Climate change is becoming a prevalent issue as severe weather continues to worsen. In many places across the U.S., the weather is leading to difficulty growing crops, raising livestock and providing safe living spaces. Coastal cities such as Miami are experiencing rising sea levels which threaten their industries and way of life.
The effects of climate change are not only seen with animals, but are also having a ripple effect throughout other levels of the industry. In California, droughts are becoming so severe that the power grid does not have enough power to support the additional electricity demand from air conditioning use and other power use. The additional power needs to come from somewhere, and this increased demand is leading to the exhausting of fossil fuels. This circular reaction shows how deep the issue of climate change truly goes. At this time, citizens are being asked to use battery power, rather than electricity to fuel their technological items, according to Wired, which could be a huge step in the right direction for use of renewable resources.
A quote from California’s governor Gavin Newsome says that California is looking to “accelerate the elimination of the gas, but it’s a sober reminder of reality.” These types of quotes from those in power represent the eye-opening idea that our overuse of natural resources will continue to cause problems, even with attempts to undo them.
California has continually been an area in the United States where climate change and natural disasters hit especially hard. California consistently breaks heat, wildfire and flood records. This is due to a variety of factors including the global position and climate. Most recently, the droughts and heat waves have made Californians limit their water, power and natural resource use. Those in California have suffered many constraints in livelihood as a result of climate change, and are a very real representation of what may happen if we don’t begin to take climate change seriously as a society.
California has also passed more progressive laws regarding carbon emissions and labeling of products so when these types of events occur, it reinforces the need for these types of laws.
Even though Florida is not directly impacted by the heat waves in California, we can all learn a lesson regarding steps we can take to reduce our power and water use. Here are some easy steps that we can all take to conserve our earth’s natural resources:
- Turn off lights when leaving a room.
- Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or when shaving in the shower.
- In the winter, put on a sweater before turning on the AC.
- Turn your car off when idling.
Performing these steps can ensure that we are all doing our part to preserve the scarce natural resources that we have left. With temperatures rising and natural disasters becoming more severe, we may see national landmarks such as the Redwood Forests fade away. With pressure on our infrastructure, these natural disasters will become more and more common and powerful.
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