Researchers issue warning about Effects of warming

 Earth is getting warm day by day and the effects would be catastrophic

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions, and an increase in the wind intensity and rainfall from tropical cyclones. Our world is getting hotter, and this has complicated effects on our environment, including the parts we use for food. Coastal cities, such as the Gold Coast region in Australia, are experiencing rapid urbanisation, driven by population growth and the appeal of coastal living. However, this growth poses significant challenges, including environmental preservation and vulnerability to coastal hazards like flooding and erosion. Understanding how urban expansion interacts with shifting coastal boundaries is crucial for sustainable urban planning, particularly in the context of climate change. 

Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth’s climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting and plants and trees are blooming sooner. Researchers have identified one such worrisome interaction while studying striped bass in the Atlantic, according to Yale Environment 360. The striped bass has been in decline for a long time due to overfishing. Last fall's fishing season seemed like an exception with anglers catching abundant bass, but those numbers have not been reflected in the number of fish coming to nearby bays to spawn in spring. John Waldman, an aquatic conservation biologist from the City University of New York, called the low level of successful striped bass spawning "a real mystery," per Yale Environment 360. One possible clue comes in the form of the striped bass' major food source, a herring species called the menhaden. They have also been failing to return from the ocean to spawn. "I don't know if this is a larger cyclical pattern, if it's driven by how they're managed, or if it's because the water temperature is increasing," said doctoral student Janelle Morano, who has been study changes in menhaden distribution at Cornell University, according to Yale Environment 360. "But something is going on, and it is real."

Effects that scientists had long predicted would result from global climate change are now occurring, such as sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves. The magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming. Reduced activity during these fish's traditional spawning seasons could be caused by what researchers call a "phenological mismatch." "Phenology" is the seasonal cycle of various animal and plant behaviours, like flowers blooming in spring and pollinators emerging at the same time to feed on them. There are many manifestations of phenology that are connected in intricate, delicate ways. If one species misses seasonal cues or starts its cycle early or late, then all the species which interact with that first species are also impacted.

For example, monarch butterflies used to fly south when the milkweed they fed on started dying off for the winter in US. But with warmer temperatures, monarchs are now leaving later in the season, failing to find food en route, and dying off before reaching their winter homes. If menhaden and striped bass are failing to spawn because of warmer waters and changes in available food, then both populations will plummet, affecting every species that relies on them for food or population control, with effects rippling out and touching every species from plankton to dolphins. This is also part of a wider pattern of phenology mishaps affecting species humans rely on, such as wine grapes. While this phenomenon has been well studied on land, researchers are just beginning to investigate it in the sea. So far, there has not been a proposed way to intervene directly.

Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires, and extreme rainfall) are happening faster than scientists previously assessed. In fact, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body established to assess the science related to climate change, modern humans have never before seen the observed changes in our global climate, and some of these changes are irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years. Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for many decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment report, published in 2021, found that human emissions of heat-trapping gases have already warmed the climate by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since 1850-1900.1 The global average temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees C (about 3 degrees F) within the next few decades. These changes will affect all around the globe. The severity of effects caused by climate change will depend on the path of future human activities. More greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more climate extremes and widespread damaging effects across our planet. However, those future effects depend on the total amount of CO2 we emit. So, if we can reduce emissions, we may avoid some of the worst effects.

Urban growth is concentrated in established centres, such as Surfers Paradise and Currumbin, while peripheral areas experience slower development. These patterns are influenced by natural barriers, such as waterways, and socio-economic factors, including access to economic opportunities and tourism. So it emphasises the need for a nuanced, region-specific approach to urban planning which balances growth with environmental sustainability. It also highlights the role of advanced technologies, such as remote sensing, GIS and geospatial intelligence, including digital twins, in supporting data-driven planning and resilience strategies in coastal environments. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners addressing the challenges of coastal urbanisation. However, we can help slow the world's rising temperature by switching to less polluting energy sources, supporting eco-friendly brands and taking care for the environment. The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future around the world.