For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5°C across an entire year, according to the EU's climate service. This is really worrying, this 1.5°C threshold was considered so important during my undergraduate degree and was a prominent subject in many lectures and talks. I will most probably write another post on this. For now, here are some of my thoughts on Global Change.
“No water, no life. No blue, no green” oceanographer Sylvia Earl warned us, however the wilful ignorance around climate change strikes me deeply. There have been attempts to combat the climate emergency through strikes for climate, employing more awareness to the issues surrounding climate change, however it shocks me that there are still climate sceptics. This is our Earth; we only get one.
Global Change has long been associated with the notion of climate change, however, it is more fitting to consider Global Change as a combination of independent phenomena like demographic growth, climate change, land contamination, erosion of marine or continental biodiversity, use of water resources, or the lack of fossil or mineral energy resources. Global Change can be described as affecting each phenomenon independently or through the interconnection of them. Despite numerous alarming reports from the scientific community on anthropogenic impacts which affect each of these phenomena, natural anomalies also play their part in all of these disturbances.
One such climatic anomaly is the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) which describes both the southern oscillation of atmospheric pressure and the El Niño / La Niña climatic phenomenon. This phenomenon originates from a warming of the waters from the Pacific Ocean, accompanied by heavy precipitation or unusual droughts in the Southern Hemisphere in particular. However, its repercussions are global and much broader such as the modification of large sea currents or the disappearance of species which communities rely on. This phenomenon has shown to amplify in response to higher ocean temperatures. The climate emergency has been documented by The Guardian, which reports analyses that the past five years were the top five warmest years in ocean temperatures on record. The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, which have been emitted by human activities. Furthermore, ocean heating contributes to rising sea level due to thermal expansion, which consequently affects us through impacting Global Change.
Global Change and the climate crisis are inescapable, yet where is journalism in all of this? The coverage of the Australian Bush fires back in 2020 ignited a deep passion in environmentalists, with reports saying how climate change increased wildfire risk across many regions of the globe. The floods in Bangladesh, the tropical storms and not so ‘freak’ weather events, and yet it is 2024 and society is still incapable of broadcasting climate change main stream for more than a few days. Climate change is still bested by the rest of popular culture. Frankly, we need to do better. We need to help everyone to understand why Global Change matters, what is happening and what can be done to help fix it (like talking to family and friends about it, thinking more sustainably in everyday life and by voting). It is time for change. What do you do to help spread awareness of the climate crisis? To limit your carbon footprint? Do you consciously consider the climate in your day to day life?