What is the Climate Crisis?

Sep 22

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

Climate Change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. This is an existential threat to life on Earth due to human negligence and uninformed decision making from global leaders and corporations. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels from glacial melt that increases the risk of catastrophic flooding; the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Drastic action today is required to adapt to the change that is unavoidable and avoid impacts in the future that we have the power to change today.

CORPORATE ACcOUNTABILITY & THE INDIVIDUAL

We know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. We also know that humans are burning fossil fuels, releasing huge amounts of carbon pollution and trapping more and more heat in the atmosphere. There’s only one conclusion: humans are the primary reason the planet is warming and we see our climate changing today.

While some companies do take action to support climate action based policies, other corporations actively direct the narrative about climate change, shift the blame to the individual, and undermine climate science and science-based policy.

While we can, as individuals, take action in our day-to-day lives, the majority of pressure needs to be put on large corporations to run their businesses with sustainability in mind.

HOW IS CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTING THE PLANET RIGHT NOW?

A not-insignificant-part of many discussions of climate change centers on what could happen down the road. You’ve no doubt heard many of them: from truly dramatic sea-level rise to desertification of broad swaths of the planet, unimaginable extreme weather to ice-free poles.

And those things are incredibly important to think about. But climate change is already having a serious impact on the world we live in today. Storms are getting stronger and stronger. Heat waves are getting longer and more dangerous. Droughts are starving major cities of water, while others flood. Vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease are spreading as longer-lasting warm weather and milder winters extend the life and breeding cycles of many insects, including fleas and ticks. Longer breeding cycles allow them to grow their ranges by moving ever-poleward right along with increasing average temperatures.

Here are three more you may not think a lot about as being climate crisis impacts, but which you’ve likely dealt with yourself or know someone who has:

Wildfires: The climate crisis creates the perfect conditions for extreme wildfire seasons in the American West, parts of Europe, and many other regions around the globe. The reasons why are pretty simple science: Warm weather is arriving earlier and earlier and lasting longer. It goes to figure that snowpacks are melting earlier, leaving less water available during the heat of the summer. Precipitation patterns are also changing. The result? Parching of the land and die-off of plant life.

All these dead and dried-out plants then act as tinder, igniting when the heat soars and lightning strikes or a careless cigarette butt gets tossed or campfire ember lands in the wrong place. And, with less predictable rains, and seemingly more unpredictable wildfire behavior, once fires begin, it’s harder to stop them.

Worsening allergy seasons and other respiratory worries: Burning fossil fuels doesn’t only pollute our air directly with irritants like particulate matter and soot. As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and average temperatures rise, they also contribute to higher levels of ground-level ozone that can cause acute and long-term respiratory problems. Moreover, rising global average temperatures are leading to longer pollen seasons in many places – and when combined with stronger rainfall events, flooding, and higher humidity, create the perfect environment for mold to flourish.

The result? More allergies, asthma attacks, and other respiratory health problems.

Some foods are becoming less nutritious: While this area of research is relatively new, scientists project that increased atmospheric CO2 speeds up photosynthesis, the process that helps plants transform sunlight to food.

This makes plants grow faster, yes, but in so doing they pack in more carbohydrates like glucose at the expense of other essential nutrients human beings (and other animals, right down the food chain) depend on.

Some have gone so far as to call this the “junk-food effect.”

When grown under the CO2 levels expected by 2050, reductions of protein, iron, and zinc in common produce in some parts of the world could be anywhere from 3–17 percent. And if emissions continue at the current rate, in many countries, these nutrient declines could turn dire, jeopardizing the health of people all over the world.

COMPANIES PRACTICING SUSTAINABILITY

Earthrise

“Earthrise is an online community and platform focused on communicating the climate crisis. For decades, climate change is a story we have failed to tell properly. So now, we must tell a new narrative; one in which young people, like you and I, are brave enough to dare to imagine the future we want to live in.” - Earthrise Studio
Founded by Alice Aedy, Jack Harries and Finn Harries; these three Filmmakers, Designers and Activists came together to create a place where concise communication about climate change can be found. Learn more about Earthrise here.

RIVIAN

An electric car company challenging traditional modes of transportation and are creating options for society to make the transition to sustainable modes of transportation. Learn more here.

PATAGONIA

Patagonia is a designer of outdoor clothing and gear for the silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running. Read about their support of activism here and read about their dedication to sustainable and ethical business here.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

The solutions to the climate crisis are numerous, but they boil down to one shared goal: Urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and speed the global shift to renewable energies like solar and wind.

We need to de-carbonize our economies. And we need to do it as rapidly as possible.

How much the planet warms is up to us. To limit global warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, according to the world’s best scientists, we need to cut fossil fuel emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by around 2050.

This means moving very quickly to leave oil, coal, and natural gas behind and accelerate the just transition to clean energy already underway around the world. It’s a big ask and a lot to accomplish in a little more than 11 years. But nothing less than the future of the Earth is at stake.