Introduction
As studies show that climate change is a reality rather than a hoax, it has an effect in many parts of the world. For starters, climate change is the sudden change in patterns within regions. A primary reason is due to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Normal seasonal patterns are supposed to be regulated naturally with temperatures at normal numbers. Recently, these statistics have spiked over time with incremental growth which has some concerns among regions. Both hemispheres have seen differences in climate, such as the rising of water levels as the polar caps begin to melt and merge with the ocean floor.
How Climate Change Affects Harvesting in Mexico
As many people in urban areas might just see this as way to escape the cold and bring in hotter days, they however do not realize the real picture on how this affects rural areas, especially in the field of agriculture where plants rely on natural amounts they are supposed to receive. A country that has seen changes in climate has been Mexico; as from personal experience over time, I’ve noticed how warm the country has gotten every year.
Agriculture in Mexico is an important aspect for the nation, calculating at least five percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It averages about five hundred million Mexican Pesos (21 million USD) in the yearly reports. Due to their agricultural production, they are able to grow a variety of crops which are exported out and internally purchased. Their main crops are usually corn, lemons, limes, beans, and agave. Each of these crops require different properties needed to grow into the best crop.
However, in recent events of climate change, this has been turning the tables for agricultural workers who live in rural areas of Mexico where their income depends on the seasonal harvest. How has this affected them? According to an article of the Climate Reality Project, estimates show that half of the farms in Mexico would no longer be able to sustain half of their farms when cropland dries out within the next twelve years (“How is Climate Change Affecting Mexico”, 2018). This is a result of incoming droughts that have been recently recorded due to high temperatures in the nation.
This has caused a lack of irrigation for the farmers as fewer lakes and sources of water begin to diminish; they have to rely on outsourcing their water supply. Therefore, this lack of water creates a situation and a multitude of domino effects, such as low food supply for the nation as they rely on internal supply and economic situations where the farmer cannot hand in supply for payment. I’ve personally seen this situation happen where a local could not get paid due to dry land, and our local stream river had lower level than ever before.
Image Source: Dry Lake Bed in Baja, California (https://res.cloudinary.com/fleetnation/image/private/c_fit,w_1120/g_south,l_text:style_gothic2:%C2%A9%20Tetra%20Images,o_20,y_10/g_center,l_watermark4,o_25,y_50/v1515953771/o9j8z4gziamfuxz82nly.jpg)
Conclusion
Therefore, how can we prevent such an action? The only way at the moment to save such disaster is to implement laws that enforce more emission restrictions and find new ways of using energy that uses less emissions. Government officials are trying to enforce these as a worldwide effect which means everyone has to be on board for this planet.
References
How is Climate Change Affecting Mexico (2018). Climate Reality Project. Retrieved From https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-climate-change-affecting-mexico
