Since the 1800s there has been a general trend in increasing temperatures across the globe. Through numerous ice ages and warm periods Earth’s climate has changed due to natural phenomena. However, the Earth’s change in climate today is due to human impacts rather than natural phenomena. Continuing this trend of rapid climate change and global warming will only lead to the demise of habitats and their many species across the globe. Climate change, if left alone, will affect people in ways never imagined.
Climate change continues to be controversial because of the polarizing debate among scientists and politicians. Many politicians claim that climate change is not urgent because they personally are not currently seeing impacts, but taking a step further and looking at the bigger picture can see how it affects our daily lives across the world. From rising sea levels to disappearing bees, if people keep living in the current state of denial of climate change, the world around us will inevitably change for the worse. The beginning of the 18th century brought about the industrial revolution and as society began to industrialise, and factories started to change the chemistry of the atmosphere by adding carbon dioxide to the air. In 1810, France started to force certain environmental criteria on factories in hope to decrease the amount of smog that covered the city. However, once a building passed the criteria they would be granted a building permit that couldn’t be revoked. France held the theory that if economic growth due to industrialization was seen, it would make the population as a whole more prosperous and therefore also healthier. Due to this, there was a tremendous increase in the world’s population, growing from 1 billion inhabitants to more than 6 billion in just over 150 years. As our population grows so does our commitment to giving everyone a sustainable lifestyle.
No matter where you travel, every country is trying to grapple with the changes of our climate. Before the Flood, a documentary directed by Oscar-winning Fisher Stevens and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, shows us just what exactly is happening to the world, what will happen to the world, and what our current population can do currently to prevent the worst outcome. As DiCaprio travels the globe to see how other countries such as China and India handel climate change, the audience gets a first-hand look at the current affects communities are living with due to climate change. Coal-produced electricity is something that countries are still pushing for, but making this widely accessible to everyone would only worsen the climate change problem. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, carbon dioxide emission from combusting fossil fuels are the main driver of global warming (“Coal and Air Pollution”). The influx of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere isn’t just affecting humans though, it is affecting everything around us. If carbon dioxide is continually allowed into our atmosphere at such alarming rates it will ultimately lead to profound human and ecological disruption.
While people may not always see global warming in their own climate, animals are seeing and feeling it at alarming rates. As snow melts earlier and the flowering season extends, the number of days with poor flower availability increases resulting in overall food shortages that have been directly associated with the population decline of bees (“A stinging report: Climate change a major threat to bumble bees” 2017). The documentary, More than Honey, strictly highlights the ways that bees are impacted by human life, and shows us that no matter where one travels bees are dying at increasing rates. The film highlights a very scary fact: If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would have four years left to live. Without bees, people simply could not live. They pollinate over 70 of around 100 crops species that feed 90% of the world and are responsible for over $30 billion a year in crops (“Future – What would happen if bees went extinct?” 2014). Living in a world without bees would only bring about half of the fruits and vegetables that are easily found in supermarkets today. The loss of pollinators would place 71 million people into vitamin A deficiency and 173 million into folate deficiency (Palmer 2016). Both of these documentaries paint a very grim but real picture of what is going to come of the world if changes aren’t made today.
Though not at a complete loss yet, if people take action and live healthier lives, the world can still change for the better. Before the Flood says that informing the public is the first step to combating climate change. DiCaprio points out that one of the main ways humans can reduce their footprint is by changing their diet, as methane produced from the cattle industry is a massive polluter on planet earth. If citizens were to simple cut eating beef from their diet an incredible portion of their pollution would be diminished. While carbon dioxide accounts for more than three-quarters of planet-warming emissions, methane accounted for about 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions (France-Presse 2017). It is not yet known what issues methane pose for animals such as bees either, as the debate between climate change rages on, but if raised CO2 levels are causing significant harm to our livestock one can only imagine what everything else is wreaking havoc on.
Global warming remains a controversy in our society because there is not yet enough research to show how it is affecting the daily lives. Since the beginning of time our world has been inevitably polluted with methane and carbon dioxide, but since the dawn of the industrial period humans have been blatantly polluting. Though climate change is real, and very scary, it is not too late to change the outcome of the world we live in. Both documentaries make it clear that by changing to a healthier lifestyle, the earth will be impacted in a positive way. The first way to change the way people look at climate change is to educate them about what climate change is. Right now we are standing at a crossroad, choosing to live in a state of continued ignorance and denial of climate change will only cause tragic and unavoidable consequences for years to come.