Over the recent centuries human development has led to great advancements in the technological and industrial sector. This has come with its own set of drawbacks firstly to the immediate environment and kits secondary effects directly affecting life supported by the natural environment. In recent times the planet has steadily been accumulating heat which has interpreted to melting of ice caps in high altitude areas and the consequential rise of the sea level encroaching human habitation land along the coastlines.
Demand for energy in the modern economy is very large. This has led to increased burning of coal and oils derived from fossils fuels which have a very high affinity of carbon dioxide. Such is released into the environment when the fossils are burnt and in alluring rates today since there lacks an international oversight and regulatory body to regulate the consumption of such energy with regard to environment. Such gases when released cause the greenhouse effect on earth by entrapping heat within the atmosphere. This is shaping the ecosystem I a new way that could affect different life forms in the eco system. In an increasingly consumer society stimulated by capitalism it is hard for developed countries to control the industrial activities of the developing countries. This means that the effects as influenced by human society could affect the earth for millenniums to come if control measures are not adopted.
When assessing the general effect of climate change to human beings a lot has changed when comparing modern societies to those before the industrial revolution. Life expectancy has dramatically reduced with recent advancements. Technological advancement does not necessarily interpret to quality of life in the long run. Natural eventualities such as heat waves, unprecedented flooding and tsunamis, inconsistent rainfall patterns and droughts are occurring more frequently in our time and day.
Food security has become an international concern with many countries facing starvation due to droughts every year. This has led to artificial means of producing food such as the Genetically Modified Foods. These cannot compare to natural foods and research has proven some of these foods could be causing health complications to those consuming it. There has been increased cases of cancer both from the changing environmental factors and consumption of artificial foods over long periods of time. Other health implications have been in the lines of respiratory diseases, cardiac problems, organ failures and mental disorientation due to exposure to adverse conditions. Due to increased temperatures and humidity resultant diseases such as Malaria and Cholera will be rampant as climate change takes its toll.
From the scientific research being conducted on the premises of climate change reports have been made on what we should anticipate in years to come if the current industrial trends are sustained. Statistics show that since 1880 the level of the sea has risen by eight inches and is expected to rise by a factor four by the year 2100. Flooding should be anticipated from the high lands all the way to the low lands as the polar caps melt and high tidal waves plus the surging storms combine to flood many areas based on terrain. The intensity of hurricanes has also been recorded to increase with climate change with the occurrence of such phenomenon intensifying. Today most hurricanes are categorized in categories 4 and 5 unlike the mild hurricanes recorded in the 1980’s.
All these changes have greatly influenced the human economy and the political scope both at international and local level. Food is becoming more expensive as farmers continue to have inconsistent outputs. The demand for arable land is also increasing as the sea level rise and droughts ravage productive lands. This has led to increased conflict among human societies as well as human animal conflict over natural resources. Climate change has to be prioritized in the international scope with necessary sanctions and incentives offered to uncooperative countries as there will be no winners if the natural environment is ruined.
Works Cited
Costanza, Robert, et al. “The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital.” nature 387.6630 (1997): 253.
McMichael, Anthony J., and Rosalie E. Woodruff. “Climate change and human health.” Encyclopedia of World Climatology. Springer Netherlands, 2005. 209-213.
Randall, Rosemary. “Loss and climate change: The cost of parallel narratives.” Ecopsychology 1.3 (2009): 118-129.
