Ute Wong
26/9/2023
Global warming is becoming one of the biggest threats to our planet.
On the morning of August 8th, 2023, the citizens of Maui lost nearly everything: their loved ones, their homes, their pets, their cars, and anything else they could’ve possibly owned. People all across the nation started assigning blame to the top emergency official for not activating the emergency sirens or to other state officials for not releasing water during the fires. However, these officials are not the ones with blood on their hands. It’s global warming.
Global warming has been a prominent topic in recent years as the world has begun intensifying industrialization. As the name implies, global warming is the increase in Earth’s surface temperature. When greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide get released into the atmosphere, they build up and trap heat from the sun in Earth’s atmosphere. This leads to negative consequences for the world around us.
Hotter weather is just a mere fraction of the many consequences that result from an increased temperature. Warmer climate also means melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification. Though the average population may not be familiar with these environmental phenomena, they certainly have an impact on every single person. As someone from California, I can affirm that I have never felt the immediate impact of a melting glacier or the acidification of the Pacific Ocean. Nonetheless, the community around me has experienced other significant effects of global warming, mainly those concerning health.
A warmer climate increases the risk of many health diseases. Rising temperatures lead to a higher risk of wildfires, which take away more than just tangible possessions. Large fires directly threaten the lives of people in the area by taking away innocent lives and causing severe air pollution, which then leads to heart and respiratory complications. Global warming also leads to a higher frequency of heavy rain. Just recently, there was a tropical storm that struck southern California for the first time in decades. This once in a lifetime phenomenon caused severe flash flooding and heavy rainfall for several days. Events like this tropical storm may increase exposure to water-borne illnesses, which may come from contaminated sewer water or outbreaks of aquatic pathogens.
These health consequences are just a few of the many that result from global warming, and as time goes on, the list will only get longer. The world needs to recognize the effects that come with a warmer atmosphere, and we must take action. There needs to be change in human activities including deforestation, burning fossil fuels, and manufacturing. The earth desperately needs our help and there is no time to spare. Our planet is dying and so are we.