According
to the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America, human
activities that started since the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s have
increased the carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. These activities
are the burning of oil, coal and gas, and deforestation. In 2005, it was
observed that the global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide were 35%
higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution.
The
drastic change in the concentrations of carbon dioxide has dreadful
consequences to human health, climate, agriculture, and wildlife.
One
of the consequences reported, according to BBC Weather Climate, is that it is
very likely that hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will
continue to become more frequent. It was also stated that by the second half of
the 21st century, wintertime precipitation in the northern mid to
high latitudes and Antarctica will rise. At the same time, Australasia, Central
America and Southern Africa are likely to see decreases in winter
precipitation. In addition, sea level rises because the sea absorbs the heat
from the atmosphere, causing it to expand. It is also speculated that if the
entire Western Antarctic ice sheet melts, the sea levels will raise by about
3.2 meters. Because of this, Tuvalu in the Pacific is already experiencing
severe flooding which resulted to the islanders starting to leave the island.
Another
consequence of the change in concentrations of carbon dioxide is in terms of
agriculture. The crops produced around the world could significantly change due
to climate change. Weather is a vital part in farming and the changes in
temperature and precipitation is very important in sustaining crop growth.
Human
health is also affected by climate change. The quality of the food, water, and
homes are all-dependent on the climate and weather. If winters become milder,
there is a danger that bacteria would no longer die-off seasonally during the
prolonged cold spell. This means that disease would spread more widely. Heat
waves, on the other hand, will increase the number of hot-weather related
deaths. The prevalence of cardio-respiratory diseases will also increase due to
the high level of ground-level ozone. In addition, it has been observed that
cases of skin cancer have quadrupled in the last thirty years. Also, because of
the increase in flooding, the spread of water-borne diseases and the growth of fungi
are likely to prevail more.
However,
not only humans are affected by climate change. Environmentalists are concerned
with the adverse effects of climate change for plants and animals throughout
the world. The biggest concern is how climate change will affect the habitats
in which species lives. According to studies, if temperature rises by more than
1.5-2.5 C, twenty to thirty percent of plant and animal species will be at
increase extinction. The main concern with species shifting from where they are
now is that if climate change occurs very quickly, some wildlife may not be
able to adapt and move quickly and some may not survive.
For
more information on the consequences of changes in concentrations of carbon
dioxide, kindly refer to the references listed below.
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