Are We Aiding Our Own Extinction With The Approach, Or Lack Thereof, We Take With Global Warning?

Famine, Drought, flooding. All things directly linked to global warming, a phenomenon that has been around since the early 19th century, and is still being disregarded as a hoax by a surprising number of people. In 1896, Swedish scientists struck gold when they found that as humans burned fossil fuels,carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere, unintentionally raising the average temperature of Earth. As we know now, they were correct.

Yet, we are still facing this problem over 100 years later.

Scientific evidence for climate change is unequivocal, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, global warming is just one of the negative consequences that could directly link to an increase in fossil fuels. Climate change, the long term change in average weather conditions, is increasing at unprecedented rates. Unfortunately, the global average temperature has increased by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. This has led to shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreat and decreased snow cover. All of this water flows to other regions of the world and contributes to the rising sea levels and flooding in impoverished parts of the world. Additionally, the rising temperatures have led to forest fires and droughts. The heat-trapping effects of carbon dioxide have been shown by accredited sources like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and renowned American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter Bill Nye among countless other celebrities and scientists.

If it is such a well-established concept then why do such an overwhelming amount of people believe it is a hoax?

The main cause of climate change is invisible, we can't see the vast amounts of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides being released. The biggest problem surrounding climate change is not a lack of technology - it’s human psychology. Most humans aren’t quite equipped to process the actual extent of the problem so they chose to ignore. With glaciers melting and polar bears dying on the other side of the world, it is easy. Climate change is always referred to as something that needs to be dealt with urgently but the average person does not believe they are the one that needs to deal with it, so they chose to write it off as someone else’s problem. However, people do not understand the significance of their little actions. And so, we continue. Humans go on driving their cars, discarding their plastic, enabling big corporations and destroying the ozone layer because a clear solution is not easily attainable. Humans are lazy. Arguably, this is how we are enabling our extinction.

I mean we are trying.

Not every country has sat idly by while the situation worsened. Some countries signed agreements aimed to tackle climate change. One such being the Paris Climate Agreement, that aims to reduce the 2-degrees Celsius temperature increase down to 1.5 by 2030[2]. Despite the multiple loopholes, it is a step in the right direction as it holds both developed and developing countries accountable for their CO2 emissions. American states like California, Texas, Hawaii and Maine all have laws that encourage recycling so there is proof that we as a civilization are trying. Some scientists speculate that we have 11 years till irreversible global damage[3] whilst others say 20 – despite not agreeing on a specific year one thing is constant: human extinction is inevitable.

Well surely, climate change can lead to the extinction of every other species? No.

There are copious amounts of species who can evolve rapidly and who have been adapting continuously to adjust to the extreme weather. Humans aren’t so lucky as we can’t evolve to adapt to the rising temperatures we brought on. Animals are reacting to climate change in 3 ways: move, adapt or die. A lot of animals are moving to higher elevations to escape the soaring temperatures. This quick thinking is some evidence on which animals will outwit humans soon. Some species which take a long time to adapt and reproduce infrequently, are developing epigenetics (changes to gene expression but not the underlying DNA) which give them flexibility to cope with the changing conditions. Additionally, species with shorter lifespans that reproduce very frequently, will be able to use the rapid succession of genetics to help them evolve genetic adaptations through survival of the fittest.

Humans are naturally social creatures, we fend off of our competitive natures and need social pressure to move from a state of apathy to action. Climate change will not be a straightforward problem to solve but we humans have to learn to adapt to these staggering statistics and change the way we live, travel and shop. The point of this piece was not to depress you with our impending extinction, it was to force you to recognise your privilege. We have this knowledge about climate change and we should not take it for granted. Climate change is real and a solution is needed. If you want some general ideas on how you can reduce your carbon footprint then please check out @Seco.bsb on Instagram to find some ideas. The accumulation of everyone's small changes could go a long way in reducing greenhouse emissions.

By Emmanuella Erhunmwunsee 12B