Alexandra O’Keefe

10/17/19

English 101

Professor Creaney

 

How Does Climate Change Unequally Affect the Sustainability of Food and Water Around the World?

 

Climate change is a devastating issue that needs to be dealt with now. It affects all walks of life on Earth and affects all of our ecosystems. We need balance and diversity in our environment, but climate change threatens that. These small changes can be devastating to our world, threatening the very existence of many organisms. As the Earth’s temperature is rising, the ice caps are melting, natural disasters are occurring more intensified and more often, and the atmosphere is polluted with toxic greenhouse gasses. Climate change also affects our food and water sustainability, which are necessary for our survival. No matter your stance on the environment, these issues are real and should be taken very seriously. Nobody can live without food and water, meaning climate change will cause a lot of suffering. Droughts and floods are happening more often which is destroying crops and ruining the agriculture industry. The global warming crisis is mainly human-caused, so it is our responsibility to take responsibility for our actions. The time to act is now.  These issues affect everybody, but not in the same way. Food and water availability are currently unequal without the effects of climate change. Climate change is just adding to the issues and making them worse. The struggling is going to continue to struggle and the striving will be impacted too. Climate change is greatly impacting the sustainability of food and water unequally around the world.

Ecosystems are the interactions between organisms and their environment. People, animals, and plants all interact with many aspects of Earth. Sometimes these interactions present environmental issues. The variety of ecosystems contribute to the great diversity the Earth has. Climate has a heavy influence on ecosystems and the organisms that live in them. Climate change causes ecological changes. If climate change takes a slower approach, species will be able to adapt to their changing environment. However, if climate change acts too fast and intense, many species will not be able to adapt quick enough leading them to suffer. It is important to note the necessity ecosystems have in sustaining humans. We are able to create materials to use or wear, harvest fuel, use wood for heat or buildings, use crops to create medicine, and most importantly get nutrients all from our ecosystems. Our environment is too important to let climate change destroy it. This will cause mass extinctions across all ecosystems, including the human race. I chose this article to look closely at how climate change will and has affected the world. I figured it was a reputable source since it is an academic press report. It has a lot of detailed facts about how climate change is affecting our ecosystems and why it is important to improve our environment. (National Research Council)

Climate change is largely due to human activity. We have released tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere over the years from the use of various, harmful technology. The damage we have caused started in the Industrial Revolution back in the 18^th century and has continued to worsen since then. The primary source of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere is from burning fossil fuels. The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. All of these gasses occur naturally, but humans have caused the amount in the atmosphere to rise significantly. In fact, CO₂ concentrations have risen approximately 40% since before the Industrial Revolution. We release 30 billion tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year. When the sun hits the Earth, the atmosphere absorbs some energy and releases the rest as heat back into space. The greenhouse gases make it so the atmosphere absorbs more energy, making the Earth warmer than it should be (Causes of Climate Change). This article shows specifically what greenhouse gasses are contributing to the problem and how. I thought that having statistics was important to include in my research to give my audience a better understanding of the severity of the issue. Sometimes numbers are easier to understand than words. The release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere is what traps heat on Earth, leading to climate change. Since this is the root of the problem it is important to understand. This is a large issue that affects the natural resources we need to survive.

Water is necessary for all living organisms to survive. Climate change is threatening the access and quality of water which is a problem. Even in colder months, we are seeing more rain than snow. This is due to the unnaturally warm winters that make snow turn into rain. Not only does snow not fall as often, but it also does not stick for as long. This is why some areas experience drought in the summer because there is no snow left to melt and hydrate the ground or be added to bodies of water. Unfortunately, summer is also the season where water tends to be in the highest demand. The increase in rain is also hurting water quality. More rain means more floods, which leads to more runoff going into the water. With the runoff, there can be toxins that go with it. If there is too much rain, not all of it can be absorbed into the Earth so it has to turn to run off. This also disrupts the water cycle (Climate Impacts on Water Resources). This information has come from the Environmental Protection Agency, which is a reputable source. A lot of information is provided about the water cycle and supply in the United States. In my research, I wanted to write about why the problems we are facing occur. This research shows exactly why we are seeing the drastic effects of climate change and it is backed up with science. I also like how it focuses on the United States. While it is important to look at these issues through a global lens, sometimes breaking it down by country makes this material easier to understand. If climate change is doing this much damage to one first world country, imagine the impact it has on the whole world.

