IMPENDING CHANGES

Two years ago I went through a life-threatening health crisis. My health status was endangered because I failed to obtain professional help in a timely manner. Eventually, I listened to the urgings and pleadings of my neighbors and visited a nearby clinic. Although I was diagnosed as suffering from Malaria and Bronchitis and medicated accordingly, my recovery was slow and drawn out. My constitution was weakened because I failed to consult with appropriate health professionals from the moment that I became ill.

Over the years, I was rarely sick. The only malady with which I was occasionally afflicted was the common cold. For this medical condition, two tablets of Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine dissolved in a glass of water, was all that I needed for a quick recovery. As the years rolled by however my body in its entirety went through a metamorphosis. I was no longer the same person that I was at the age of twenty. I was now a different person with greater vulnerabilities, reduced stamina, and a weaker body. My whole biological system had changed. Therefore, in order to remain healthy and in robust physical condition my whole approach to my health maintenance also had to change.

Our present monstrous weather phenomena have been in the making for over fifty years. By this term, I’m making reference to the multiple wildfires in Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Algeria and Tunisia. As the Mediterranean swelters through record temperatures.

The World Meteorological Organization and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service calculated July 2023 to be the hottest month on record. The effects of these high temperatures have been seen across the world. July 2023 is estimated to be roughly 1.5°C (2.7 °F) above the pre-industrial mean. This has been brought on by the Saharan Cerberus heatwave, where an area of high pressure is trapped over the southern Mediterranean, in Spain in particular, and clouds of Saharan dust are making conditions worse. (EVENING STANDARD: Europe Wildfires: Which Countries Have Seen Forest Fires This Summer, By Lola Christina Alao, 09 August 2023).

These are not the only changes, however. There is the stark reality of the melting ice in the Arctic Circle. Which will not only impact the quality of life of Polar bears, seals, and penguins. But also threaten the lives and security of populations living in the coastal regions of the world.

Sea levels are rising. Tides are inching higher. High-tide floods are becoming more frequent and reaching farther inland. Hundreds of US coastal communities will soon face chronic, disruptive flooding that directly affects people’s homes, lives, and properties. Yet property values in most coastal real estate markets do not currently reflect this risk. Most homeowners, communities, and investors are unaware of the financial losses they may soon face. (UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: Underwater, Rising Seas, Chronic Floods, And The Implications For US Coastal Real Estate).

Global warming has many ramifications, hurricanes and cyclones are just another part of this quadratic equation in which humanity and the whole wide world are hunkering down. What is unmistakable is that these weather phenomena are becoming bigger, more powerful, and far more destructive.

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events, unpredictable water availability, exacerbating water scarcity, and contaminating water supplies. Such impacts can drastically affect the quantity and quality of water that children need to survive.

1. Extreme weather events and changes in water cycle patterns are making it more difficult to access safe drinking water, especially for the most vulnerable children.
2. Around 74 percent of natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related, including droughts and floods. The frequency and intensity of such events are only expected to increase with climate change.
3. Around 450 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. This means they do not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.  
4. When disasters hit, they can destroy or contaminate entire water supplies, increasing the risk of diseases like cholera and typhoid to which children are particularly vulnerable. (UNICEF: FOR EVERY CHILD: Water And The Global Climate Crisis).
   
   An increase in greenhouse gases is the main cause for global warming
   Until 1950 nature had more impact on the climate than human beings. The fast increase of the global temperature after 1950 can only be explained by human activity. According to the IPCC there is 90% chance global warming in the past 50 years has been driven by an increase in greenhouse gases, of which 56% is from CO₂ emissions. CO₂ is released when we burn fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. There is hard evidence that current CO₂ concentrations in the air are the highest they have been for over 800,000 years and most probably for over 60 million years. (DNV: Climate Change, Hoax Or Imminent Catastrophe).
   
   There is very little doubt that presently we are in the throes of an unfolding and extremely serious crisis. It is projected that things will only continue to get worse. What exactly should we do to mitigate this cascading calamity? (TO BE CONTINUED).