Read

The Facts You've Never Heard About Climate Change

Published:
November 28, 2023
January 11, 2018
Lesser known effect of climate change involving two polar bears balancing on a floating piece of ice that has broken off from a larger piece.|Grotto infographic explaining the lesser known effects of climate change.|Grotto infographic explaining the lesser known effects of climate change.

Despite all of Earth’s consistencies — spinning on its axis exactly once every 24 hours, maintaining its stable position between neighboring Venus and Mars, reliably orbiting the sun every year — one earthly phenomenon fluctuates constantly: global temperature.

The atmosphere continues to warm — thanks to unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide — but climate change does not always manifest itself in such noticeable ways as ice becoming water or people suffering from heat strokes. In fact, some of its lesser known effects may be ones you never predicted.

Ice loss leads to hybrid species

Since adapting to new geographic locations limits the likelihood that an animal will encounter another of its kind, dissimilar species sometimes mate with one another. For instance, polar bears and grizzlies have started producing infertile hybrid offspring known as “grolars” or “pizzlies,” which — though interesting to look at — threaten the longevity and existence of both species.

If the obvious suffering climate change inflicts on animals weren’t enough to convince you that humans must mitigate its harmful effects, then perhaps the life-threatening illnesses it aggravates will do the trick.

Dormant deadly diseases might resurface

As a consequence of climate warming in the Arctic, strains of deadly diseases that have long remained dormant, stored within the confines of seemingly indestructible glaciers or underneath permafrost soil, may resurface. This trend, which has already hospitalized dozens of people in Russia who were infected by anthrax, seems to be an unstoppable one, according to noteworthy evolutionary biologist Jean-Michel Claverie.

“Permafrost is a very good preserver of microbes and viruses because it is cold, there is no oxygen, and it is dark,” he says.

Over a million reindeer died from anthrax during the 20th century, and most of those carcasses are buried just underground in northern Russia, enabling the bacteria to easily pass through soil if permafrost were to melt. Scientists speculate that smallpox, the Spanish flu virus, and the bubonic plague could also all resurface, since humans who died of those illnesses were buried close to the surface of the ground, separated from the current population only by a tenuous layer of permafrost.

"The vectors of deadly infections of the 18th and 19th Centuries may come back, especially near the cemeteries where the victims of these infections were buried," researchers Boris A. Revich and Marina A. Podolnaya says.

Warmer climates can also increase the frequency and severity of modern diseases common in Africa and South Asia, particularly malaria and cholera. A 2015 study that analyzed the link between infection and human activity concluded that the incidence of malaria in 27 nations skyrocketed as the global temperature rose, likely because mosquitoes can breed more easily in prolonged heat. Because of deforestation — which forces animals and humans to interact more regularly than they otherwise would — humans are more likely than ever to contract “zoonotic” diseases, such as AIDS, H5N1, H1N1, and bird flu.

What can we do?

Change will not be possible, progress will not be made, until citizens of this earth recognize the value of continually informing themselves, of staying updated on a constantly evolving issue. Gain information about this complex, evolving issue, or better yet, invigorate fellow residents of the earth — who may have grown weary in their eco-efforts — by sending them this information or fostering dialogue about the planet.

Everyone must acknowledge his or her global responsibility to make a concerted effort to mitigate the damage climate change does to the earth. Individuals must stop treating the planet as if they have another one to go to.

Grotto infographic explaining the lesser known effects of climate change.

Creators:
Martha Reilly
Published:
November 28, 2023
January 11, 2018
On a related note...
6 Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

6 Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

Megan Ulrich

How I’m Reducing All My Carry Out Waste

How I’m Reducing All My Carry Out Waste

Dan Masterton

One Millennial’s Journey Toward Zero-Waste Living

One Millennial’s Journey Toward Zero-Waste Living

Jessie McCartney

How an Engineer Finds God in Nature

How an Engineer Finds God in Nature

Grotto

Embracing Nature as Our Kin

Embracing Nature as Our Kin

Mary Beth Keenan

"Hike"

"Hike"

Kate Fowler

Wild Turkey Conservation and Oak Savanna Restoration

Wild Turkey Conservation and Oak Savanna Restoration

Grotto

Good and Decent Episode 20: The Elusive Gooseberry

Good and Decent Episode 20: The Elusive Gooseberry

Grotto

6 Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Holidays

6 Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Lauren Lawson

3 Sewing Skills for More Sustainable Living

3 Sewing Skills for More Sustainable Living

Jessica Mannen Kimmet

These Goats Have a Super Power

These Goats Have a Super Power

Grotto

3 Ways Anyone Can Cut Back on Plastic

3 Ways Anyone Can Cut Back on Plastic

Dan Masterton

This Time-Lapse Thunderstorm Video Will Leave You Shook

This Time-Lapse Thunderstorm Video Will Leave You Shook

Grotto Shares

How Thrifting Soothed My Anxiety

How Thrifting Soothed My Anxiety

Maria Walley

Unexpected Lessons from a Black Bear

Unexpected Lessons from a Black Bear

Maureen O’Brien

"A New Hobby Helped Me Find Wonder in Nature"

"A New Hobby Helped Me Find Wonder in Nature"

Jessica Mannen Kimmet

How Do You Keep a Plant Alive?

How Do You Keep a Plant Alive?

Grotto

Our Food Sources Can Help Us Build a Better World

Our Food Sources Can Help Us Build a Better World

Janelle Peregoy

"Misnomers"

"Misnomers"

Marjorie Maddox

7 Tips for Your First Farmers Market Visit

7 Tips for Your First Farmers Market Visit

Lauren Fritz

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.