Introduction
The increase in global temperatures has adversely affected biodiversity. Climatic changes have effects on the health and economy of people in different ways (Riebeek, 2011). Global warming pollutants such as carbon dioxide form a thick layer that blankets the earth. This layer is responsible for trapping heat from the sun and hence results in the warming of the planet. The world has seen the fastest rise in temperatures in last half century. Temperatures rise by an average of 0.6 degrees Celsius yearly that translates to a 0.7 % overall increase over the last fifty years. Global warming also directly affects people’s livelihood.
Drought, rise in sea levels, floods, heatwaves and storms have a direct impact on human economic activities such as agriculture. They also damage the infrastructure and consequently deal a blow to the tourism industry. Prolonged droughts adversely affect wildlife: the heat and lack of food kill animals, vegetation dries because of lack of water (Riebeek, 2011). On the other hand, floods make roads impassable and sweep away the crops in the farms. The extremes of droughts and floods are both harmful to the lives of people. The change in climate increases the cost of living and as such, this compromises the health of people in poorer countries. The occurrence of heat waves result to human deaths such as the summer heat waves that occurred in Europe in 2003. The hot drought reportedly killed about fifteen thousand people in France.
Personal views
The article provides significant highlights on some issues about global warming that people need to know. With an approximated increase in world temperature of 0.7 %, hotter days in a calendar year will increase, sea levels will rise sharply, and people will experience relentless floods, storms, and droughts. The situations present risks of uncontrollable calamities such as fires. In addition, the high temperatures caused by global warming lead to loss of lives in several ways such as increased precipitation that causes deadly floods and droughts. This affects the economic productivity. A sick nation is not a working nation. It should also be noted that industries are also threatened which directly means that the jobs are not secured.
The relevance of the article
Change in climate presents the most difficult challenge to the world. Global warming affects not a particular individual, family or nation, but the whole world. The article outlines the negative impacts of global warming on the entire human life. It should be considered by everybody even families and individuals who have the ability to do much to the save the world from the effects of global warming. International bodies such as the UNEP and the UN Habitat must use the information provided in their efforts to avert a looming crisis. Resources should be channeled towards the efforts that are aimed at restoring the order as even the biodiversity is threatened (Riebeek, 2011).
The concerned bodies must calculate the costs that are to be channeled towards countering global warming and just as most governments work to reach the 10 % forest cover, the same efforts should be directed towards fending off the causes of the warming. The main question one may be required to ponder about after reading the article is, what will happen if action is not taken now?
Reference
Riebeek, H. (2008). Global Warming. Web.