Climate Change Is Happening- Will You Change or Will it Change You?

     Climate change, global warming, and Donald Trump, all topics one would try to avoid bringing up at a party. Why is climate change so controversial? Is there not evidence that it is happening? Why do people chose to ignore science? The time to ignore has past. Climate change is happening every day and although the affects are slow and not visible to us in daily life they are happening and our world as we know it will change. Humans must make the first move and change ourselves to ward off the forced change mother nature has in store.
     The study of climate change was broken up into topics and then in groups we researched the topic we were given and presented it to the rest of the class. My group with Dorian studied freshwaters. The freshwaters on earth include ponds, lakes, rivers, groundwater, and streams. The freshwater is renewed by the hydro cycle. The study of freshwaters is known as Limnology. Limnologists study precipitation, freshwater animal migrations, and water supply. This study of freshwater, Limnology, began with Lake Geneva and has branched our to every lake and river throughout the world. Living organisms and their interactions with their physical and chemical environments are the root of freshwater science questioning.
    Climate, different from weather in that climate is widespread and usual, affects water quantity. Water quality is not effected, but the quantity is decreasing. This decrease in freshwater is frightening because the water cycle relies on inland and groundwater.
    Animals and organisms migrate due to changing water temperatures which upsets both the ecosystem animals migrated from and the one they move to. Global warming causes the glacial sources to melt at a rapid rate and rise ocean water levels. The diminishing of these glaciers means there is less melting, condensation, and runoff to enter the water cycle.
   Freshwater is a concern and its reduction in quantity is a concern because as it is only 1% of the water on earth is safe for drinking. There are millions of people in developing countries who get sick from contaminated water or have no freshwater at all for their consumption.
   Looking into the future, which climate change reflections requires, scares me a significant amount. What are we doing today that my kids will have to bear the price for? Florida may be submerged, water may be a luxury of the rich, and natural food sources may be a thing of the past.
The Colorado River is a good example of a place to start with change. The Colorado River is so taxed by diverted agricultural irrigation systems that no water at all reaches the rivers mouth. This is a place to start and there are thousands of stories like it across the US alone.

Link to Powerpoint Presentation