Can All These Drastic Effects be reversed, or does the world Need to Brace Itself for More Dire Consequences?
Do excessive rains and increasingly frequent drought sound familiar to you? Currently, Kenya is battling with locusts invasion that is rapidly spreading to different counties no sooner than the new decade 2020 began. This situation brings us to the question ‘what is the relationship between global warming and the locust plague?’
These locusts specifically thrive in arid and semi-arid areas, which explain their sudden increase in East Africa’s region and some countries in the Middle East such as Pakistan. Research indicates a direct correlation between hotter climates and increasing locust population, leaving Africa greatly impacted- Twenty of the most rapidly warming nations in the world are in Africa alone!
The wet climate also enhances locust multiplication, and evidently, Kenya experienced above optimal rainfall from October to December 2019 of up to 400% the reasonable amount. The Indian Ocean dipole has accounted these excessive rains, a prodigy brought about by global warming.
According to scientific study, global warming is irreversible. As the degree of carbon dioxide emission is on the rise, the world will ultimately continue to experience rigorous and progressive environmental turmoil.
Susan Solomon, one of the most acknowledged climate scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stated that “the impact of global warming will continue to persist even after carbon emission is put under control.” Fixing the emission of pollutant gases such as nitrous oxide and methane will slightly cut back the greenhouse effect; however, carbon dioxide is a very notorious gas to control. Eliminating or reducing its emission won’t halt global warming. It is an inevitable change that will stretch onto the next millennium.”
This inevitable distortion of the environment is explained by the oceans absorbing excessive heat emitted by the earth and high levels of carbon dioxide released into the air. Resultantly, the weather coupled with carbon dioxide begins to come out of the ocean, and the process will take place progressively for many centuries to come.
The concept that revolutionizes the permanency of global warming is how we address climate change. The universal switch can’t be turned off promptly as it was turned on; therefore, we need to take a cautious approach.
Scientists have been striving to caution governments on the importance of maintaining optimal levels of carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere. If the optimal range is exceeded, the repercussions can’t be easily unravelled.
Solomon quotes: “If global warming is unchangeable, it seems all the more urgent to take action. Because making a commitment, you can’t keep is equivalent to trending cautiously on shaky grounds than an activity you assumed you could retract.”