Global warming has always been a topic that I have felt passionately about. Ever since I was able to recognize that the environment was changing, and not for the better, I have felt strongly about the changing climate, as well as the reasons behind it. In recent years, I would say that I have stayed fairly “in the loop” with climate change topics, including the preventative measures on both the small and large scale. In addition to this, I have also followed some scientists predictions on what could and will happen if we as human beings stay on the same course we are on now with regards to CO2 emissions and air pollution. However, it wasn’t until viewing the Global Weirding is Here website that I truly understood the massive, global, and near future effects that climate change will have on the environment, animals, and even humans.
One of the most shocking initial facts that struck me upon viewing the Global Weirding is Here timeline was that climate change has already affected people across the world on a very large scale. Issues such as increased heavy rainfall in the United States and a rising sea level across the world have already been occurring right in-front of our eyes. Although those issues alone seem fairly large in scale, that is nothing compared to what will come if we don’t do anything. Based on the “Do Nothing” scenario where we as humans continue what we are currently doing we should expect to see rising water and surface temperatures, an increased risk of wildfires, severe drought across the world and mass extinctions of species; all in our lifetimes. The last part, “all in our lifetime” is something that is truly shocking and eye-opening. It is something that should be a wake-up call for all people, regardless of age, regardless of whether this will occur in your lifetime, your children’s lifetime, or even your grandchildren’s lifetime. This stuff is happening and it’s happening fast. It should be our responsibility as humans being to make a difference on this Earth that will benefit people for many years to come.
It’s shocking to think that something such as global warming, which is usually talked about in the future tense (“if we don’t do this, then this will happen”), is already occurring.
The consequences are already happening and it has begun to effect people’s lives. We can no longer talk about global warming in the future tense. We must begin to talk about it in the present tense, as it is already here and it’s as real as it gets.
Although the future welfare of this planet may seem grim based upon these predictions, there is still hope. Many of these predictions are based upon scenarios where we as human beings do nothing more than we are currently doing. Although some predictions will become true regardless of what we do or continue to not do, many of these possible consequences for our behaviors can be prevented. The world can be a much better and cleaner world for us, our children, and our grandchildren.
1. “Global Weirding.” Global Weirding. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2015.
You raise a really important point here about how climate change is not just about what will happen in the future but is about what’s happening right now. As you suggest, we need to start talking about climate change as a problem in the present and to help people see it in this way. How do you think this relates to climate change fiction? That is, the speculative stories we have read so far seem to frame climate change as a future problem. Maybe that’s a limitation of the genre of speculative stories? Perhaps there are stories out there more focused on the “here and now” of climate change impacts?
Also, it’s great to hear that you’ve been, as you say, “in the loop” about climate change, and I look forward to your continued contributions to this blog and class discussions — it would be great if you could share some of what you’ve learned and are staying up to date on.
I really like how you bring the point that many people look at climate change as a future force that we need to prevent, when in reality it’s already effecting the planet. Instead of looking at how it can be prevented, people should think about how they can make an impact now. Additionally, I agree with the point you made about how eye opening the Global Weirding site truly is because everything that they predict will occur during our lives. I thoroughly agree with your last paragraph too, especially when you talk about preserving the world for our children and grandchildren. If we continue our emissions trend, or even reduce it dramatically, our world is still going to change and be effected. The real question now is “How much?”. How far are we willing to go before we decide to make a global change and reduce emissions and save our world.