GLOBAL WARMING... WHAT LIES AHEAD

It’s time to get acquainted with some of the less advertised consequences of global warming. Pesky problems, compared to the broader disasters of widespread famine, weather extremes, and an exploding refugee population. But these ripples of woe bring home how interconnected and far-reaching the tentacles of climate change truly are.

Say hello to toxic mold …the result of frequent, severe flooding caused by warmer water in the oceans, which “pumps more energy into tropical storms, making them stronger and potentially more destructive” (NRDC.org). The EPA states that flood-induced mold produces “allergens, irritants, and in some cases potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins).” It links these mycotoxins to “skin rashes, nausea, immune system suppression, acutre or chronic liver damage, acute or chronic central nervous system damage, endocrine effects, and cancer.”

Say hello to Lyme disease. As temperatures rise, the Lyme tick’s range is expanding, into regions far north and west of its original habitat. The CDC describes typical symptoms of Lyme disease as “fever, headache, fatigue, and a skin rash. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.”

Say hello to artificial Christmas trees. Like the Lyme tick, the pine bark beetle is expanding its habitat range northward as temperatures rise. It feeds off pine trees, and as it encroaches into British Columbia, it is decimating swaths of pine forests.

Say hello to a tsunami of homeless kittens. Global warming is already extending the cat-breeding season beyond its usual springtime cycle, and putting cats in heat more often. Animal shelters are reportedly in crisis, deluged with abandoned kittens in ever increasing numbers.

Say hello to rampant poison ivy. The Los Angeles Times reports that “rapidly rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are driving noxious poison ivy and those annoying patches of dandelion to grow taller, lusher and more resilient.” In a test lab, poison ivy grew twice as large under present CO2 levels as samples grown under 1950 levels.

Say hello to dengue fever. Science Daily reports that “scientists…have predicted that rising global temperatures will increase the range of a mosquito that transmits the dengue fever virus. Dengue fever is now considered the most serious viral infection transmitted in man by insects, whether measured in terms of the number of human infections or the number of deaths.”

Say hello to heart disease. Dr. Gordon Tomaselli of the American Heart Association explains, “Rust develops much more quickly at warm temperatures, and so does atherosclerosis.”

Say hello to no sense of smell. Chronic air pollution damages the nose’s olfactory receptors, severely limiting the ability to smell even strong odors like coffee and bad eggs. Reuters reports that people in Mexico City are harbingers of this phenomenon. It quotes a researcher lamenting that “their noses are so badly damaged from a life inhaling toxic particles, they find it hard to detect the scent of rotten food.”

As these scenarios loom ever larger, who are the real terrorists? Environmental activists, who risk their lives to thwart the calamities of climate change? Or the political and corporate interests who dismiss global warming, and imperil our future?