By Nicole Kenyon
I
often find it extremely difficult to take into consideration issues that are
going on in other parts of the world, because in my mind I feel that it doesn’t
affect me. I was lucky enough to be able to take this class and look at things
from a completely different perspective. In this paper I will be discussing a
couple of major issues going on in Australia.
There
is sometimes this nagging feeling that I should be doing things to help this
environment even if some of the more awful things will occur when I am no
longer on this earth; it doesn’t mean it won’t affect my niece and the people I
love and care about.
When
conducting my research, it was very apparent that there is a huge threat to the
Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Reef is under extreme threat due to climate
change, poor water quality from land-based run-off and impacts from fishing.
“Climate
change impacts on coral reefs are predicted to worsen and critically affect the
survival of coral reefs globally without the strongest possible climate change
mitigation.” (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) In February 2020, the
temperatures were the highest ever recorded since the 1900’s. “A pale or
lightly bleached coral typically regains its color within a few weeks or months
and survives.” (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies) If the temperatures continue to rise
the coral is not going to be able to survive.
Working
from Sydney, Australia, Terry Hughes surveyed the Great Barrier Reef multiple
times within the past 9 years, and every year the reef is becoming more and
more damaged. “The mass bleaching indicates that corals are under intense
stress from the waters around them, which have been
growing increasingly hotter.” (New York Times)
The
world’s oceans absorb about 93% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases
that humans release into the atmosphere and has been affecting not only the
Great Barrier Reef. The stress on the corals from the ever-so hot summers make
it difficult for them to survive. “The ripple effect could be significant.
Hundreds of people get their protein primarily from reef fish like the coral
trout, which is already being affected by the bleaching events on the Great
Barrier Reef. Many scientists worry that the loss of that food supply could
become a humanitarian crisis.” (New York Times)
The
coral started to show signs of being affected in January, the same time that
Australia’s bush-fire crisis reached its peak. “Scientists had warned 20 years
ago that coral reefs would be at risk if humans did not address climate
change.” (New York Times)
“New
research suggest recent record-breaking heat in southeastern Australia is
linked to the climate change.” (Science News for Students) Research shows that
human-caused climate change is going to cause at least 30 percent more fires.
The fires that occurred in Australia have not only affected the people living
there but also the animals. I came across many photos while doing my research
of animals dead because of these fires. An intense heat wave in the region is
more likely now than it was in the 1900’s. Research shows that summers in
Australia have been lasting longer and longer each month. “The year 2019 was
Australia’s hottest and driest since modern recordkeeping began in 1910.” (Science
News)
The
fires in Australia have killed more than 30 people, destroyed nearly 6,000
structures, and wiped out hundreds of millions of animals. “More than 1 billion
mammals, birds, and reptiles nationwide – some of them found nowhere else on the earth – may have been affected or
killed by the fires sweeping across Australia according to a University of
Sydney estimate.” (The Washington Post)
It
was eye opening to me to see how devastating these fires were, and research shows
that these fires are caused by climate change. It does not matter if some
animals survived because their habitat has been wiped away and they will end up
dying.
After
conducting my research, I found it interesting to see how all three of these
topics relate to one another. Climate change and environmental issues mostly
caused by humans have been affecting our world for many years. Research shows
that scientists predicted the threats to the Great Barrier Reef 20 years ago,
and still nothing has really been done about it. The climate change is
affecting the temperatures as well, resulting in hotter and longer summers,
which then result in wildfires. Animals have been in in danger of extinction,
and if the climate continues the way it is, the world and people living it will
suffer extreme consequences.
References
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407101801.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407101801.htm
Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (2020). Retrieved from
New
York Times. (2020). Retrieved from
Science
News. (2020). Retrieved from
Science
News for Students. (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/climate-change-drove-australian-wildfires-to-extremes
The
Washington Post. (2020). Retrieved from
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