NASSAU, Bahamas – The intensity of Hurricane Dorian, the Category 5 Hurricane that devastated regions in the Bahamas, has refocused attention on the negative effects of climate change.
Increasingly, in recent years, problems related to climate change, or global warming, caused by human activity, has increased in intensity. As the world utilizes more modern mode of transportation and manufacturing processes it has been emitting more greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which heat the natural climate system by trapping infrared light.
Consensus in scientific research
Persistent scientific research has led to the consensus that the world’s climate is changing.
In 2014 the United States National Research Council stated, “There’s a strong, credible body of evidence, based on multiple lines of research, documenting that climate is changing, and these changes are in large part caused by human activities. While much remains to be learned, the core phenomenon, scientific questions, and hypotheses have been examined thoroughly and have stood firm in the face of serious scientific debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations.”
However, despite the preponderance of scientific evidence, the aggressive climate change debate contuse, particularly in the US and China, two countries which emit vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
Those who tend to discredit the scientific evidence of climate change argue that changes in the earth’s climate including much warmer summers, and colder winters with more snow, is the result of natural phenomenon, and nothing to do with human activity.
Political Divide in the US
In the US, the subject of climate change is divided along political party lines with Democrats pushing for “Green” laws to protect the country from negative effects of greenhouse gases. While the Republicans regard climate change as a hoax. During Republican Rick Scott’s tenure as Florida’s governor, the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ were discouraged in administrative communication.
One of the earlier acts of the Trump administration was to pull the US from the Paris Accord on Climate Change that the nation became party to under President Barack Obama. Recently, the federal government began rolling back several environmental regulations previously installed to control the emission of greenhouse gases. And, notably, as member countries of the UN met on Monday to discuss climate change the US president dropped in for just 15 minutes.
This political posturing in the face of credible scientific evidence is drastically unfortunate because the negatives of climate change cost and damages lives, and seriously threatens the existence of the planet world as it is accustomed to.
Negative Effect of Greenhouse Gases
The effect of greenhouses gases have been melting some of the world strongest ice glaciers, including glaciers in Alaska; warmed the oceans giving more fuel to hurricanes like Harvey, Irma, Maria and Dorian which wreaked death and devastation over the last three years; created unusually long droughts in the Caribbean and several other countries; and is causing sea levels to rise and encroach populated coastlines like what is actually occurring along Florida’s coast.
Consistent scientific research indicates the Florida coast is in serious jeopardy of being submerged by rising seas in the not too distant future.
It’s ironic that despite people experiencing stronger hurricanes, flooded streets caused by rising seas along coastlines, longer droughts, more ferocious forest fires, heavier snowfall, and suffocating summers, some adults have little or no idea what’s the cause or the long- term effect of these changes on their lives, and that of their children.
Youth stance
Fortunately, the youth is taking a stance. Last weekend, some 4-million protestors, mainly young people, across the globe participated in mass climate change protests. The passionate nature of the protests signals the youth are becoming more aware and clearly anxious about their future on a planet that’s increasingly warming, and angry at their leaders for their delay in effectively coping with the crisis.
This youth anger was also displayed at the UN on Monday when a Swedish teenager in addressing the Climate Change Summit chastised world leaders for their inaction. “How dare you?’ she chided.
Using the internet, it’s evident young people effectively organized across continents for climate change protests. Although their demands to end man-made greenhouse gases are similar to their older environmentalists, their movement, judging from the widespread protests, seems to be resonating more effectively.
The youth passion is understandable as they are apparently acutely aware they are the generation that’s poised to inherit the legacy of the negatives of climate change.
Hopefully, last weekend’s protest won’t be just a one-time occurrence, but the youth will persist in a movement similar to the successful youth movements against the Viet Nam war, and for civil rights, in America, and against apartheid globally.
Political leaders globally, including the Caribbean, seem to be increasing dialogue on climate change. But action, not talk, is needed to implement real preventative policies. A persistent youth movement could realize the action needed.
