While humans have been credited for disasters like crime, violence, war etc. for a long time now, they are also to be blamed for a good number of natural disasters that have risen tremendously in frequency over the past few years. These include everything like snow storms, tornadoes, forest fires etc. Experts believe that their frequency can increase further if we don’t control climate change soon.
While it might sound strange that there could be a farther impact of global warming disasters than just drought and heat, things can be put into better perspective if we talk about the climate change from a broader level. The average temperature of the planet has risen by around 0.9°F in the last 50 years. It’s not just the fact that it’s heating up, other side effects like extreme weather conditions, drought, extreme winters are increasing too. Let’s tell you about some of the well-known disasters which are proving how climate change is wreaking havoc on the planet earth.
Amazon wildfire
The rain forest fires that occurred in Amazon in the year 2019 destroyed more than 2 million acres of the forest land. It proved how unthoughtful human activity can bring so much of a risk to the planet. The reason behind these fires was deforestation practices which involve slash and burn method. These fires went out of control fairly quickly because of the high temperatures and dry conditions in these area, a direct result of climate change.
California wildfires
These wildfires which occurred in 2018 were a very good example of the possible damage caused by climate change. They began during the intense drought period in which more than 8000 wildfires burnt away 2 million acres of area. The Butte County’s popular ‘Camp Fire’ destroyed a large number of buildings, killing 5 firefighters and 85 civilians, becoming the most devastating fire in the history of California. It was finally contained in late November that year. These fires were a direct result of drought conditions brought about by climate change, resulting in more number of dead dry trees which proved to be catalysts for the fires.
Unexpected snowfall and polar vortexes in the Canada and US
Climate change has an adverse impact on the winter too, something that was proven through the freak weather conditions witnessed in Canada and northern US some time ago. Although many winters of the past years were warmer than normal, there were also instances of extreme cold and record snow falls. For instance, Minnesota recorded temperatures in the vicinity of -65°F in January 2019, whereas Ottawa had recorded 97 cm snow during the same time. As per experts, climate change is very evident in how one part of the world experiences extreme winters, which if studied can be traced to heating of the South and North Poles.
Australian bushfires
Australian bushfires are amongst the most recent examples of disasters caused due to global warming. Just like the Amazon and the California fires, the Australian bushfires were also caused because of heat and drought. These fires caused a large number of civilian casualties, not to forget the damage caused to wildlife.