How is climate change affecting us?
How does the news media affect our perceptions of climate change and natural disasters?
The earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, however, the evidence of climate change remains a controversial topic. Society has created a debate surrounding the issue as if the scientific evidence is something to be debated, so why is there an argument to begin with?
Humans. Are we responsible or merely a bystander in the inevitable climatic events of this planet? The extreme possibility that humans cause the increasing warming could actually be good news — basically, it means we can do something about it, to reverse our actions and create a better world for our future generations. Or, we may not be responsible, and the fate of our planet and our species may be unavoidable. Either possibility, as gloomy as they are, may have effects on people that aren’t even recognized.
Global temperatures have seen a consistent increase over the past century, with the significant rises beginning around the mid-1900’s. Meanwhile, global carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions have also spiked, rapidly increasing from the 1950’s into recent years where the global emission in 2017 was at 36.15 billion tonnes — compared to 5.98 billion tonnes in 1950 and 1.96 billion tonnes in 1900.
Clearly, these emissions are a direct result of human influence and how this affects our planet may not be completely understood, yet the positive correlation between rising temperatures and the output of emissions is evident.
A rise in temperatures can have many direct effects on the planet, even though we may not be seeing a prevalent change in our day to day lives doesn’t mean it isn’t effecting people all around the world. A significant concern remains a topic of conversation in our society — are natural disasters becoming more prevalent due to climate change? The answer is unclear and the perceptions may be persuaded a bit.
Not only has the climate shifted in the past few decades but so has our social systems. The rise in news media and social media have created a mass circulation of information available to almost anyone, this includes scientific data as well as misinformation. Bleak headlines pop up everyday of mass extinction, catastrophic weather, dangerously elevated CO2 levels and increasing death tolls.
Increased media coverage may present an issue as more prevalent when really it is simply more often talked about. After climate change emerged in the news media the prevalence of inclement weather seemingly increased. People cared more as they saw a correlation between these events and the data on climate change they were perceiving.
The data shows the dramatically increasing slope of natural disasters, however, there may be some faults in the data as the numbers are based on reported disasters. As the years go on the technology to accurately report these events enhances, causing the data to increase. Even if the increase in natural disasters isn’t entirely accurate there has been a shift in the expected weather patterns. In Australia, for example, the prolonged drought and elevated heat has brought an early wildfire season. With the dryness of the area, the possibility of more wildfires throughout the season is almost unavoidable.
This broader coverage of natural disasters has allowed for greater awareness and assistance, but it may not be entirely beneficial to news consumers. There’s no clear definition on it, and studies are extremely limited, but the fear, grief and anxiety shown surrounding climate change has been growing as polls show.
It can be defined as “the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment.” Media coverage has allowed this to expand — even if not directly impacted, people tend to have increased worry or anxiety about the fate of our planet and species.
In some areas the direct affects of climate change have severe consequences. In India, for example, the spike in suicide rates are directly correlated to the loss in viable crop harvests. Additionally, in Australia, prolonged drought was followed by peaks in suicide rates.
However, the global suicide rates show a negative correlation (previous graph) with global temperatures. The impact may not be as severe in the places without direct effects of climate change. Unfortunately, the data is limited to quantify the affects of anxiety throughout the years due to specific causes. However, many psychiatrists have begun to speak up about the increase of anxiety and stress in their patients surrounding climate change, government policies and future effects of global warming.
Climate anxiety stems from the increased prevalence of disasters and global warming issues yet lack of acknowledgement or action. The debate about climate change causes a grey area of unknown. As the public is kept in the dark the feelings of unease increase. Events like the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Agreement and Pres. Trump hiding government reports magnifies unrest within society. The fact is, it will take huge governmental changes to combat climate change, although individual change isn’t insignificant, it’s simply not enough.
