As evident from the past few years, communities worldwide have experienced climate change to its fullest extent. At this point, what was once an overlooked issue has now become prevalent in our everyday lives.

In Sept. 2020, residents of the Foothills area of Arcadia received an urgent notice: Prepare for evacuation. Overnight, the Bobcat fire had grown from a small blaze to a snaking serpent that spanned the entirety of the mountains overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. Fueled by dry shrubs and even more arid conditions, the Bobcat Fire progressed rapidly and dangerously, putting property and lives at risk.

Two and a half years later, the same residents, and many more, received a flash flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in the face of record-setting torrential storms blasting through the area, a bout of extreme weather that killed at least 21 people throughout California earlier this month. 

When barraged by copious amounts of rain, soil has the potential to oversaturate, leading to water running across, instead of into, the ground. The precipitation brought little respite from the extended dry spell, an unfortunate consequence of runoff mismanagement. The disasters also added to the list of extreme weather jargon now familiar to Southern Californians, with “bomb cyclone” and “atmospheric river” among the bulk of them. 

From scorching summers to waterlogged winters, the dichotomy is an unmistakable warning. Climate change, in all of its forms, is a dangerous threat. Not only our local communities, cities, and countries, but to our entire world. 

Greenhouse gasses, those noxious emissions we have been hearing so much about lately, are responsible for trapping heat within the atmosphere. More heat means more water vapor getting trapped in that in-between space. Eventually, that heat and moisture creates changes in wind and precipitation patterns. Global weather patterns shift drastically as a result of these misplaced clouds, with certain places receiving far more rain than others.

“California normally has rainy winters but the warming air in our atmosphere is now absorbing incredible amounts of moisture that ends up getting dumped into places like the San Gabriel Valley,” said AP Environmental Science teacher Mr. Carlos Carranza. “What worries me is that we’ve covered most of this land with concrete and suburbs. We’re left with so little soil on the ground to absorb water that large storms can easily cause flooding and risk of mudslides.”

To that end, in Arcadia, the extreme weather conditions of unbearable hot periods followed by the recent heavy rain is a sign that the Earth’s temperature is increasing as a whole. According to the Indicators of Climate Change in California report, the annual average air temperatures have increased by around 2.5 degrees since 1895, and have been warming at a faster rate since the 1980s. Not to mention, since climate change strengthens the likelihood of wetter and more intense storms, the California showers that have taken locals by surprise are no part of the expected routine.

“In California, the snow peaks that we rely on for water are not forming as often, due to it getting warmer. Over in the Pacific, the warmer air can carry more moisture which eventually ends up in California,” stated Mr. Carranza. 

From a global perspective, different parts of the world face two temperature alterations—either being colder or hotter than usual conditions. Each rapid fluctuation influences the various climates in unique ways, ultimately developing to the Earth’s current state. This is one of the key steps to noticing that global warming is more present than ever, and so far, what humans have done to try and stop it has not been enough. 

True, governments around the world have been far from complacent against this oncoming climate crisis. Since 1972, many nations have joined forces in a collective effort to protect Earth’s resources with the aid of international organizations such as the UN, such as reducing the production and emission of ozone-depleting substances through the 1987 Montreal Protocol, and formally tracking and holding each other accountable for reducing carbon emissions through the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

However, despite decades of progress, action against climate change continues to fall short, especially because climate change still isn’t prioritized as a policy item, despite impacting millions around the globe. At COP27, member nations agreed to establish mutual aid for countries struggling with climate change, but stopped short of committing to cutting emissions further. Just a month after signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which promoted the use of green energy, President Biden also authorized the release of 15 million barrels of oil from American reserves in response to the global energy crisis.

In fact, the Environmental Perspective to the Year 2000 and Beyond, the first-ever UN document advising international action to achieve sustainable development, was not adopted with a focus on climate change, but rather, on energy, under which climate change was marked as a secondary issue.

As governments around the world continue to hobble forward in a collaborative effort against climate change, goals for cutting carbon emissions by 2030 – as much as 45% to 50% in certain countries – continue to remain elusive. So how can we, as regular citizens, help to enact change in our everyday lives? 

While the average person may not have the power to end practices like fossil fuel consumption, there are still ways we can contribute to the well-being of our planet. Electricity and heat, for instance, are primarily powered by oil, gas, and coal. By switching to energy-efficient power sources (such as LEDs), you can reduce your carbon footprint dramatically. Walking and biking also reduces CO2 emissions, as does switching to an electric vehicle. Simply throwing away less food prevents landfill overcrowding (rotting food produces methane, a greenhouse gas). And if you’re willing to make a more substantial lifestyle change, going vegetarian is also a great idea, as plant-based food production is much more efficient than the production of meat and dairy.

Given the oft-repeated warnings that time is running out for Planet Earth, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the looming threat of climate change. But through campaigning for preventative action and making simple changes to everyday life, we can combat, if not entirely undo, the damage inflicted upon our environment. We all must take collective action. It isn’t too late for our planet. Not yet.

Graphic courtesy of LAURYN CHAO