Whether you are ready to admit it or not, climate change is real, and it is dire. It is changing the world around us more and more every day.
This drastic change in the climate ruins the air we breathe, causing serious respiratory illnesses and other diseases. It kills land and marine animals, hindering the ecosystem, and it destroys the form of wildfires and flooding. Plus, in some climates, it causes bodies of water to dry up completely.
If something doesn’t change soon, the destruction and devastation will only get worse. Entire animal habitats will disappear, and homes and buildings will be destroyed. Luckily, it isn’t too late to stop further damage from occurring and to save the earth.
Photos that Capture the Seriousness of Climate Change
1. Wildfires Are Leaving the Air Heavy with Red and Orange Smog
This photo was shared on Twitter by a user who lives in Colorado. She explained how the wildfires in Colorado result from climate change.
The winters there are becoming warmer each year, making it impossible for all of the beetles to freeze. Since the beetles aren’t freezing, they are killing the pine trees, leaving them dry. With the dead, dry pine trees, the fires can start and spread rapidly.
2. Breathing will Become More Difficult
This Twitter user shared a photo to show how the air looks around his home. He warns that if it isn’t taken seriously now, this is the way it will look all the time. Sometimes it’s hard to realize just how bad it is until pictures like this one are shared.
Expect a rise in case counts of asthma, allergies, COPD, and other lung-related diseases.
3. Firefighters Put Out Smoldering Debris While Smoke Rises in the Background
This image is another one shared on Twitter. It demonstrates the seriousness of our changing climate. Firefighters are putting in quite a bit of work to extinguish the fires.
The post that this photo was shared in says that the effects of a severely changing climate are financially impacting the nation. With the costs of the damage, repairing the damage, and the labor put in, it is catastrophic to the economy. Beyond that, we are placing our first responders in harm’s way by sending them into these dangerous situations.
4. Ocean Animals Are Dying
All over the world, animals are dying due to the changing climate, as pictured here. In the Southern Ocean, penguins, seals, whales, and much other wildlife are dying. Their homes are being destroyed due to rising water levels and warmer water temperatures.
5. Firefighters Are Risking Their Lives
Each time a wildfire ignites in our country, firefighters risk their lives to save people, homes, businesses, animals, and our country. One Twitter user shared this image and called out those who say climate change is a hoax. As this picture shows, states like Colorado, Oregon, and California place first responders in extreme danger.
6. Families Are Displaced
The wildfires caused by a change in the climate are displacing families. They are being left with nowhere to go and no home to even try to repair. The fires are wiping them out and leaving families devastated, as captured in this photo shared on Facebook.
7. Polar Bears Are Losing Their Habitat
This picture was shared in a Facebook post and captures the serious effects of climate change. A photographer named Patty Waymire took this photo at Barter Island, Alaska. Instead of photographing polar bears in the snow or on ice, she was surprised to photograph them in this way.
There was no snow in sight and little to no ice on the water. While the beach used to be covered in ice, it is now sandy and warm. If this continues, polar bears will have nowhere to live or hunt for food.
8. There is No Ice
As explained before, there is little to no ice left on the water in this part of Alaska. This picture (also by Patty Waymire) shows the truth in that as a polar bear tries to swim through it.
9. Cruise Ships can Navigate Previously Impossible Waters
In the past, the Northwest Passage was full of ice, and cruise ships could not make the journey. Now, with much of the ice melted, the ships can travel through. This is only possible because of climate change, but it is not beneficial to the environment.
It is clear when looking at this photo that this part of the world already sees the impact. With ships now navigating these waters, the wildlife will likely be further disrupted.
10. Entire Villages Must Relocate Inland
As water levels continue to rise, more and more land is lost. This is causing many homes to become uninhabitable and entire villages are having to relocate. In this Facebook image, you can see how serious it is, as the water is already extremely close to the homes.
11. Erosion is Ruining Lake Dunes
The great lakes around Michigan are experiencing massive erosion that is ruining the dunes. Since the weather is warmer, it’s causing intense storms and waves that cause intense damage along the shoreline. It is ruining buildings, dunes, bluffs, and even the lake bed itself.
The lake bed’s damage occurs when massive waves batter the shoreline and dig into the lake bed. It’s causing the water to become deeper in those areas, allowing even bigger waves to make their way to shore.
12. Homes Destroyed in the Great Lakes Region
This image is another one revealing the harmful impact climate change is having on the Great Lakes region. The home pictured has since been demolished because there was no way to save the dunes or the home.
As you can see in this picture, much of the land between the home and the lake is gone. The home was left with no protection, and dismantling it became necessary. As erosion continues, it is difficult to predict how far back the shoreline will be in the future.
13. The Difference in 100 Years
We found this picture on Facebook. It shows the Pedersen Glacier in Alaska. A photographer captured the top image 100 years before the photo on the bottom.
The difference between these two images is sure to convince you of the seriousness of a changing climate. Where there was once water, ice, and glaciers, there is now an empty field full of grass.
14. Flooding is Destroying Cities
Cities are becoming flooded to the point they are unnavigable. If the climate continues to change, this flooding will only get worse.
This scene shows Venice, Italy. There, floods are ruining homes, businesses, and people’s livelihood. Plus, think of all the historical buildings and artifacts that are destroyed in the process.
15. Coral Reefs are Disappearing
With the change in the climate that has already occurred, coral reefs are disappearing rapidly, as these pictures show. This is tragic because coral reefs are the habitat of nearly 25% of marine animals. With no habitat, there is no way of knowing what will happen to these species.
16. Lakes Are Drying Up
Photographers took these pictures just six years apart. Aculeo Lake, located in Chile, completely dried up due to rising global temperatures and lack of rainfall. What was once a 20-foot lake has become a giant crater, instead.
17. Beautiful Bodies of Water are Disappearing
As shown before, lakes are drying up due to climate change, but this picture shows that other water bodies are drying up, too. This photo shows the Theewaterskloof Dam in South Africa, which has completely dried up, too.
18. Glaciers Are Melting
The Grinnell Glacier is located in Glacier National Park in Montana. What was once a giant glacier is now more like a lake with ice in it. While the park is still beautiful, the effects of a changing climate have taken a toll.
19. Huge Waterfalls are Turning into Small Streams
Located on the Zambezi River in Southern Africa, Victoria Falls is home to many plants and animals. It was once a heavily flowing waterfall but has dried up so much that it is now a small stream. This isn’t just sad for the beauty aspect, but for all the species that call it home.
20. California Lakes are Experiencing Extreme Changes
Lake Oroville in California normally requires a bridge to get across. Sometimes, however, it becomes so dry that it has no water at all.
Then, just as quickly, it’ll become so full that it overflows, and homes have to be evacuated. This shows the drastic weather patterns that are developing due to climate change.
Final Thoughts on Photos That Perfectly Capture the Seriousness of Climate Change
Many people still deny that climate change is happening. These pictures prove it. They prove how serious the problem is, and they enlighten us as to what could be coming in the future.
While much damage has already been done, it is not too late to make the future better. With lifestyle changes and awareness of the dangers, it is possible to stop the deterioration.
The post 20 Photos That Perfectly Capture the Seriousness of Climate Change appeared first on Power of Positivity: Positive Thinking & Attitude.
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