I would also like to mention some fascinating information I found from The Climate Reality project about the water cycle. This article had interesting facts about how and why climate change is greatly affecting the water cycle. The basic steps of the water cycle are evaporation, precipitation, and runoff. As the atmosphere’s temperature rises, more water is evaporated into the atmosphere. The warmer weather allows the air to hold more water vapor, but this leads to stronger storms. When precipitation occurs and there is a lot of water in the atmosphere, when it is released, it causes a higher intensity storm. This is how we get severe storms, floods, and droughts (“Why Does Climate Change Lead to More Floods and Droughts?”).

Agriculture is also greatly affected by climate change. The change in climate is moving planting zones, which farmers use to help them know when and where to grow their crops. Each plant can be grown in certain zones but now those zones are changing. Some places where crops used to thrive are no longer sustainable because plant zones are moving north due to the rise in temperatures. Crops that are already planted in these former hardy areas will die off. There are also shifts occurring in the seasons. Plants are starting to bud earlier than they used to and trees flower later since fall is arriving later than normal. These kinds of changes affect the migration of creatures such as birds and insects. If species do not adapt their behavior to these changes at the same time it disrupts the ecosystem. Animals rely on each other as part of the food chain. When one species changes without others, the prey-predator interaction is disturbed which leads to the endangerment of species (National Research Council).

Farmers suffer as well. There is a lot of pressure on them to be able to quickly adapt to the new situation climate change proposes. Crop productivity is predicted to decrease which directly affects farmers’ incomes. This article is also important to analyze because it is about a specific group of people that will be affected by climate change. I think it is important to show how this issue not only threatens the environment but also people’s jobs.

Food is also very important to human survival. There has been a significant decline in crop yields due to drought, floods, and heat. The heat has made wine production in France predicted to decline by 13% in 2019. In the American Midwest, corn and soy farms have been too wet to plant on. Billions of dollars have been lost from climate change destroying crops. This will give less people access to food, increasing world hunger. This issue affects everyone. Climate change is making issues that already exist in the food production industry worse. For example, pesticides make it hard for bees to survive, which are important members of the ecosystem. Climate change makes it even harder for them to survive. This article shows how climate change is affecting the foods we eat every day making it very relatable to the general public. I like how the author ends her writing with some hope. She provides some solutions she has seen in her research.

In more temperate climates, there may be benefits on agriculture from climate change. The rising temperatures will make the growing season longer and spread to more areas. However, these places will also see an increase in natural disasters which can be very destructive to the land. The livestock production will also suffer. Animals will be less productive in the heat and possibly die of heatstroke. Drier climates will have drier soil which leads to unsuitable farming areas. The increase in temperatures will make it easier for pests to invade crops and allow them to continue to survive in the winter.   The increase in CO­­­­₂ also affects agriculture. It will positively impact on some crops by increasing crop yield. However, the nutritional value of crops seems likely to decrease. Land suitability is decreasing and shifting. Quality cropland is decreasing in developing countries. This shows how unequally climate change is affecting the world. There will be a predicted 5 to 170 million more people at risk of starving by 2080 if this problem continues. Climate change will increase the number of undernourished people in 2080 by 5 to 26% (Schmidhuber).

This impact will hit countries unequally. Studies show that Africa is facing the greatest threat to food security. The quality of farmland is decreasing and shifting. Lower latitudes will see a decrease in sustainable land to grow crops in while higher latitude areas will see an increase in quality cropping land. Africa will face the biggest loss of cropland. As climate change continues to worsen, droughts and floods will occur more often at a more severe level. These are the most prominent causes of food shortages. This will especially affect semiarid and subhumid parts of the world, causing a reduction of crops and livestock. These areas are mainly in Africa and South Asia, which also happen to be some of the poorest places in the world. This land is also where most undernourished people live. These places riddled with poverty and hunger will see the most instability in food production. Climate change will make the developing world more dependent on the importation of food. It will also cause an increase in food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and slightly affect South Africa in the same way (Schmidhuber). This article was important for me in my research because it went into depth about the global effects of climate change, specifically about the food supply. I was able to learn a lot about one specific issue which was important for me so I could more thoroughly answer my proposed question.

The Amnesty International Organization also sheds some light on the discrimination being caused by the effects of climate change. This article shows this issue in many different forms which I think is important. There are multiple types of discrimination that should be addressed. As mentioned previously, climate change is discriminating against developing countries. While climate change does affect everyone, there are parts of the world that suffer more than others. European and North American heatwaves are making headlines in the news, but small island countries, nations in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa are also being impacted by the climate crisis yet are less talked about. These countries are experiencing intense weather, deadly heat, and droughts.

