insects who carried the virus since they were able to

constantly reproduce in the always hot and wet climate. The last example of how climate change
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affects the economy is the negative effect it has on many different industries. For example, the

Taj Mahal, one of the largest and most successful tourist destinations in the world, is being

damaged by water and air pollution caused by climate change (Burke, 2010). Tourism is

definitely not the only industry negatively affected by climate change, however. Agriculture has

been extremely affected in the United States, with extreme rainfall events increasing 37% since

the 1950s, and flooding becoming much more commonplace (Cho, 2019). All in all, the effects

of climate change can seriously disrupt the economy, with property and infrastructure,

productivity, and different industries all being put at risk. If we do not act quickly to stop the

affects of climate change, it will negatively impact us economically.

In addition, one of the most obvious yet threatening effects of climate change is the

environmental damage it causes. To begin, one-third of all plant and animal species could

become extinct within the next 50 years (Rice, 2020). This is due to the rapidly changing climate

that global warming and increasing precipitation causes. For example, polar bears, one of the

most well-known animals that inhabit the Earth’s Arctic, are at high risk for extinction due to

melting ice and lowering food supply (Leahy, 2018). When species, especially predators, go

extinct, their prey will no longer be at a controlled population level. This could seriously

negatively impact ecosystems and even cause a chain reaction causing more extinction to occur

(Williams, 2020). Secondly, one of the most prominent environmental side effects of climate

change is the increasing amount of forest fires. Forest fires are increasing dramatically not only

in numbers, but also in severity as climate change causes droughts to become more

commonplace and summers to become hotter (Harris, Levin, Munroe, 2020). These fires wreak

havoc on ecosystems and the air quality, and the carbon released into the atmosphere actually

causes the climate to increase in warmth even more, causing a chain reaction of more fires, more
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smoke, increasing heat, and so on (Harris, Levin, Munroe, 2020). Lastly, water is the most

important thing we as humans need to survive. Unfortunately, however, climate change is

polluting our Earth’s water supply (Huntington, 2017). As previously mentioned, greenhouse

gasses being emitted into our atmosphere causes the planet to heat up, this in turn increases water

evaporation, and then subsequently increases precipitation. Unfortunately, the toxic greenhouse

gasses are increasingly polluting the Earth’s water systems due to the rising levels of

precipitation (Huntington, 2017). Water pollution can have a multitude of negative effects on the

Earth’s ecosystem. For example, water temperature has been rising at an exponential rate, putting

aquatic life at risk (Adeyeye, 2010), The increasing precipitation also causes an increased level

of water runoff, contaminating large bodies of water with toxic chemicals and pathogens that

will heighten the risk of acidic rain (Adeyeye, 2010). To conclude, the environment is arguably

the most important thing we have. However, if mass extinction, forest fires, and water pollution

continue to happen exponentially due to climate change, our own lives will be put at risk. If we

do not act quickly to stop the effects of climate change, it will negatively impact us

environmentally.

Furthermore, if climate change is not taken seriously and procedures are not set in place

to stop it, it will affect us personally. One example of this is the physical health risks that emerge

with climate change. Climate change negatively affects the determinants of health such as clean

air, sufficient food and shelter, and safe drinking water, and in between 2030 to 2050 climate

change will be responsible for approximately 250 000 deaths per year (World Health

Organization, 2018). These deaths will be directly caused by things like malnutrition, heat stress,

and malaria, all of which are intensified due to climate change. Another example of how climate

change affects us personally is the impact it has on our mental health. Victims of extreme
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weather and natural disasters are prone to mental health issues (Leonard, 2020). Unfortunately,

these natural disasters are increasing in numbers, frequency, and intensity. In fact, coastal

regions such as Florida and Texas have seen a 9% increase in storm frequency, and a 23%

increase in storm intensity (Beradelli, 2019). This increase in natural disasters will subsequently

create an increase in mental health issues and crises. Also, since climate change directly causes

an increase in displacement and death, the mental welfare of the people who will witness these

traumatic experiences will surely deteriorate (Leonard, 2020). There are even studies that support

the hypothesis of extreme heat having a significant effect on people with pre-existing mental

conditions, and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates

positively correlate with higher temperatures (Leonard, 2020). The last example of how climate

change affects us on a personal level is how more and more regions are becoming uninhabitable.

As global temperatures and sea levels rise, some cities and regions could experience unbearable

living conditions. For example, cities like Chicago, New Delhi, and even Toronto have been

experiencing an increase in record-breaking heat waves each year, some of which even proving

fatal (Bendix, 2019). If the effects of climate change continue to go on without intervention, then

having to leave your home forever due to it becoming no longer safe nor sustainable for human

life could indeed become a reality. All in all, one of the most important aspects of our lives that

we have is our own personal wellbeing and health. Unfortunately, climate change can and will

become detrimental to our physical and mental health and create an environment where our

homes are no longer habitable. If we do not act quickly to stop the effects of climate change, it

will negatively impact us personally.

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In conclusion, climate change can affect us in many different ways. Predominantly, it can

negatively impact us economically, environmentally, and personally. There are many ways our

society can come together to slow down and even stop the dangerous and even lethal impact that

climate change will have on us. However, if we do not take climate change seriously and do not

act quickly, the point of no return will be passed, and the consequences will be severe.
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Works Cited

Adeyeye, A. (2010, June 24). Water and Climate Change. Retrieved from

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/water-and-climate-change

Bendix, A. (2019, October 16). Scientists say these 11 major cities could become unlivable within

80 years. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-that-could-become-unlivable-

by-2100-climate-change-2019-2

Beradelli, J. (2019, July 8). How climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous " Yale

Climate Connections. Retrieved from https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/07/how-climate-

change-is-making-hurricanes-more-dangerous/

Burke, J. (2010, December 02). Taj Mahal threatened by polluted air and water. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/02/taj-mahal-threatened-pollution

Carrington, D. (2020, March 11). Polar ice caps melting six times faster than in 1990s. Retrieved

from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/11/polar-ice-caps-melting-six-times-

faster-than-in-1990s

Cho, R. (2019, June 20). How Climate Change Impacts the Economy. Retrieved from

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/06/20/climate-change-economy-impacts/

Gibbens, S. (2019, February 25). Hurricane Sandy, explained. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/reference/hurricane-sandy/

Government of Canada. (2019, March 28). Government of Canada. Retrieved from

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/causes.html

Harris, N., Munroe, T., & Levin, K. (2020, September 24). The climate loop: 6 ways global

warming is fuelling US fires. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/climate-

feedback-climate-change-forest-fires
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Huntington, S. (2017, January 20). How Climate Change Impacts Our Water Supply. Retrieved

from https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2017/how-climate-change-impacts-our-water-

supply/20361

Leahy, S. (2018, February 01). Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming, Study

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melting-sea-ice-global-warming-study-beaufort-sea-environment/

Leonard, J. (2020, February 7). Climate change and health: Impacts and risks. Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/climate-change-and-health#mental-health

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change-study-plant-animal-extinction/4760646002/

Williams, A. (2020). How would a species' extinction impact the food web, our ecosystems?

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extinction-impact-the-food-web-our-ecosystems/

World Health Organization. (2018, February 1). Climate change and health. Retrieved from

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health