Climate Change Affects Us All- California’s Heat and Laos’ Arctic
We have been given only one planet to inhabit ( as of now)- a planet we ought to respect and treasure. Instead, due to the collateral damage of corporate greed and deeply rooted selfishness, we have left this earth to die. I have concerns for the defenseless wildlife we are killing, I have concerns for the communities and livelihoods that are in danger, and I have a great concern for the future survival of the human race. While we all feel the effects of our warming planet, although we may not notice, it is the poorest people of the poorest countries that are the most affected. Three out of four people living in poverty rely on agriculture and natural resources to survive. Furthermore, climate change could result in more than 100 million additional people living in poverty by 2030. It is our duty to understand not only how our own communities are impacted, but also the many different ways other countries are as well. Although seemingly divided, we are all connected. We must acknowledge the perhaps unpredicted effects of our actions on other countries.
California as a whole has warmed by one to two degrees Fahrenheit since the beginning of the 20th century, according to the state’s Natural Resources Agency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Southern California is about three degrees hotter than it was 100 years ago. From 1878 to 2005, Los Angeles temperatures rose 4 degrees on average, climbing from around 62 degrees to 66 degrees. Coastal cities like Santa Monica and Malibu are likely to warm 3 to 4 degrees F by mid-century, according to a 2012 study led by UCLA climate expert Alex Hall. Urban areas, like downtown LA, will likely warm 4 to 4.5 degrees. On average, the Los Angeles region is expected to warm 4˚ to 5˚ by mid-century. Coastal areas and central Los Angeles will experience three times more days of temperatures over 95°F. Heat waves could last longer and become more frequent.
The people in the poorest parts of LA are expected to be hit the worst since many live in some of the most intensely warming areas and may not have access to air conditioners. High air temperatures can cause heat stroke and dehydration, and affect people’s cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems. Higher temperatures are amplified in urban settings where paved and other surfaces tend to store heat. Warming can also increase the formation of ground-level ozone, a component of smog that can contribute to respiratory problems.
In 2015, the Sierra snowpack — the source of one-third of the state’s freshwater — reached its lowest level in 500 years. The mountains could see a 42% reduction in annual snowfall by mid-century. Over the past 50 years, the snowpack has been melting earlier in the year. Winter snowpack is also expected to meet more than two weeks earlier as a result of rising temperatures. Changes in snowfall could reduce freshwater supplies throughout the county.
The changing climate is likely to increase the need for water but reduce the supply. Rising temperatures increase the rate at which water evaporates into the air from soils and surface waters. Soils are likely to be drier, and periods without rain are likely to become longer, making droughts more severe. In the past decade, we have experienced one of California’s driest years since 1895. a prolonged drought can lead to increased mortality and reduced reproduction of wildlife. Drought is an additional stressor affecting endangered species already burdened by habitat loss, invasive species, and other conservation problems. Farmers in the dry Central Valley alone may stand to lose $810 million this year from keeping their fields idle, according to the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. They’ll also spend an extra $453 million on pumping water out of the ground. The state likely will lose 17,100 agricultural jobs because of the drought. About 428,000 acres, or 5 percent of the irrigated cropland in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Southern California, weren’t planted in 2015. This has started to affect the price of fruits and vegetables in the United States. With water scarcity, there’s a drilling frenzy to scoop up groundwater, causing the ground to sink in the Central Valley. The state and federal governments had put hundreds of millions of dollars into aid. It also causes fish evacuations and wildfires.
Californians can expect more extreme weather events: long dry periods, heat waves, low precipitation followed by more severe storms and flooding and storm surges. There will be less snowfall and less storage of water as snow as temperatures rise. this is because Changes in climate increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events such as rain storms. More erratic storms during the winter months could also affect stream flows and cause greater flooding. The double impact of a warming the atmosphere and warming oceans means that more water will be deposited when the rains do arrive. And, say the researchers, the chance of a catastrophic flood to match the 1862 calamity that destroyed one-third of the state’s taxable land will grow three or fourfold. If it happened again — after 150 years of population growth — it could be a trillion-dollar disaster, and millions would have to abandon their homes. “We may be going from a situation where an event as big as 1862 was unlikely to occur by the end of the century to a situation where it may happen more than once,” said Swain.
