The severity of extremes- with floods, earthquakes, storms, heavy precipitations and sudden downpour? Or the extremes in hot weather? When you had sweaty days if you're not in an air-conditioned room?
It's no longer as humid as we've thought of.
Why?
Human factor is the main reason. Humans are selfish. Because of greed, the environment becomes the victim. And this ensued in further sufferings by the later generations.
Air pollution caused by developments have caused global warming, and resulting in climate change. The greenhouse gases such as CO2, NO2, SO2, CO and etc trap dust and heat. This resulted in the slow disbursement of heat back from earth to the atmosphere.
Ozone thinning had inevitably 'helped' in the increase of earth's temperature as more heat is shone directly onto earth. As you know, Malaysia is a tropical country that receives large amount of sunlight. This thus, causing us to receive more heat. And yes, darker skin. Sigh..
In fact, most of the factors that contributes to climate change is due to humans' actions. Natural factors like volcanoes, strong winds and strong downpour are due to natural causes, but human factors do play a role in changing the weather conditions.
What can be done?
The two major steps are mitigation and adaptation.
Mitigation plans are held to save us when some uneventful events takes place- such as epidemics and so on.
As for adaptation, I really wonder on this- how far could we adapt?
With the hot weather, falling sick is like a norm for the society. And it's like getting harder to fight the diseases. A common example would be the influenza. The avian influenza is striking more easily. Sigh.. (again)
The impacts from climate change cover:
1. Increase in diseases- such as dengue. The changes in weather/ precipitation could have resulted in a change of temperature. Unfortunately, it's global warming that I'm talking about. An increase in temperature could have encouraged the growth of pathogen (as it is closer to their optimum temperature).
2. Shortage of water- especially drinking water. Why? As the icebergs melt due to global warming, sea water will rise. This resulted in flooding freshwater reserves and thus, less reserves for us. Please do not forget that there's an increase of human population exponentially.
3. Food security- when diseases strike, when accidents happen, when food shortage takes place, when population is growing so fast.....people could have gone to war just for food and water.
4. Changes in terms of health aspects. The mortality would have increased. The more vulnerable group such as children, sick and elderly people could be affected more easily than ever.
5. Economic impacts- when things are in a haywire, only the more affluent group would survive as they can cope with higher prices of commodities sold. How about the poorer group?
6. Social impacts- Higher costs of livings would eventually lead to a decrease in moral. Perhaps, if there's no restrictions in laws and security, more robberies will take place.
In fact, there are many more other impacts that could have arisen.
Ways to help our beloved Mother Nature? Each of us should practice these, at least these..
1. Use less air-conditioners- if without air-conds you'd feel like dying, please turn on the air-conds to a slightly higher temperature so that it's less cold. 22-26 degree Celsius should be comfortable enough.
2. Produce less affluent- especially plastic-made products. It is less biodegradable (for some that are biodegradable).
3. Save water consumption- for example, please don't wash your cars so often. It's really a huge waste of fresh water!
4. Use less energy- save electricity, petrol and so on.
5. Take less flights- because planes consume lots of fuel and the fuel by-products such as carbon dioxide are released exceptionally high to the atmosphere.
6. Reduce unplanned urbanisations.
7. Produce less pollutants to the environment.
An old adage says that- if a frog is placed into a pot of boiling water, the frog would jump out immediately. However, if the frog is placed in a pot of room temperature water and heated slowly, the frog would die eventually.
We are the frog in a heating pot of water, if we don't act fast to save our beloved earth.
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