Climate change is an issue that is impacting our world today. According to climate scientist, Dr. Joeri Rogelj at the Imperial College London’s Grantham Insitute, “Climate change is how the characteristics of the weather we experience in a certain place change.”

Weather can change in a few hours, but climate change happens over hundreds or millions of years. Some effects climate change has on earth consists of rising temperatures, more droughts and heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, more intense weather, and the Arctic region becoming ice free. 

Rising temperatures are caused by greenhouse gasses which trap heat and prevent it from leaving Earth’s atmosphere. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the world has emitted over 2.2 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide according to NHM.

Droughts and heat waves are projected to become more and more intense. Summer temperatures will continue to rise and cold waves will be less intense. According to NASA, droughts in the United States, in the second half of the 21st century, are predicted to be longer and dryer than humans have seen in the last 1,000 years. 

Changes in precipitation patterns will cause a higher risk of floods, crop damage, and soil erosion. The average USA precipitation has increased since 1900.

Sea levels are projected to rise 1-8 feet by 2100 and have even risen eight inches since 1880. Storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise, which would cause intense and dangerous flooding in many regions.

The arctic becoming ice free is one of the worst consequences climate change has on the earth. The Arctic Ocean is expected to be ice free before the end of this century. The Arctic keeps the polar regions cool and helps balance climate change. If all the ice melted in the Arctic, the sea level would rise about 230 feet and the ocean would cover all coastal cities.

People from around the world need to take action now because climate change is destroying all aspects of our life. Scientists say we only have a short amount of time to fix climate change before the effects are irreversible. Not caring about climate change puts our water supply, agriculture, and health at risk. Instead of using plastic bags, buy reusable grocery bags. Remember to recycle and not litter. Take shorter showers and limit your water usage along with unplugging electronics and turning off lights when they aren’t in use. We don’t have much time to save our planet.