Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis is a term used to describe the severity of ecological damage and human harm caused by the continual burning of fossil fuels. On its own, “crisis” refers to an event of distress or disruption that overwhelms the usual mechanisms and systems of coping. When magnified to the state of our Earth, which is currently experiencing many floods, fires, droughts, and other environmental disasters resulting in human suffering and loss, crisis is used to frame systems on the brink of collapse and warn humanity through scientific fact. Climate Crisis has become a term to encapsulate the acceleration of Earth’s warming to a dire point of no return for our species and many others.

We are all experiencing the effects of the Climate Crisis around the globe. On a fundamental level, the crises across the globe are spurred by the increase of fossil fuel emissions since the industrial revolution, which in turn contributes to a rise in average global temperatures. The Climate Crisis is human-caused, and disproportionately impacts populations and countries that have contributed to emissions. While some populations may feel the direct impact of warming temperatures, others may experience related disasters such as food shortages, extreme weather events, and habitat loss. For example, almost 30% of the world’s population is exposed to deadly heat waves more than 20 days a year.

At the turn of the 20th century, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius predicted that if the current amount of carbonic acid quantities were to double, the Earth’s temperature would warm by four degrees. He further suggested that human-caused emissions would raise Earth’s average temperature.1 Since 1880, the Earth’s temperature has increased by an average rate of 0.08° Celsius each year and since 1981, that warming has doubled that rate each decade.2 This proven increase of global temperatures influenced the used of the term “global warming”, especially as many scientists started to come to consensus on the Earth’s shifting temperatures in 2001 after the 3rd publication of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report. Now, more than 99% of scientific, peer-reviewed papers agree that humans have caused climate change.3 Scientific consensus has led to increased public discourse of the Earth’s changing climate in the past decade. With the increase in awareness and knowledge, the climate lexicon has shifted. Global warming refers to the rising global surface temperature, whereas climate change encompasses the shift in seasonal patterns we see as global warming throws nature out of balance, and Climate Crisis brings a sense of alarm to the environmental issues we face. A study by SPARK Neuro found that hearing “Climate Crisis” generated at least 60 percent more of an emotional response in respondents than “climate change.”

The term Climate Crisis was commonly used by U.S Vice President Al Gore in the early 2000’s with the introduction of the Climate Crisis Coalition.4 Since then, its usage has only grown through popularization in the media, spurred on by climate activists on the forefront of environmental devastation. Climate crisis presents itself as an issue with devastating consequences, rather than a natural system of change. “Climate change might be something that’s happening, but the Climate Crisis is something we can act on.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “the nine years from 2013 through 2021 rank among the 10 warmest years on record.”5 This warming has intensifying consequences on all of Earth’s ecosystems. Mainly, the 2021 IPCC report states warm seasons will be longer and cold seasons will subsequently be shorter. The water cycle will continue to operate in extremes, perpetuating droughts and floods. Polar ice caps will continue to melt and sea levels will rise.6 The Climate Crisis becomes most apparent to many regions of the world through catastrophic weather events. From wildfires in the United States and Australia to typhoons and flooding in India and Taiwan, extreme weather is becoming more frequent. Carbon Brief reported that human-caused climate change had increased the severity or likelihood of 71% of extreme weather events in the past 20 years, while only decreasing the severity or likelihood of 9% of extreme weather events.7 These ongoing cycles of destruction cause environmental, cultural, economic, and social crises for many countries. More than 3 billion people live in places that are very vulnerable to the Climate Crisis, with lower income countries being disproportionately affected.

During the summer of 2022, Pakistan experienced severe flooding from a historical amount of rain. Schools, hospitals, homes, and entire villages were wiped away. Critical infrastructure was destroyed leaving around 33 million people, including approximately 16 million children affected.8 People are suffering from a lack of shelter, food, and safe drinking water. The foundational elements of human life are compromised at the hands of environmental disasters. The Climate Crisis becomes a fight for survival everyday.

Using the term Climate Crisis aptly describes how global dependence on fossil fuels has perpetuated current disasters and prompts us to realize how immediate the impacts are in our daily lives. And by using this term, we bring gravity and urgency to the fight for a better planet. “The challenge of the Climate Crisis can be summed up in ten words: It's real. It's us. It's bad. Experts agree. There's hope.”