Our planet is getting hotter – there is no denying this. Disasters such as wildfires and storms are getting worse. The tragic fires on Maui are shaping up to be the worst disaster in Hawaii’s history as a U.S. state. Corals are dying, ocean water is getting warmer, arctic ice is melting. The gulf stream could shut down in a few decades, possibly a few years, though only time will tell.
We all know about how climate change is affecting weather patterns, leading to more powerful storms, larger and more frequent wildfires, rising sea levels, increases in droughts and famines. Viruses that have long lain dormant in arctic ice and permafrost will escape, possibly triggering new epidemics. You thought the COVID pandemic was fun? Wait till something even nastier sweeps through the population.
This past July was the hottest month in recorded history, at least since people have been measuring and recording temperatures. Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing a rash of mass shootings. Could there be a connection between record heat and record violence? Of course, it could be just a coincidence – correlation does not mean causation. However, weather does have an effect on human emotions and thought.
Increasing temperatures affect our reproduction – and doubtless that of other species as well. Hight heat makes pregnancy riskier, increasing the probability of premature birth. Also, heat affects the effectiveness of birth control, including condoms and the morning-after pill. This makes the battle for reproductive rights all the more important.
As usual, the ones suffering most from the heat and the other effects of climate change are the poor, the old, the young, and residents of developing countries. The wealthy can go pretty much wherever they want, while the economically disadvantaged are pretty much stuck where they are. And if they must leave their present homes, they have limited resources to travel; many have nothing but their own feet for mobility. Owners of boats that transport refugees often charge exorbitant prices for passage, and provide very little necessities, if any at all.
Already hordes of refugees are fleeing stricken areas, and sadly some countries are trying to turn them aside. Wars will erupt as nations battle over dwindling resources. Since more heat means hotter tempers, anger will flare into violence again and again and again. Not only that, people will fight to the death when survival is at stake.
Increasing heat hurts us all both physically and mentally. It is in everybody’s interest to do what we all can to curtail the effects of climate change. Even if we have passed one or more tipping points, we may be able to avoid the worst ones. This will happen only when cooler heads prevail – and cool heads are hard to come by these days.
