It was December of 2018. Right before Christmas, my family decided to take a trip to Florida to escape the Connecticut winter cold. We were among the lucky ones: multiple news sources reported the “polar vortex” striking the Great Lakes region. According to these reports, the effect of this vortex would make the entire region colder than some part of Antarctica. After visiting Orlando and Miami as part of our search for warmer climes, we decided to drive to Key West, the southernmost town in the continental United States. On the highway, sandwiched on both sides by the sea, it started raining heavily. It was a scary scene. As I watched the sci-fi movie unravel in front my very eyes – the sky a dark gray, the rain relentless, the visibility minimal, the sea threatening to rise up and sweep our car away at any instant – I wondered how the inhabitants of the houses we saw along the coast dealt with the feeling of such imminent danger.
 
Most of us had such encounters from time to time.  However, people may ask, are such merely some “inconveniences” that only come to us occasionally?  How are these going to affect our livelihood, and why we shall pay such a big attention?  These are some common questions not only asked by many people, but also by some governments.  There is a lack of global consensus on even the basic question of whether global warming is true, not to mention to come up with a globally enforceable action plan to stem the tide.  In this article, let us discuss some of the most eminent climate change threats to the world and how, as a responsible global citizen, we shall respond.
When we talk about climate change, the paramount topic is global warming and its impacts.  Data has shown that, by 2015, global temperatures have risen by around 1 degree Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels1.  Numerically, that might not sound like much at all. However, the consequences are actually catastrophic, and we are already seeing some of them manifest, such as reduced biodiversity, increased wild fires, drought and agriculture failure, and rising of sea levels.
 
Firstly, our Earth’s change in climate has already presented a very real threat to the survival of many of its organisms, putting a threat to biodiversity. 150 to 200 species now go extinct every day, according to an UN research2.  Some scientists believe that we are in the midst of our planet’s sixth mass extinction.  Some others questioned it but agreed that at least we are on the verge of it even if not in the middle. Scientists quoted the habitats of lions which used to cover Africa, South Europe, Middle East, and India, but are now only in part of Africa3.  While the past five extinctions were mostly resulted from the act of nature, the current one is believed to be mostly linked with human activities. Although there are multiple factors behind it, such as overpopulation of humans and the related over-development of agriculture, climate change is believed to be one of the major factors. Another famous example is the dying of coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef4.  Reduced biodiversity impact every one of us in many aspects. For examples, with reduced birds’ population, pests thrive, and in turn takes a heavy toll on agriculture.  To ensure food supply, people had to resort to artificial ways to increase agricultural outputs, such as the use of fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and GMO technology.  All these add to the risk of people’s health.
 
Lower humidity, combined with higher mean temperatures, can cause wood to become more flammable. Wildfires in our country are occurring more frequently, broadening in size, and becoming more destructive. Many people have lost their homes in California as a result of the wildfires in the state last year.  For example, the Camp Fire of 2018, the most destructive fire in California’s history, destroyed 90% of the housing stock in the town of Paradise, leaving thousands of people homeless5. California is not alone, other western states like Montana and Wyoming are also among those most vulnerable to serious wildfires6. 
 
In recent years, drought has swept across the US and multiple parts of the world. For example, in 2012, central and western US were heavily hit by drought, and 81% of the entire country suffered exceptionally dry conditions.  The total damages amounted to USD30Bn7.  With drought also comes a high potential of agricultural failure. Since last year, Australia has experienced its worst drought in history.  As a consequence, its national agricultural production was forecasted to drop by 23% for 2018 to 2019.  In Eastern Australia, due to loss of pasture, farmers were forced to slaughter 17% more cattle than usual8. With certain parts of the world, especially those heavily dependent on agriculture, such as Central America, agricultural failure could mean the losing of people’s means of living, and will cause increased emigration into other countries, like the United States. José Edgardo Vicen, 37, grew up on his family’s coffee plantation in Honduras. He described to the New York Times how, when he was younger, harvest time “was like a party”. But nowadays, “there are only losses, no profits.” Over the years, various effects of climate change – rising temperatures, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, as well as a resulting spread of pests – have greatly diminished the family’s annual harvest, sending the family into a financial crisis. Mr. Vicen, as well as a brother, a sister, and a 16-year-old nephew, have migrated north over the course of the past year, unwilling to continue the effort to save the family plantation. Having no other recourse at hand, they entered the United States illegally9. We do not live in isolation.  With the increasing displacement of people (so called ‘climate refugees’) in our neighboring countries caused by climate change, the resultant socioeconomic problems in this country, not just in other countries, will only magnify in the future. 
 
