Michael Carlo

Michael Carlo

May 09, 2016

Group 6 Copy 82
0

We are already facing consequences of rapid climate change

I want to step away from this project for a moment to address an issue that extends beyond the scientific community: human-driven climate change. Often, the consequences of climate change are spoken of as something that will take place in the future, something that is decades from now. Naively, many talk as if it is still something we can prevent if only we could convince people to take on a "green" lifestyle, industry to clean up its act, and policy makers to face the overwhelming evidence. While those are worthy pursuits, that naiveté is dangerous.

Climate change is happening now. Ecosystems around the globe are being affected and biodiversity is decreasing drastically in many places. And if you want a perspective concerning humanity directly, people are already losing their homes and entire communities are being forced to relocate due to direct effects of human-driven climate change, such as rising sea levels, ocean acidification, toxically polluted water and air, and increased extreme weather events that cause flooding, heat waves, drought, and more.

Now, I don’t want to be all doom and gloom, saying that we have already passed the breaking point. It is absolutely still important to act to curb humanity’s negative effects on our planet, to begin to act as stewards instead of users. Research like this project is contributing parts to the much larger machine of scientists, activists, and leaders who are doing their best to increase our understanding of anthropogenic climate change. That is why such action is necessary and deserves support. But in order for our work to be effective, we do need to recognize the consequences that are already being faced in many parts of the world.

Therefore, I encourage you to read the two articles below. They highlight two examples of the drastic effects of climate change that are occurring and will soon worsen in communities around the globe.

Resettling the First American Climate Refugees, by Coral Davenport and Campbell Robertson, NY Times, May 2, 2016

Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa, published on Phys.org May 2, 2016; link to the manuscript discussed in the article is at the bottom of the page, and I have copied it here for your convenience:

J. Lelieveld et al. Strongly increasing heat extremes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 21st century, Climatic Change (2016). DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1665-6

0 comments

Join the conversation!Sign In

About This Project

The decision of where to nest is perhaps the greatest one a lizard can make for her offspring. Many lizards dig nests in open, sunny spots because warm temperatures help lizard embryos grow and survive. However, climate warming is raising temperatures at those nest sites to the point they may soon become harmful and even lethal to lizard embryos. This project investigates whether lizards can choose shadier, cooler places to nest, which could buffer offspring from effects of climate change.

Blast off!

Browse Other Projects on Experiment

Related Projects

Wormfree World - Finding New Cures

Hookworms affect the lives of more than 400,000,000 men, women and children around the world. The most effective...

Viral Causes of Lung Cancer

We have special access to blood specimens collected from more than 9,000 cancer free people. These individuals...

Cannibalism in Giant Tyrannosaurs

This is the key question we hope to answer with this study. This project is to fund research into a skull...

Backer Badge Funded

Add a comment