Winter is coming! Now, where’s the snow? Are you thinking to yourself… global warming? Why not? Maybe you’re the socially conscious type and you’ve been following the COP21 summit in Paris. Either way, check out these 10 super weird effects of climate change we’re seeing RIGHT NOW.
MIXED-UP BEAR SEX
When the climate gets warmer, grizzly bears go north where they may end up in polar bear territory. Come springtime, a little bit of love is bound to happen. Meet the Grolar bear (or if you prefer, Pizzly bear).
LESS FOOD, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY…. LESS WINE
We have already seen a decrease in major food crops around the world, due to climate change induced drought. Aside from no longer producing their share of wheat and corn, now the world’s supply of wine is at risk because of rising and unstable temperatures.
GIANT CRATERS FORM IN SIBERIA
Permafrost stops being permanent when the weather warms up. When soil that’s been frozen for thousands of years melts, really weird things happen – like these huge craters that were discovered by mistake when a herd of reindeer almost fell into one.
BIGGER STRONGER FASTER… HEROIN
Rising CO2 levels cause poppy flower opiates to have a much higher potency. The current crop is twice as potent as the crop in 1950, and is expected to increase threefold by 2050.
SPEAKING OF MELTING ICE: CAVEMEN, ANCIENT PUPPIES AND MAMMOTH BLOOD APPEAR
Melting glaciers are giving up long buried secrets, like the famous prehistoric man nicknamed “Ötzi” found in the Alps. In Siberia, the corpses of ancient puppies have been dug up, along with a frozen mammoth whose blood is still liquid – at 10 degrees below zero!
OUR RUINS MIGHT GET RUINED
With 40% of world’s population living within 63 miles of coasts that are threatened by rising oceans, the issue of relocating millions upon millions of people becomes almost insurmountable. Aside from the inconvenience of such an undertaking, there is also the reality that much of our history, many of our monuments, and a lot of our heritage will be drowned in the years to come.
A SNOWBALL FIGHT IN THE US SENATE
Some people, including Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, thinks climate change is a hoax. Despite record warm global temperatures in 2014 and 2015, he decided that one snowstorm in Washington DC proved global warming wasn’t real. To make his point he pitched a snowball at his colleagues in the senate chamber.
WARMER CLIMATE = SHARK ATTACKS
With the inconsistency of the temperatures in our oceans, sharks are looking for environments in which they feel more comfortable, without consideration for our beach culture!
NUCLEAR KITTY LITTER
One alternative to burning climate-warming oil and gas is nuclear power for making electricity. Too bad it creates dangerous nuclear waste that can poison people 10,000 years from now. In one underground storage facility, the radioactive waste was packed in the wrong kind of kitty litter (there is a right kind!) which caused an explosion radiating at least one worker. Bad kitty!
SCARY AIRY
In the US, we might not readily feel the effects of poor air quality, but recently Beijing practically shut down the entire city as a result of smog.
Conclusion
So, if you don’t get eaten by a shark, or overdose on some of that extra strong heroine, what are we going to do about these serious (talking about the wine here) issues? To help with the ever increasing global temperature, you could always join Greenpeace or put up a windmill in your backyard, but (if you’re like me) you could start with the little things. There are some listed here. In a nutshell, Reduce – Reuse – Recycle.
Featured photo credit: Recycle/Alicia Solario via freeimages.com
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