Chetana KC

On 31 March 2019, Bara and Parsa districts of Nepal were hit by a massive storm with strong hurricanes. We know that Earth is currently experiencing climate change. All of us have realized global temperatures, accompanied by other changes in weather and climate. Many places have experienced changes in rainfall, resulting in either more intense rainfall or no rainfall.

In simple words climate change is a long term change in the average weather patterns. Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and family livestock. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Human health is vulnerable to climate change. The changing environment is expected to cause more heat stress. It is also expected to increase in more waterborne diseases, poor air quality, diseases that can be transmitted by insects and animals and so on. Basically it can compound many of these health threats. Beside human health, climate change brings more frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea level, melting glaciers and warming oceans which can directly harm animals and also destroy the places they live. It also destroys people’s livelihood and communities.

Increase in diseases and more frequent and intense droughts and floods reduce the availability of food. There is also the risk of species becoming extinct due to the effects of climate change. It is very important for us to understand how the climate is changing so that we can prepare for the future. If climate change keeps on going the potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and increase in the number and intensity of tropical storms. This is why it should be stopped.

To stop climate change we do not need to put very hard effort. We must speak up about this global issue and make it reach to our government so that it could pressurize them to take action on this topic. We can also be self aware and power our houses with renewable energy, invest in energy efficient appliances, reduce water waste, buy better bulbs, pull the plugs after use and also stop wasting. According to the analysis based on the impacts of extreme weather events and the socio-economic losses they cause, Japan, Philippines and Germany are the most affected places by climate change. Our country could be next !