Convenience in Life, but at What Cost?

Convenience in life, but at what cost?

The impact humans get because of climate change

Life is getting more and more convenient. However, there is always a cost in every action. The abuse of fuels, water, and trees would break the ecosystem, giving a significant impact on humans too.

First, let’s look at heat. With the global warming going on, the Earth is getting hotter and hotter. At first, it might not seem like a big deal. However, as it gets hotter and hotter, it can seriously damage one’s health. The excessive amount of heat can cause one to get heart or lung problems. It has been proven that one of the biggest aspects of death in the US is because of heat. If carbon contamination continues to increase in the current speed, death caused by heat will increase seven times by 2050. This is especially dangerous to not only children and the elderly, but also to people who do not have access to air conditioners.

Second, with global warming going on, glaciers are rapidly melting away. As a result, sea levels are rising more than ever. If the sea level rises 6 meters, Miami and Amsterdam would disappear under the water also with parts of Manhattan. These massive floods will contaminate drinking water left for humans. Therefore, it can cause problems like cholera and diarrhea, which can be fatal if not treated immediately. Additionally, mosquitos and other harmful insects find these floods as an ideal place for them to lay eggs. In addition, it enables them to move to faraway places more frequently than before. Viruses that are sensitive in temperature, such as the West Nile Virus, had already spread to most parts of the US. Scientists predict that the spreading speed of diseases will get faster and faster.

The change in climate also caused typhoons. Typhoons are coming into people’s lives more frequently in massive sizes than before. In 2004, Brazil experienced their first hurricane. This is notable because before the hurricane in Brazil, it was known that the southern Atlantic does not experience hurricanes. Japan experienced 10 typhoons in that single year. The US went through the most tornados ever than before. MIT proved that storms are getting more and stronger because of global warming. Hurricane Catrina has taken many innocent lives, and is still known as one of the worst hurricanes ever. It completely destroyed New Orleans and gave big economic damages.

To stop these problems from getting worse, it is important for people to think about their actions first. Their actions might not be big at first, the results can always get bigger, and bigger. We are just borrowing resources from our descendants. It is not a wise choice to choose convenience in life over the Earth’s health.

Hwang Yea Ryung (taylorswift021125@naver.com)