Climate change

Name
Professor
Subject
Date
Climate Change
The earth in its history has experienced numerous climatic episodes which vary in their characteristics, duration, and regions. Sometimes back, it is believed that the earth was covered with glaciers which gradually melted as scorching hot and dry conditions developed. Such characteristics depict that the world’s climate has been gradually changing, a process known as climate change. Hulme (604) describes climate change as the global fluctuation of climatic conditions as a result of human actions and natural causes. The fluctuations are often associated with negative impacts which need to be addressed as discussed in this essay.
The impacts of climate change possess fundamental threats to humankind as well as plant and animal species. Firstly, climate change is characterized by high temperatures which upset the equilibrium of the ecosystems and consequently disrupt the plants and animals that inhabit them. The high temperatures disrupt the equilibrium of the ecosystem by changing the precipitation patterns which consequently enhance proliferation of species. Secondly, as a result of the increased temperatures, the seas and oceans tend to rise. The rise results from the expansion of water and melting of glaciers. For instance, Screen and Simmonds (1334) suggest that the average air temperature in the Arctic has caused massive ice melting such that in the next few decades, there will be no summer sea ice. Furthermore, the rising seas inundate low lying regions, threaten the coastal population, damages property, as well as erode the shorelines.

Thirdly, climate change has increased the occurrence of storms, floods, and drought. The storms and the floods threaten the lives of the coastal population while the droughts may result in the extinction of some plant species. Fourthly, the climate change impacts the economy of state or region. Although it is hard to predict the actual impact of climate change on the economy, significant impacts are felt by fishing, tourism, and the energy industry as a result of climate change.
The current scientific consensus indicates that human activities are the primary cause of climate change. Through human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is immensely increased. Hence, the solution to the climate change dilemma can be approached by implementing several strategies. Firstly, forego fossils fuels. By preceding fossil fuels, burning of coal, oil, petroleum products, and natural gas are eliminated. The fossils fuels should rather be substituted with biofuels or other forms of energy such as nuclear and electric energy. Secondly, the climate change challenge can be approached by consuming less fossil fuel. Reducing the consumption implies that fewer fossils are burnt and consequently less greenhouse gas emission are released into the atmosphere.

Work Cited
Screen, J.A, and I Simmonds. “The Central Role of Diminishing Sea Ice in Recent Arctic Temperature Amplification.” Nature. 464.7293 (2010): 1334-1337. Print.
Hulme Mike. “Climate change, concept of.” (2017): 604-608. Internet Resource.