Climate change

NPR - The planet has warmed about 1.3 degrees Celsius, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Communities are already experiencing more severe storms, flooding, and heatwaves. Scientists warn that when the planet heats up beyond 1.5 degrees, there could be massive, self-reinforcing changes that could have devastating impacts worldwide. These changes are sometimes referred to as climate tipping points. They can unfold over decades or centuries and may be partially reversible. But they all have enormous and lasting implications for life on Earth. Here are some of the most important and well-studied changes:

💧 Coral reefs have been dying around the globe. They are very sensitive to heat, and their loss would destabilize many countries. Numerous people rely on them for food, income and livelihoods. Marine life that can only be found on these reefs would be at risk of extinction.
💧 Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could melt and result in the rise of sea levels around the world.
💧 Permanently frozen ground in the Arctic is thawing, which can cause the land to sink, resulting in cracks in the foundations of buildings, buckling of roads and the kinking of pipelines.