10 Reasons We Should All Care About Climate Change
Climate change is increasingly becoming a bigger problem, and pretending it doesn’t exist is no longer a viable option. Here are our top 10 reasons we should all care about climate change.
1. Humans are at risk too.
A common misconception surrounding climate change is that humans are not at risk. However, according to the recent UN report, we only have 11 years before we cause irreversible damage to our planet, which will inevitably put us at risk unless we make huge changes.
2. We’re in the Sixth Mass Extinction
We are currently living through the sixth mass extinction which is also called the Holocene extinction. This is the most significant extinction that has happened in the whole of human history and is causing the extinction of lots of different species at an increasing rate.
3. We won’t have any fish in our oceans by 2048.
According to The World Wildlife Federation, if the world keeps fishing at its current rate, there will be no fish left in our ocean by 2048. This is a dire warning that we need to make some changes in our lifestyles to ensure this warning doesn’t come true.
4. There are people RIGHT NOW being affected by climate change.
The effects of climate change are already taking place right now, and the people being affected are usually in developing countries. These effects are only getting worse and it’s shocking to know that people are feeling the impacts already.
5. Forests are being destroyed.
Forests are being affected in many different ways due to the impacts of climate change. Forests are vital to our planet by soaking up carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, but the mass deforestation that is taking place is having hugely negative impacts on the planet.
6. The ice caps are melting.
Polar ice caps are another integral system on our planet, they reflect the suns rays back into the atmosphere to keep it cool. However, massive sheets of ice are carving off the polar ice caps and a significant amount of melting is taking place. This is causing sea level rise, as well as meaning there is less surface area for the sun to be reflected off of, causing temperatures to rise.
7. It’s impacting our freshwater systems.
Climate change is having an increasing effect on our freshwater systems, due to the increase in floods and droughts. We depend on freshwater systems for our agriculture and different industries as well as supplying drinking water to humans and animals, so it’s integral that we protect it.Â
8. The temperature keeps rising.
The general temperature is increasing all the time and at a scarily alarming rate. The use of fossil fuels is contributing to the increase of greenhouse gasses being put into the atmosphere, which increases the overall temperature.
9. Climate change and poverty go hand in hand.
The people living in the poorest countries in the world are the ones being most affected by climate change. They’ll also be the first ones to feel the effects of climate change, as a lot of their jobs typically revolve around agriculture or fast fashion sector, both of which could be in jeopardy due to our changing climate.
10. We could be consuming a teaspoon of microplastic every week.
Microplastics are small, broken down plastics that get into our oceans and thus our food systems. According to the World Wildlife Fund, you could be ingesting up to a teaspoon of microplastics every week. If that isn’t enough motivation to try and combat climate change, I don’t know what is!