22. Does Climate Change Scare You?

Summary

The author expresses concern about the impact of climate change on future generations, citing unpredictable weather patterns and the potential for rising sea levels due to melting ice caps.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's worry over climate change, particularly its effect on the author's grandson and future generations. The author notes that the Earth's rising temperatures are causing once-permanent glaciers to melt, which could lead to rising ocean levels and the loss of beaches and low-lying countries. The unpredictability of weather patterns is also highlighted as a current issue, with the author, a long-time resident of Brisbane, Australia, attesting to the increasing difficulty of forecasting weather due to climate change. The article concludes with a call to action, emphasizing that humanity must adapt to these new conditions to avoid extinction.

Opinions

The author is worried about climate change rather than scared, primarily for the impact it will have on their grandson's generation.
There is a belief that scientists are accurate in their warnings about global warming and its consequences, such as melting glaciers and rising sea levels.
The author points out the unpredictability of weather patterns as a significant concern, using personal experience in Brisbane to illustrate the drastic changes observed.
The article suggests that the human race is at risk of extinction if it fails to adapt to the changing climate conditions.
There is a sense of urgency in the author's message, tagging a group identified as "Keeley's clan" to presumably engage them in the discussion or call them to action on the issue of climate change.

22. Does Climate Change Scare You?

I’m not sure that scared is the right word. I’m not scared but I am worried for my grandson. Scientists tell us the earth is heating up. The evidence is that some glaciers that have been rivers of ice for a very long time are now melting and if this trend continues and the ice caps shrink and melt, all that extra water has to go somewhere. The ocean level will rise and every beach will be obliterated as well as many low-lying countries.

It’s not just the earth’s increase in temperature that future generations will be concerned with — it’s the complete unpredictability of the weather patterns. That’s already happening in Australia. I’ve lived in Brisbane for the past forty years and I used to be able to predict the daily weather quite well. Now, I’ll be honest — I haven’t got a clue.

After an extremely hot humid day, we could expect a late afternoon thunderstorm. Last week, a cold front came through — yeah I know — the maximum temperature dropped at least 10C on that of the day before. And that afternoon, we had the worst thunderstorm of the whole summer! I’d told everyone we wouldn’t get a storm — it was too cold!

Today, rain was predicted all day — we got three spots, maybe four. No one knows what the weather will be — not even the meteorologists.

One thing is for sure — the human race has to be able to adapt to the new conditions or we will suffer the fate of the dinosaurs — yes, extinction.