Climate Change, Capitalism, And Social Justice

Climate Change, Capitalism, and Social Justice
California used to be a paradise, lush green lawns freshly cut, creeks gurgling with water, and mountains covered in golden fields. What happened? The lawns are all shriveled up, dry rocks are left where there used to be water, and black blotches on hills are left behind from wildfires. Scientists state that this is a result of climate change, also known as global warming. When warm temperatures affect the weather patterns of the Earth, the effects are sudden and severe with droughts, wildfires, and floods. Humans and wildlife are placed at risk as natural habitats become inhabitable. In addition, due to the unregulated capitalism in the world, poor people wind up being affected by climate change
The ice caps cool down Earth by reflecting the light from the sun, but the excess heat from CO2 emissions and the warming atmosphere causes the ice caps to melt. This reduces the amount of surface area to reflect the light. In addition, as the Earth warms, the Arctic tundra releases frozen methane that has been trapped. Methane is a gas that is “fifty times as toxic as carbon dioxide” and therefore, creates a feedback loop (Disruption). Methane warms up the Earth which increases the rate that methane is released back into the atmosphere. When CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbs by the ocean, decreasing the pH level of the waters, this is known as ocean acidification. This kills plankton, the basis of the ocean food chain, increasing the extinction of marine life. Ocean acidification is also a major issue for sea life like oysters, increasing the rate of their shells being dissolved. These our only a few of the examples of disruption in the ecosystem. The impact of climate change has resulted to severe natural disasters and extinction of animal species which will get much worse in the
NASA climate scientists stated that, “It is not difficult to imagine that conflicts arising from forced migrations and economic collapse might make the planet ungovernable, threatening the fabric of civilization” (The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here). The lack of resources will bring economies that depend on crops, timber, fish, livestock to a decline. People will be forced out of their homes due to lack of resources to survive in the area. This can create armed conflict between those who have no place to live and those who are unwilling to share resources or allow others in their