How Warming Temperatures affect already Warm Areas

Climate Change is real and it is happening -  faster than even scientists thought possible (1). With the rising temperatures, the Earth’s colder habitats are beginning to melt, causing rippling effects throughout the planet. But what about areas that are already adapted to hot weather? Shouldn’t those ecosystems flourish under the rising temperatures?

              Not quite. The animals in those areas depend heavily on water and use every water source they can. But even with wetter years, like 2018, most of that rain is absorbed into the ground rather than going into lakes and rivers, making it inaccessible to them. Plants quickly use up the water they need, but otherwise nobody else can use the water (2). In addition, the area is already dry from the increasing temperatures and is ill equipped to handle surplus water, so the surplus is just wasted.

              Alongside with more rainfall, 2018 was a trendsetter for a whole other reason – wildfires. In stark contrast with the rain, large wildlife’s burnt almost 2 million acres of California. Many of the plant species in California do rely on fires, such as the Bishop Pine. The cones it grows are sealed shut with a thick and heavy resin, that only melts when exposed to hot temperatures. These trees are almost exclusive to California, so these fires help them reproduce and grow. But when so many fires of high magnitude rage through the entire forest, it is hard even for the fire adapted plants. Their wood burns just as easily as the other trees. And it’s not easy to solve wildfires. Many scientists have opposing views and different ideas but one thing is agreed upon – it will cost a lot of money (3). There is no easy option to deal with this problem, and with no easy solution, it will take even longer.

              Animals begin to die of thirst in their burnt down home, but what about humans? We have access to lakes and rivers, already full of water. But the water gets used up too quickly and without a good system of management, so a lot gets wasted. South Africa is a country struggling with this. Their dams are slowly drying up and some have dried upwards of 70% (4). The country is also dealing with an intense heatwave, and so the government is urging its citizens to stay inside and drink plenty of water. However, this is only emptying the dams even more (5). This creates a vicious cycle, where trying to deal with climate change only perpetuates the problem.

              This feedback loop of trying to deal with hotter climates while fueling the hotter climates is dangerous and a large problem to climate change. People crank up their AC and then release dangerous chemicals in the air that make it hotter. But there is still time to fix it, even if that time is very close to running out. For example, younger people have begun to band together and try to fix the problem, even if it just carpooling or trying not to waste food (6). Even the latest fad, the #trashtag, where people would take before and after pictures of the outdoors with all the trash they picked up, help. 

This image shows a before and after of a #trashtag. Even small acts of cleaning like this can help inspire others and make small efforts pile up.

There is still time to save our planet. Young people have begun to take the initiative, but need all the help they can get. Working together, there is still hope left for our planet.

Sources:

Freedman, A. (2018, July 27). Even climate scientists are startled by 2018's weather extremes. 

Retrieved

from https://www.axios.com/global-heat-wave-stuns-scientists-as-records-fall-4cad71d2-8567-411e-a3f6-0febaa19a847.html

More rain due to climate change might not mean more water resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://thinkprogress.org/climate-change-rain-water-resources-a4af51b3b28c/

Abrams, L. (2018, August 28). Expert Views: Managing Wildfires to Protect Water Resources. Retrieved

from https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2018/08/28/expert-views-managing-wildfires-to-protect-water-resources

Heatwave could wipe out half of South Africa's current water resources: Govt. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/284242/heatwave-could-wipe-out-half-of-south-africas-current-water-resources-govt/

Sehloho, M. (2018, December 10). South Africans urged to use water sparingly. Retrieved from

http://www.702.co.za/articles/330254/south-africans-urged-to-use-water-sparingly

Frischmann, C. (2019, March 29). Future - The young minds solving climate change. Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190327-the-young-minds-solving-climate-change