#143: Three Real Effects of Climate Change (Friday, September 25)

"Our children will curse our selfishness and inaction on climate change." -Matthew McDermott, New York, NY

This week was an important week in NYC: Clinton's climate change symposium and the UN meeting both drew attention to an issue, which if not addressed, will have catastrophic effects on the generations to follow us. Most of the time, climate change and global warming are talked about as an abstract concept. But as an avid traveler, there are some sights and places that may not be around much longer because of global warming. I thought it would be good to highlight some of the things that will be affected (or obsolete) because of climate change:

Climate change in the Alps may leave Europe with one less tourism destination and a water shortage crisis. The Alps provide 40 percent of Europe's fresh water. However with temperatures in the Alps increasing at a rate more than twice the global average, Europe faces the challenge of changing water resources.

The Cateret Islands, part of Papua New Guinea, are being submerged by the sea. One island has already been divided in half, and the islanders are living mostly on fish and coconut as the lands they formerly used to grow vegetable crops are no longer fertile. Lack of food has caused the schools on the islands to have to close for part of the year. Residents are being relocated, and just 2 cents from every New Yorker could help relocate the majority of the residents. And that's just the tip of the iceberg: forecasts estimate that 20 million people in Bangladesh will be displaced because of rising seas, which will affect both rice production as well as overcrowding in surrounding cities and employment rates.

Climate change will cause global health catastrophe, according to 18 of the world's leading medical organizations. Unless serious progress is made in fighting climate change the world faces a slew of threats: stronger infectious diseases (sound familiar?), increased starvation and malnutrition (as lands and crop production become less fertile), and more heat-related deaths.

I don't mean to be the harbinger of doom; there are things we can do today to help slow down the effects of climate change: reduce our carbon emissions (cleaner air), recycle (less waste that has to be disposed of), consume less or look for greener alternatives, and influence others to change their behaviors as well.