In 2023, it reached the hottest temperature on Earth with the temperature of 1.48 Co (2.66 Fo) higher than the temperature during industrial era temperatures and the Global Warming limits agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. This is all part of a major world problem known as Climate Change. Climate change is when there are very long term changes in temperature and weather patterns. Many might refuse or not know about this but humans (us) are the main cause of this change. Through the years the Earth has been rapidly heating up and more natural disasters appear evident around the world. Some humans may dismiss this thought but it is true. This is leading the world into an ongoing extinction known as the Anthropocene Extinction or Holocene Extinction, caused by humans. Some of the factors include burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, ocean acidification. So, why are these effects so harmful?

Burning fossil fuels has made the world more efficient and technologically advanced. The world runs on these fuels to power the world. However, it has come with a terrible price. Fossil fuels are made up of coal, oil, and natural gas all from decomposing plants and animals. Common places where fossil fuels are burned are from cars and trucks, power plants operated by fossil fuels, ships, and factories. Though people may think that these fossil fuels are natural and it won’t do harm, it has done plenty of damage to the environment. Burning fossil fuels can create health concerns for humans. It can even lead to early death. These health concerns include all kinds of respiratory illnesses like asthma. Also, when these fossil fuels are burned it increases the carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming. Global warming causes glaciers and ice caps to melt causing sea levels to rise. If this continues then much of the world will be underwater. It also causes acidic rainfall which can harm plants and other wildlife. We can stop using fossil fuels by resorting to new renewable sources of energy. These can be solar panels on your house, and get power from windmills, and get power from hydroelectric plants. You can also switch transportation methods from gas cars to electric cars or bikes. We can help to create laws so that we can reduce and control the carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere.  These factors can all help reduce the amount of fossil fuels used which can lessen the effect it has on the environment and this our planet. 

Deforestation is when people clear forest for land and resources. Although we need trees for certain resources, people have cleared forests excessively. This has caused habitat loss for certain species of animals across the entire world. Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen but if we continue to clear forests then there will be less trees purifying the air. Trees also help with controlling floods by absorbing extra water. Deforestation has also caused problems with people living in or nearby the forest most notably the native peoples. Trees also prevent events such as landslides by anchoring soil and absorbing water from the soil, lowering moisture levels so the soil is not loose. Because we get so many resources from these trees, we can do things that can reduce the amount of tree material we use. We can recycle paper and other tree related resources. We can enforce laws that can protect forests and reserve land to grow new trees for new forests. These efforts, whether small or big, can all help protect forests from deforestation.

Ocean acidification is when carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the oceans causing the acidity to rise in the ocean. Ocean acidification has made it harder for ocean animals such as clams, lobster, shrimp, and sea snails to make their shells from the minerals in the ocean which are vital to them. Ocean acidification has also made it harder for coral to create coral reefs, even killing them. It can be harmful to humans eating seafood too as sea animals also are harmed and get sick from the ocean acidification. Algae in the produce more bloom more and produce toxins more when through ocean acidification. This ocean acidification has been throwing the ocean out of balance even in terms of economics. The fisheries around the world are vulnerable to the effects of ocean acidification and the industry is slowly plummeting putting jobs at risk. We can prevent this by stopping carbon emissions such as ones from fossil fuels and global warming.  We can enforce laws to make sure that we can protect our oceans and remind people of the harm we are causing. By doing these actions we can protect the ocean wildlife.

If we continue these efforts to save and protect our world, then the world wouldn’t be ending so soon. This planet can continue to thrive and we wouldn’t be going through another mass extinction period so soon. Many might say it is too late but I do not. We should remember that there are living things all around us that have a life even if they are not human and we are destroying their home. I think that if we gather together friends, family, and even strangers to help do actions like recycling and focusing their efforts on conservation, I think that we will be able to have a chance to save this world that is dying of humans continuing to harm the environment.

Citations:

Fossil Fuels & Health. “C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 28 June 2022,” www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/fossil-fuels-health/

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). “Fact Sheet: Climate, Environmental, and Health Impacts of Fossil Fuels (2021).” EESI, www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-climate-environmental-and-health-impacts-of-fossil-fuels-2021. Accessed 12 Jan. 2024. 

Fisheries, NOAA. “Understanding Ocean Acidification.” NOAA, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-ocean-acidification. Accessed 12 Jan. 2024.

“Effects of Deforestation.” The Pachamama Alliance, www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation#:~:text=The%20loss%20of%20trees%20and,for%20a%20number%20of%20reasons. Accessed 16 Jan. 2024.