Climate scientists have predicted that the sea level will rise along the California coast 5 to 24 inches between 2000 and 2050. Tides and storm surges can cause coastal flooding in Southern California, especially when big wave storms occur at high tides. Millions of dollars have already been spent to replenish sand at Venice beach and more will have to be done in the future to stabilize beaches as sea levels rise. In 2017, scientists modeled the effects of sea-level rise on 500 kilometers of shoreline in Southern California. A sea-level rise of 0.93 to two meters, they predicted, would result in the loss of 31 to 67 percent of beaches in Southern California. In 2060, sea-level rise will likely put between 414 and 3,979 homes along the coast in the L.A. region at risk of flooding — up to $3 billion in value.Sea levels are predicted to rise up to eight feet over the next 100 years. This could cause significant flooding and erosion of hundreds of miles of coastline, greatly impacting homes, agricultural lands, and low-lying cities.
Five of the ten largest fires in state record books have occurred since 2010. Wildfires have become more frequent and more severe across California in the last few decades, and the science behind why is pretty simple: Droughts dry out the land, killing plant life. All these dead and dried-out plants then act as tinder, igniting when the heat soars or lightning strikes, or a careless cigarette butt is tossed in the wrong direction. And, with less predictable rains, once fires begin, it’s harder to stop them. In December 2017, a series of 27 wildfires ignited in Southern California, including the Thomas Fire, which burned more than 281,000 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, resulting in two deaths and the evacuation of more than 200,000 people. Less than a year later, the Woolsey Fire burned 96,949 acres, spreading south from the mountains into Malibu, where it destroyed hundreds of homes and killed three people.
Economic development is mainly responsible for Laos’ rapidly changing environment/ climate. Laos remains disproportionately vulnerable to the devastations of climate change, exacerbated by poverty and malnourishment. The identified areas of main concern for the country include water and forestry resources, agriculture energy, and health sectors. Scientists have predicted that temperatures will continue to rise, dry seasons will become longer, severely impacting agriculture/ crop yield, as well as increased frequency and severity of rainfall, droughts, and floods. Beyond extreme weather tendencies, an often overlooked, but equally important, the impact of climate change is the lack of biodiversity.
Among the most exceedingly vulnerable countries to climate change, although not a major contributor, it is the country and people of Laos that will feel the exasperating and imminent consequences of the deplorable neglect of dominating countries choosing corporate gain over the prosperity and protection of our planet. As Laos disproportionately battles consequential climate-related struggles exacerbated by poverty and malnourishment devastating the country, it is now more important than ever for action. The increase in shipping, transportation, and other human activities in the already crumbing Arctic will effectuate irreversible damage. Hapag-Lloyd, a German leading global/ international liner shipping company, and CMA CGM, French-based transportation, and shipping company, have both announced that they will not use the Northern Sea Route due to environmental concerns.“The use of the Northern Sea Route would represent a significant danger to its unique natural ecosystems due to the numerous threats posed by accidents, oil pollution, or collisions with marine wildlife,” says Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of the CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container line.“To avoid posing a greater threat to this fragile environment, CMA CGM will not use the Northern Sea Route.
While I intimately acknowledge the potential for commercial exploitation and economic gain with its presence in the Arctic, I regardless firmly assert that we can not afford to fall susceptible to the allure of short-term gains and suffer from the long-term reverberations. The Eu must take lead in the Arctic environmental protection as they are responsible for most of the shipping emissions in the Arctic, in that the majority of Arctic shipping departs or arrives at EU ports. I advocate for a three-pronged approach Polar Code. First, cease the use of viciously toxic heavy fuel oil (HFO) in order to avoid a devastating and destructive oil spill that would destroy sensitive ecosystems and communities of indigenous residents of the Arctic. Phasing out HFOs as a marine fuel is already a current priority of the Clean Arctic Alliance and has already been implemented in the Antarctic. Second, recognize the potentially catastrophic effects of black carbon and likewise adopt clear regulations to minimize these emissions. Third, require all ships to operate at slower speeds, minimizing the risk of collisions or accidents.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-ca.pdf
