The Disruptive Force of Carbon Dioxide: Earth’s Weather Systems at Risk
As predicted, Earth’s weather systems are now experiencing increasing disruption and destruction due to rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Aside from scorching heatwaves and rampant forest fires in the northern hemisphere, recent months have seen high sea temperatures, prompting scientists to issue urgent warnings about venturing into dangerous and uncharted territory.
While climate models have always accounted for uncertainty, scientists have long been certain of the trajectory we are heading towards: a path marked by escalating heat, risk, and instability. However, the exact nature and sequence of the crisis, as well as its cascading effects, remain topics of ongoing research and discussion. Presently, experts are debating whether global heating is accelerating or stable, as well as the likelihood of crucial ocean currents known as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation collapsing within this century. Emerging studies suggest that we may be approaching a tipping point and that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s analysis has been too conservative.
The causes behind the record-breaking ocean temperatures are currently under investigation. Although an El Niño weather event was expected this year, it cannot sufficiently explain the drastic rise in ocean temperatures observed since April. Heat is also believed to be responsible for the change in the ocean’s color, transforming it from blue to green due to increased plankton. This situation is particularly concerning because we have heavily relied on the oceans to absorb 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases. Dr. Bernadette Sloyan, an Australian marine scientist, aptly compares the oceans’ role to that of an air conditioner.
Warmer seas pose significant dangers to both human and marine life, including melting ice sheets, rising sea levels (due to water expansion when heated), coral bleaching, more intense storms, and lower oxygen levels leading to fish mortality. Furthermore, they serve as an alarming indicator of the immense pressure that global heating is exerting on nature. The Earth’s ability to maintain equilibrium by regulating the amount of energy entering and leaving its system is nearing its limit under current circumstances.
For those closely monitoring these developments, such as activists, scientists, and politicians, the inadequacy of national and international responses to this emergency is not only disorienting but also deeply disturbing. Despite decades of pledges made through the UN’s climate process, global emissions have reached an all-time high, leaving us pondering what more evidence is needed to convince governments that a drastic change in direction is the safest and most imperative choice.
However, it is evident that countries and businesses heavily reliant on profits from fossil fuels will not easily relinquish their stake. The existential question of our time is whether and how we can persuade or compel them to do so. Unfortunately, the recent G20 summit, which includes nations responsible for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, failed to reach an agreement on phasing out fossil fuels. As we approach Cop28, the next round of UN talks taking place in the United Arab Emirates and led by Sultan Al Jaber, the head of a national oil company, the urgency of confronting vested interests, including energy-intensive lifestyles and fossil fuel-dependent corporations, becomes increasingly desperate in the face of burning forests and green seas.
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