Nowadays, our planet and society are facing multiple economic, political, and environmental issues.
However
, there are doubts concerning which one of them is the most significant. In
this
essay, I will discuss how
temperature
and precipitation variations associated with
climate
change
are the most relevant problem for the world today
due to
their concerning impacts on humanity´s wellness.
Firstly
, global surface
temperature
increase is one of the clearest impacts of
climate
change
. In the
last
century, several studies have highlighted that the global
temperature
has increased between 2 and 4°C in comparison to the pre-industrial period (1850-1900).
In particular
, the north pole and mountain areas are between the zones that have exhibited higher
temperature
anomalies.
This
is relevant for the planet because the ice and snow melting over those regions are raising ocean levels, which would be impracticable to live in many coastal places.
For instance
, an ocean level increase of 30 centimetres may result in floods for many cities like Miami and New York,
thus
impacting significantly millions of their inhabitants in the future.
Secondly
,
climate
change
is
also
leading to less frequent but more intensive precipitation events compromising ecosystems stability and water supply for multiple socio-economical activities. Indeed, water is an essential natural resource for economic development, human well-being, and ecosystem dynamics mainly in areas with higher water scarcity or insecurity
such
as arid regions. In
this
sense, it is important to highlight that most of the global population lives in these areas,
thus
depending directly on their resources. The record droughts in California and Amazonia are good examples. During the
last
ten years, California has exhibited the lowest precipitations in the
last
500 years. In the case of Amazonia during the years 2005 and 2010, wildfires destroyed millions of square kilometres of tropical forest, which is a fundamental ecosystem for the Earth’s system stability.
Nevertheless
,
while
these regions have shown less moisture, other countries like Pakistan reported exceptional floods in 2022. These examples demonstrate how
climate
alterations are changing global
climate
conditions and increasing the risk of humans to extreme climatic events.
In summary,
climate
change
is the most relevant challenge that our planet is facing currently because its impacts on
temperature
and precipitation regime could compromise the planet’s stability and the well-being of millions of thousand persons around the world.