Climate change: whose problem?

Safhan H.
MJSC Pengkalan Chepa
Kelantan, Malaysia

‘All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward’ said Ellen Glasgow. Changes happen every day in our lives. We might be the one making it or the one experiencing it. Our life might be better than yesterday or worse than tomorrow. One thing for sure, changes that occur might not only involve an individual, but also the rest of the crowd.

Climate change has affected everything, from the landscape of the Earth, to the life of algae in the wide sea. Even though the sun is expanding every now and then, that is not a factor of global warming or the climate change.

The change in the climate started long ago during the industrial revolution. Hungry for gold and glory, the West started the revolution to build a stronger empire and nation. The Industrial Revolution has been the trigger of climate change. People in the past, perhaps, had no idea about the emission of greenhouse gases that can pollute air, water, thin the ozone layer, form acid rain, and the list goes on. Gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and chlorofluorocarbon can slow down the loss of infrared rays to space; thus the rays are trapped in the atmosphere, creating an oven surrounding the residents of the Earth.

Our world is heating up at a destructive rate. Too late to turn back time, everything and everyone have to suffer from climate change. The biggest and most obvious effect of climate change is our beloved Earth. Billion years ago, our world underwent the Ice Age but now we are facing the ‘Burning Age’.

Ten per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with ice. As heat slowly works its way to the poles, ice starts to melt. As the freezing and melting point of pure water is 0◦C, ice is very sensitive to a change in temperature. The main function of the ice is, surprisingly, as a reflector. In order to keep the world cool, the polar ice reflects solar energy back into space. Apparently, when the polar ice slowly disappears, more solar energy is retained in the atmosphere and is absorbed by the icy surface, resulting in more melting.

The sea ice on the Artic Ocean is reported to have lost its thickness and size. From 1978, the sea ice has decreased by 6% of its size and 40% of its thickness. Apart from that, the ice sheets in Greenland are thinning by about one metre every year. A very established theory in chemistry is that a particle will expand when the temperature rises. As the world is getting hotter, the size of sea water particles will also increase. Overflow of water is the result of all this. If this happens continuously for a few decades, and is getting quicker, there will be no more ice left on Earth and this planet will be extremely hot. Can we live in total hotness? When the condition of the world is no longer balanced, the answer is indeed ‘No’.

Due to the ice melting in the poles, the sea level is rising drastically. As generally known, water is three-quarters of the Earth but it is possible for up to nine-tenths the Earth to be covered with water. Back then, people in the coastal region can tranquilly enjoy the panoramic view of the sea water from their open doors but now they can see it through the gap beneath their closed doors as the water pours inside their house. Every year the sea water rises about 2 to 5 cm, thus, the land is practically shrinking and drowning. People living near the shore are exposed to danger. Other than that, there is less land for the growing population. Thus, people have to clear more land or build higher buildings which will apparently lead to other major problems. There is no perfect solution for this problem. But, in the mean time, people have to start building their houses on high poles to avoid being swept away by the big waves.

Not only humans are facing big problems due to climate change but the increase in sea levels is also pushing animals to the edge. When land becomes limited and homo sapiens are dominate the Earth, the animals will be pushed aside. Apart from humans, animals will also lose their habitat and they can be endangered by this. If we cannot live in a terrace house, an apartment would do, but when the trees are cut down, we can expect the squirrels to live under the rocks. When the forest is cut down to give space for residential areas, these poor creatures will not have any place to live in. Say the orangutans had a happy life on the trees; obviously they can no longer be happy without them. Another way for them to lose their habitat is through natural forest burning. As the soil gets too hot, even a speck of fire can burn a whole forest, destroying the trees, small animals and their habitat. As humans, we will do almost everything to save our family and home but it has never occurred to us that animals would do the same thing. Unfortunately, we are the ones who took everything away from them, including their habitat, freedom, safety, and even their life.

Our body has homeostasis to match our body temperature with the surrounding temperature, so that our body can tolerate the changes of the surroundings. Certain animals cannot tolerate even the slightest change of temperature. As they cannot tolerate the changes of climate, their only option is to migrate. Alas, when there is nowhere else to go to, these animals will simply just die. Since there are no other places colder then the poles, the polar animals are facing the biggest threat. Polar bears, penguins and seals can not simply live in an air-conditioned room, like in the zoo, for the rest of their lives. The last thing we need is them resting in peace for good. The same goes for the aquatic creatures; the sea water is getting hotter. In the last few decades, almost a quarter of our coral reefs have died due to the rising temperature of the sea. The cold water aquatic animals are still trying to find an ideal place to live, like the grey whales, salmon and walruses, as the coldness of the water seem to be disappearing. All the animals are facing a great risk of extinction now than ever.

As so many animals are dying and vanishing, as said before, changes will occur and this will affect everything and everyone. As an animal dies, the number of its prey will increase, while the number of its predators will decrease. This will change the number of their predators and prey as well. This will result in a total unbalanced ecosystem. This can also cause extinction of some species. Somehow, our life will also be disrupted by these changes as we are also a part of the ecosystem.

Can climate change affect our health? Yes, it can. The most common health problem related to heat is dehydration and heat stroke, or hyperthermia. As the temperature increases, the possibility of dehydration is higher. For those with heart problems, their cardiovascular system has to work twice as hard to maintain their optimum body temperature. Therefore, the risk of getting heat stroke is increased. Heat stroke is common during days with excessively hot temperatures. A heat wave that occurs due to high temperature and humidity can kill hundreds of people. For example, about 700 people died during a heat wave in Chicago 11 years ago.

Climate change also enhances the spread of certain deadly diseases that can only be found in hot climates. Diseases like West Nile virus, cholera and Lyme’s Disease are freely spread across the nation by animals like mosquitoes, tick and mice, which prefer to be in a hotter climate than a colder one. Due to climate change, about 150,000 deaths and five million illnesses are reported each year.

Who should be blamed for all of this? The Earth is changing; the animals are dying and we are suffering. It started with the problem of the greed of human beings; now it has become the problem of every living creature on Earth. This shows how massive the impact of a single action can be. People should be aware of the dangers of climate change. Instead of only talking, complaining and whining about it, action should be taken. If the plants and animals become endangered species, it would not be a surprise if, in the years to come, we will also be considered as an endangered species. The world is where we live and we have all the rights to fight for what is best for it and for ourselves. Since the plants and animals cannot take care of themselves, it is left to us to make a difference and make the Earth a better place to live. Human beings made the mess, and human beings have to clean it up. ‘Take care of the Earth and she will take care of you.’

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