By Jessica Armstrong
Indicators
of climate change may seem obvious to some people, but if you were asked to
list clear indicators of climate change could you do it? Out of all the people
I had asked this question only two could give me more than two signs of our
climate changing. Both people I asked
included an increase in natural disasters and an increase or decrease in the
Earths temperatures in their answers; these are commonly referenced in our
societies news and media because there are easily seen by the public. But what
are some of the indicators that average people wouldn’t see or didn’t hear
about on the news?
The EPA
compiled a list of twenty-six indicators, these all are signs of climate change
scientists were able to track. One of
the most interesting, and least publicized, is the oceans acidity. Our oceans
have steadily been becoming more acidic due to carbon that have dissolved into
the water and disrupting the oceans ecosystem. Another interesting indicator is
the length of growing seasons. Growing
seasons overall have increased in length in recent years, this can be both a
good and bad thing for crops. It is beneficial because it allows farmer to grow
a variety and larger amounts. There are also negatives like increasing the
demand for irrigation.
The EPA also conducted extensive
research into heat-related deaths, the EPA collected information from 1979 to
2009. During this study, which lasted 31 years, deaths related to heat was
around seven thousand. Exposure to heat causes heat exhaustion, heat stroke,
and dehydration. Heat waves are expected to increase in both temperature and
length, causing a greater risk of preventable deaths. The elderly and children
are especially at risk. Also people who have cardiovascular or respiratory
illnesses are extremely vulnerable.
These three
indicators of climate change are not the most obvious or publicized. Poisoning
our oceans, extended growing seasons, and deaths from excessive heat would not
be topics to come up in daily conversation. But growing seasons affects our
food production, contaminated oceans can inhibit the fishing industry or
research, and death is a loss for all people in our society. For every way our
climate changes we are changing as well, even if we aren’t able to recognize
it.
Sources:
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