Extreme weather events and changes in climate have a significant impact on biodiversity across international boundaries. What is more, climate change is an undesirable phenomenon because it makes other threats more intense, such as overexploitation, destruction of habitat, disease, irregular wildlife migration, and others. This paper seeks to explore the possible ways in which climate change affects wildlife. From the narrowing habitat of the polar bear to water scarcity that results in wildlife-human conflict. These changes will become more visible in the coming years.
Climate change is a major environmental challenge that is changing various dimensions of life. In the past 100 years, human beings have altered the planet’s balance through living in unsustainable ways. For instance, climate change has affected the locality in that businesses are faced with a predicament with regards to their choice of fuel. They have burnt a significant amount of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal, aside from breeding huge volumes of methane. Climate change has affected our country and the world at large in that people are unable to make future weather predictions, thus curtailing their plans and ambitions (Altizer, Ostfeld, Johnson, Kutz, & Harvell, 2013). Personally, I have been affected by climate change in the sense that extreme temperature levels make it difficult to concentrate at work, thereby affecting my efficiency.
The form of climate change that is affecting our region is an increase in heat waves. One of the latest revelations with respect to climate change is that hot days continue to get more frequent and hotter, at the same time we experience a reduced amount of colder days. Recently, climate change has made the heat waves in our region more prevalent than ever, going by the latest assessments by the local scientists (Lynch, Myers, Chu, Eby, Falke, Kovach, & Whitney, 2016). There have been increased incidences of people suffering from skin complications, including skin cancer because of the high levels of heat that burn their skins (Zimova, Mills, & Nowak, 2016). They profess that in the coming days, there will be extreme heat waves that will cause significant problems in the coming years; taking place over a rather greater proportion of the planet as a result of rapid changes in climate.
My region is part of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Our government signed to the agreement on the basis that it builds upon the conditions of controlling the conditions that foster climate change. The contract obliges all nations to come together into a mutual cause that considers the ambitious efforts of combating climate change (Noves & Lema, 2015). City dwellers are also affected because there are some extreme events, such as earthquakes that cause devastating destruction, including the loss of lives. Such outcomes cause greatly disorients the organization of urban centers, aside from causing major economic losses that are hard to recover.
Climate change has affected us geographically causing weather patterns in different places, a phenomenon that affects the quality of governmental planning. Various sectors of the economy have also been affected, for instance, farmers are no longer able to determine their schedules prior to planting or harvesting seasons (Descamps, Aars, Fuglei, Kovacs, Lydersen, Pavlova, & Strøm, 2017). Those that are in poverty are the most vulnerable because they might lack the financial resources that would enable them to compensate for the material destruction that is caused by climate change. Climate change also affects wildlife migration since animals move from one place to another based on weather patterns.
Lessons about climate change have become a common course in most of the current academic disciplines. My classes relate to climate change in that it presents the opportunity to gain in-depth insight about climate change; thus, being able to undertake measures that go a long way in preserving the environment (Byrd, Flint, Alvarez, Casey, Sleeter, Soulard, & Sohl, 2015). For instance, the discipline provides insight into how climate change affects wildlife, including their breeding, feeding, and migration patterns. Such knowledge is used by wildlife management staff to make decisions that are consistent with wildlife preservation. For example, when this personnel determines future weather patterns, they could make strides that go a long way in protecting the lives of wild animals.
With respect to my career, I can impact climate change by implementing the knowledge that I acquired during my undergraduate course. In addition, I would use the knowledge I have about climate change to sensitize industry owners to control air pollution by controlling the level of greenhouse gases that they release to the environment (Stein, Staudt, Cross, Dubois, Enquist, Griffis, & Pairis, 2013). Another career aspiration with respect to climate change is to establish consultancy firms that will offer guidelines and policy proposals on how to control climate change.
My government has been instrumental in spearheading the fight against global warming. For instance, there are policies that guide industries on the level of waste gases that are allowed in the atmosphere. Towards this effect, it becomes important to ensure that 10 or 20 years from now, incidences, such as heat waves will be controlled by implementing anti-climate change policies and guidelines (Whitney, Al-Chokhachy, Bunnell, Caldwell, Cooke, Eliason, & Paukert, 2016). For example, the government should adhere to the terms and conditions of the Paris Climate Change Agreement to ensure that global warming is controlled.
One of the most innovative technologies that have been used to control climate change includes state-of-the-art satellites that are sent to the atmosphere to monitor weather patterns. These machines are fitted with cameras that have superior lenses, and which enable specialists to monitor the weather and ensure that they can predict the occurrence of earthquakes and hailstorms (Portier, Thigpen, Carter, Dilworth, Grambsch, Gohlke, & Maslak, 2017). The unique aspect about these instruments is that they are driven by solar power, thus can sustain themselves as they navigate the outer space and collect data on weather patterns and the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
As students, there are various measures that could be undertaken to control climate change. The government could offer incentives for students to partake research that would lead to knowledge and insight on how to control climate change. Another measure includes providing financial support for students to organize sensitization campaigns that teach the public about the dangers of climate change. Such an initiative would go a long way in promoting collaborative efforts of controlling climate change and global warming (Pacifici, Foden, Visconti, Watson, Butchart, Kovacs, & Corlett, 2015). It is also important for education institutions to desist from using greenhouse gases in their laboratories as they are harmful to the ozone layer. In addition, students who are familiar with the use of these gases will continue with the practice when they are exposed to an industrial setting.
Such changes will become more visible in the coming years and this paper has satisfied its goal of exploring the possible ways in which climate change affects weather patterns and wildlife management. The form of climate change that affects our locality is heat waves. It is important to undertake measures that will go a long way in reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. There is the need to adopt measures to control the phenomenon, such as organizing sensitization campaigns and funding research initiatives to gain knowledge on climate change.
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