Humans the Green Monsters!!

Many scientists consider humans as the most invasive species, as humans can greatly change an environment and impact living things that reside there. Are we being stewards of the world?


Are we being stewards of the world? This has been a debated question for many; some may oppose this while others support this as they take a look at how far the world has come from horse back rides, to cars and airplanes, from tee pees to lavish lofts and homes. However, humans have forgotten the important and vital things in life and have turned into greedy little monsters. Have we stolen too much from the cookie jar, is the question we must answer now.

Humans are the most invasive species, due to how greatly we can impact the environment and living things, however we are not one bit being stewards of the world. Now what exactly does it mean to be a steward? Well, according to the dictionary a steward is a manager (of property); a race organizer; a person who serves food on an aircraft or ship and looks after passengers. In terms of the environment a steward is someone, like you and I who are responsible to look after and take care of the environment. Now overall I think we have done a poor job over the past 50 years. During the second half of the twentieth century the world’s ecosystems have changed more rapidly in human history due to human actions.


One of the fastest and growing concerns in today’s society has become global warming. What is global warming? Global warming is the increase in the corresponding changes in the climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. How global warming is caused can be understood through the following diagram:

Have you ever just wanted to hide under your blankets on a grey morning? Well soon enough our world will be hiding under a thick grey sheet of pollution as human activities start to overtake this world. Global warming is a mix of natural forces and human activities put together however human activities play a much greater role now. We all tend to blame one another on this issue, like the many that believed that the USA was one of the leading countries in the list of global greenhouse gas emitters, however they were wrong, China has now pushed its way up as its rapid industries develop, as the US was surpassed in 2006-07. We all have a small role in this large issue, if you got a ride to school, or turned on the computer you are already a part of this issue. The following diagrams can give you an idea from where most of this comes from.

Day by day the effects of global warming are occurring; it’s just that we don’t seem to notice it since most of us don’t take this as a serious issue. Some of the effects global warming will have and is already having a shocking impact in the biodiversity of our ecosystems. We are all connected in this one big cycle and soon enough it will affect us to.

The effects of global warmimg:

• Ice caps are melting faster than ever. If all the glaciers in the world were to melt sea levels would rise 230 feet according to the National Snow and Ice Data. For those who want a visual of this just think of the movie The Day After Tomorrow where it’s flooding in New York. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFjdeQG1iQg&NR=1) Melting ice caps will result in an unbalance in global ecosystems because as these ice caps melt the fresh water dissolves into the ocean which is super salty, but the fresh water will soon make the oceans less salty. Ocean currents are responsible in regulating temperatures, therefore the irregularity in the ocean, will affect the currents in the north-east American and Western Europe. This will also have an effect on the ecosystems such as marine animals, causing an imbalance and resulting in animals to having to adapt to these new changes such as the many fish that are swimming up north in search of colder waters.
  
• The increase in temperatures will change the landscape in the Arctic Circle which would mean that several species will become endangered due to the hardships they must face in order to adapt to their new habitats. An example of a specie that is already facing such difficulties are the polar bears, which are the world’s largest carnivore species who are now a part of the list of endangered species. Polar bears are less healthy and skinnier compared to those 20 years back. Scientists believe that the Artic will see the changes the earliest; the average air temperature has already increased by 50C over the past 100 years. The artic sea ice has decreased by 40% during the last 30 years; the effect of global warming has already affected the polar bears and the landscape in the Arctic.
  
  
• The melting of ice caps would cause temperatures to be warmer because since ice caps are white they reflect the sunlight back into space causing the Earth to cool, but what happens when all the white is gone and all you have is the ocean a dark colour, which will only absorb the sunlight causing the earth to be warmer. The increase in temperatures around countries will result in an increase in spreading of diseases due to insects migrating north and spreading diseases and plagues. Another example of an affected ecosystem are the butterflies that are moving north in search of cooler temperatures.
  
• We may think we don’t see the real effects of global warming, though we will soon enough. The Inuits a group of people living in the Arctic for numerous years have already seen the effects of global warming as they find it harder to hunt for animals such as walrus, and seals. Not only is it affecting their food but their landscape.


• Sea levels are increasing resulting in more frequent and stronger hurricanes. Not only are sea levels changing but so are weather patterns this can be noted in the more water shortages, increasing hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones.





• The changes in sea levels are affecting the sea life of many animals. It is predicted that the coral leafs will increase three times in size. Global warming is also affecting the sex of Hawkbill Turtles, most of the hawkbill turtles being born are females. Loggerhead sea turtles are now laying there eggs ten days earlier than usual.


• Global warming has also impacted the life of many land animals and plants. It is predicted that reindeers will disappear in large numbers. Canadian Red squirrels are breeding 18 days earlier than usual. Red foxes are making there way up north intruding in the life of their artic cousins. Many plants such as columbines and wild germaniums are blooming a lot earlier.


• There has been a growing likelihood that many areas such as Africa and Europe will suffer from serious droughts and heat waves even though some countries are facing more wetness. Water will become more of an issue in Africa.


• It will and has already cost billions of dollars. For example, the hurricanes in the USA have cost billions of dollars and will continue to cost if hurricanes keep occurring, diseases will cost to be treated. Therefore global warming has already begun costing us a price.
  

Humans and all living things are interconnected in this huge web of life and we need them in order to survive. Though we may be at the top of the web, we are dependant on them, the key to our life is in their hands, and if they disappear soon enough we will too. The thing is that many of us don’t seem to understand the seriousness of this issue, it’s like we must reach our most extreme scenario before someone will take action, but by then it may just be too late.

When I watched the movie The Day After Tomorrow, it shocked me to think that this could possibly happen maybe not as dramatic as the movie makes it. But the reality is that human activities have caused the environment a lot more damage than it has years ago. Greenhouse gases can remain trapped in the atmosphere for thousands to decades of years, and if we don’t do something about this, it will just continue to accumulate. Some may find this hard to believe, but this is possible. As I was searching I came across this website which shocked me. It shows all the possible catastrophes that may occur and where, take a look and see what the world is going to look like. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-impacts-interactive.html

But the reality is that one day we will wake up and realize that it’ll be too late to do anything. We are ruining our children and their children’s children’s future home. They probably won’t know what reindeers are and on Christmas they probably no longer will be able to tell their kids stories about Santa’s sleigh of reindeers. We have become too greedy, and have stolen way too much from the cookie jar.

Sources
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/ecosystems/millennium-assessment-3/1-ecosystem-change.htm#1p1
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/sciencetech/5-deadliest-effects-of-global-warming/276
http://timeforchange.org/cause-and-effect-for-global-warming
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/polarbear/polarbear.html
http://www.livescience.com/environment/050621_warming_list.html