Many talk about climate change as a problem that society will need to confront in the future. But for many people around the country and the world, the effects are a reality right now. However, the impact isn’t always apparent or evenly felt. Read on as we explore a few of the most common and troubling examples of climate change in today’s world.
Real-Life Climate Change Impacts: Increasingly Powerful and Frequent Extreme Weather
Anyone who’s paid attention to the weather around the world can’t miss the extreme weather that’s hitting far more often than in the past. This can include larger and more powerful hurricanes for the coasts and widespread tornado outbreaks in vulnerable areas of the south and midwest. Changes in the atmosphere can also lead to notable changes in precipitation, leading to more blizzards in the winter, flash flooding in the summer, and, conversely, a higher potential for severe drought. Even outside specific weather events, climate change has raised the risk of extreme heat waves or frigid polar vortexes.
Tangible Signs of Climate Change: Shrinking Glaciers and Rising Seas
One of the natural features feeling the immediate impacts of climate change most strongly is the world’s glaciers. These massive ice blocks grow and shrink each year with the seasons but have been shrinking overall for decades. Even slight variations in overall temperatures can induce significant changes in glacier formation and development. Unfortunately, as temperatures rise, more water that would have typically been frozen in glaciers is ending up in the oceans, contributing to measurable global sea level rise.
Sunny Day Flooding: Coastal Communities Grapple with Unexpected Inundation
As sea levels rise, many people around the world who live along the coasts are seeing a more frequent phenomenon known as sunny days or blue sky flooding. In contrast to flooding that occurs from heavy rain or surges from a storm, this type of flooding occurs when there’s no weather in the area. Instead, areas flood simply due to tidal activity, made worse through the higher initial sea levels. This can range from a nuisance that creates occasional water-covered roads to a serious issue that threatens homes, businesses, or critical infrastructure.
Significant Ecosystem Changes: Climate Disruption’s Ripple Effects on Nature and Agriculture
Much like glaciers, many key living parts of global ecosystems are also extremely sensitive to changes in temperature, precipitation, and other weather anomalies brought on by climate change. This can show up in countless ways, from affecting migratory patterns to causing breeding issues for various species. This is particularly notable in the oceans, where warmer water temperatures have already had significant impacts. Changing climates can also simultaneously threaten native species while giving a foothold to invaders that wouldn’t have been able to survive in the past.
This isn’t just happening in nature. Farmers and food producers worldwide are also being forced to adapt to sometimes rapidly changing conditions, threatening food supplies. With the vast ways different species and ecosystems are interconnected, we’re likely only seeing the start of the potential disruptions that climate change could cause.
Recognize the Risks of Climate Change – Before It’s Too Late
Even those who acknowledge the threat of climate change can get sucked into a false sense of security, seeing it as a future problem. However, remembering these current problems helps us recognize the urgency of this global crisis. Without more work to reduce our effect on the climate, everyday examples will, unfortunately, become more and more common in the years ahead.