Social class is another major influence on the effects of climate change. It just so happens to be that people who live in poorer neighborhoods are the same people who breathe in dangerous toxic air. These neighborhoods are more likely near power plants and refineries. This kind of toxic exposure makes you more likely to get a disease. African Americans are three times more likely to get an illness from pollution compared to the rest of the American population. There is also discrimination against communities. Indigenous people are going to be more impacted by climate change compared to the rest of the population. This is because they are very connected to nature and their culture depends on the environment (“Climate Change”).

There are many people in the world who disagree with my viewpoint on climate change. Some people believe it is a hoax and nothing to worry about. One of these people is atmospheric scientist Garth Paltridge. He wrote a book called “The Climate Caper”, in which he questions the science behind claims that show concern about the Earth’s rise in temperature. He does not think there is enough science to support global warming. On page 17 of his book he wrote that “never has quite so much rubbish been espoused by so many on so little evidence”. I chose to look at Paltridge’s opinion on global warming to show that even some scientists are in denial. He is also a very respectable person whose opinion is highly valued. His thoughts on the matter influence other people’s stances as well (Essex). This academic article was a review of Paltridge’s book “The Climate Caper”. The article was biased against the book which may affect my takeaway from the article. However, I still thought the source would be beneficial to use. The author’s bias made it easy to compare Paltridge’s thoughts to my own since the author and I share opinions. I was still able to get good information about the book without having to read it all.

Garth Paltridge is not the only one who questions the reality of climate change. Many political leaders also feel that climate change is a hoax, or the severity of the matter is being exaggerated. The 45^th president of the United States, Donald Trump, has made many comments and tweets about his stance on global warming. He has pulled America out of the Paris agreement, dismantled the Clean Power Plan, and has boosted fossil fuel companies (Schwartz). He has stated the United States is the cleanest country in the world to justify his actions, unfortunately, this is simply not true. We actually rank number 27 in environmental performance. He believes that taking environmental damage will harm the economy, cause people to lose their jobs, and cost the American people a lot of money (Steven). This article about President Trump I found particularly interesting. It was an analysis of Trump’s tweets about the environment. Political leaders with large social media platforms sometimes make statements that aren’t totally truthful. This article fact-checked what he said to make sure Americans were getting the correct information. Having misinformation about climate change can be misleading to the public. This article was also very important to show that there are some who have opposing viewpoints to mine. While their opinions are valid, I have facts to support my ideas as shown in this paper.

Ironically, letting climate change persist and get worse will cost even more money. Climate change has cost the United States $141 billion in heat-related deaths alone. It has cost us $118 billion dollars from the rising sea levels and $32 billion from infrastructure damage. This does not even include all the money spent on cleaning up after natural disasters that are heavily influenced by climate change (Davenport).

Many people are taking action to fight climate change. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a New York Representative who has worked with Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts in creating the Green New Deal. The Green New Deal is a plan to stop the United States from using fossil fuels and to provide clean energy jobs in hopes of reducing greenhouse emissions.  The cost of the Green New Deal is unknown for now, but the benefits may be worth the money. As mentioned previously, climate change is already costing a lot and the Green New Deal may offer job growth to stimulate the economy (Friedman). The source I used to find this information is from the New York Times. It is an in-depth analysis of the Green New Deal. I thought it would be important to do some research about this topic since it is so relevant right now. I also think it is important to look at possible solutions and see how they may or may not be implemented in our world.

Ndoni Mcunu is an environmental scientist who did an interview called “The challenges of feeding the world in the face of climate change”. I thought it would be beneficial to look at an expert’s opinion on the effects climate change has on the food industry. She has done research on the effects of climate change on agricultural production for sub-Saharan farmers. In developing countries, the demand for food is high and most farmers work on a small scale. Mcunu states that climate change will have a greater impact on farmers in developing countries. Climate change majorly affects agriculture through the extreme droughts being caused, according to Mcunu. “This has often caused a major decline in food production, and most farmers do not have efficient adaptation systems such as irrigation technologies”. The lack of technology in some parts of the world makes farmers less able to deal with the issues from global warming, causing discrimination in who is being affected the most. Farmers are not all trained properly or aware of the how-to adapt to the climate crisis. If they do not learn or changes are not made food production will be limited (Garriegou).

Climate change is a relevant global issue that affects all aspects of Earth. Due to the climate crisis, the Earth’s temperature has risen, the ice caps are melting, the rate and severity of natural disasters have increased. The availability of food and water has also been greatly impacted by global warming. Crops have been failing and droughts occur more often. These are necessary to our survival. We need to prioritize solving these issues so we can ensure food and water security for everybody. As the population continues to grow, this issue will only get worse. These issues on their own are bad enough, but what makes them worse is that they are discriminating to the underdeveloped nations of the world. The climate crisis is only going to add pain to people who are already struggling. This is a global phenomenon that must be dealt with.