Another serious result of the rising temperature is the melting of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica, the result of which is rising sea levels.  To many, especially those who live inland, this phenomenon seems remote. But is it?  Let’s first look at the data.  A 2012 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report estimates that, by 2100, if human activity remains unchanged, global sea levels will rise anywhere from 8 inches to 6 feet. Another 2013 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report estimates that global sea levels will rise by about 3.2 feet by 2100.  These are supposedly optimistic estimates, and the actual figures could very well be higher (Goodell, page 68)10. This, too, will spell many forms of catastrophe. Other than the many socioeconomic problems that will arise in the United States and other countries due to mass international migration, American naval bases around the world are also faced with this threat. Two of the most vulnerable are Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the biggest naval base in the continental United States, and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, the only American naval outpost in the Indian Ocean (Goodell, pages 191 and 196)10. 40% of Americans live in coastal areas, and a total of 145 million people around the world live at altitudes of 3 feet or below above sea level. It won’t be long before all of their homes will be permanently drowned. In October 2009, the small island nation of Maldives held a cabinet meeting at the bottom of the sea, with then-president Mohamed Nasheed signing an SOS message with some of his cabinet members to be presented at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark11. The country was raising global awareness concerning how rising sea levels will devastate small island countries. Among all climate-change-inflicted disasters, the rising of sea levels entails the government to quickly come up with more medium and long term policies that engages the country in more aggressive carbon emission cuts, as well as in more forward-looking urban planning and infrastructure.  The money taxpayers have to pay today for well-planned policies are far less than that when it is too late – When Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in 2012, it damaged USD19 billion of properties (Goodell, page 146)10.  Imagine a bigger Hurricane hit Manhattan with higher sea levels.
 
However, despite all the remarkably dire circumstances we find ourselves in at present, hope is not entirely lost. At the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015, an agreement has been reached among 195 nations to cut carbon emission so that global warming would be contained at no more than two degrees Celsius warmer (with a stretch goal of 1.5 degrees) than pre-industrial levels12. In August 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old Swedish activist, famously organized student walk-outs in response to the lack of action against climate change on the part of the world leaders. “We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change,” she stated in a TED talk in November of that year13. And indeed we do. When we cooperate, change will happen. Much of the production of electricity today is still dependent on the burning of fossil fuels, so conserving electricity in any way possible is most certainly a contribution. It wastes unbelievable amounts of crops and water to raise animals - meat production consumes around a third of crops and a third of all available fresh water14, so reducing your meat consumption will make sure the Earth’s natural resources are able to keep up with our demands. For every person that cycles as their main form of transport instead of driving, roughly 4.6 fewer metric tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere each year15. These benefits to the planet redound to us in other ways, including higher overall physical fitness, lower rates of obesity, and reduced traffic jams during rush hours. However, other than doing your part, it is equally important to urge powerful politicians to enact policies aiming at carbon neutrality or more aggressive targets by corporations as well as federal institutions. Power always emerges in numbers: coordinating with many local community members and potentially expanding petitions outward, raises your chances of being heard.
 
The human race cannot sustain its own survival in our current state, and the time left for us to make meaningful changes is rather limited. We must firstly change our own behaviors in ways that minimize our carbon footprints.   More importantly, we shall actively participate in actions that can bring about national, regional, and global results in cutting carbon emission, such as projects through NGOs, petitions to governments, investments in companies promoting clean energies, and promotion of a green culture in the workplaces.   People and nations are always closely interconnected by Mother Nature, no matter how developed we are.  Under the global theme of climate change, there is no “individual benefit”, there is only one global benefit, the survival of the human race on Planet Earth.  Each of us must join hands and act now. The clock is ticking.

References
1.     “Here's How We Know That the Earth's Temperature Is Rising.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 17 Nov. 2016, www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/temperature-is-rising.
 
2.     Vidal, John. “Protect nature for world economic security, warns UN biodiversity chief.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Aug. 2010
theguardian.com/environment/2010/aug/16/nature-economic-security
 
 
3.     Carrington, Damian. “Earth Has Lost Half of Its Wildlife in the Past 40 Years, Says WWF.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Sept. 2014, www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/29/earth-lost-50-wildlife-in-40-years-wwf.
 
4.     Brian, Clark Howard. “Corals Are Dying on the Great Barrier Reef.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 22 Mar. 2016, news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160321-coral-bleaching-great-barrier-reef-climate-change/.
 
5.     Valle, Gaby Del. “The Fires in California Highlight - and Worsen - the State's Income Divide.” Breaking News, World News, US News and Africa, 15 Nov. 2018, publicnewsupdate.com/news/the-fires-in-california-highlight-and-worsen-the-states-income-divide/.
 
6.     Thiessen, Mark. “Wildfires Information and Facts.” National Geographic, 18 Jan. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/wildfires/.
 
7.     “The Facts About Climate Change and Drought.” Climate Reality, 15 June 2016, www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/facts-about-climate-change-and-drought.
 
8.     Quackenbush, Casey. “Australia's Farmers Struggle With Its Hottest-Ever Drought.” Time, Time, 21 Feb. 2019,time.com/longform/australia-drought-photos/.
 
9.     Semple, Kirk. “Migrants Flee New Threat: Climate Change.” The New York TImes, 14 Apr. 2019.
 
10.  Goodell, Jeff. The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Modern World. Little, Brown, and Company, 2017.
 
11.  “Maldives Cabinet Makes a Splash.” BBC News, BBC, 17 Oct. 2009, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8311838.stm.
 
12.  “Paris Agreement.” Climate Action - European Commission, 16 Feb. 2017, ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris_en.
 
13.  “The Disarming Case of Act Right Now on Climate Change”, Aug. 2018, ted.com/talks/greta_thunberg_the_disarming_case_to_act_right_now_on_climate
 
14.  “Meat and Greens.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 31 Dec. 2013, www.economist.com/feast-and-famine/2013/12/31/meat-and-greens.
 
15.  “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle” EPA, epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle