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Many people are skeptical that climate change is even occurring on our beautiful planet. Some places worldwide feel its effects through increased temperatures, which is desirable to some. However, many other places, like the lovely island Fiji, are suffering from the effects of climate change. A Youtube video, “Climate Change Fiji,” posted by the user UN Climate Change describes the terrible circumstances faced by civilians who are forced to flee their homes due to rising sea levels (www#1). The loss of beach shores has resulted in a drastic decrease in marine life and land species who rely on coastal areas to survive. According to an article posted by author Sarah Taylor, to the site EuroNews, titled “Fiji prepares for ‘Climate Refugees’,” since the 19th century, sea levels have risen by around 25 centimeters worldwide (www#2). This rise in sea levels is attributed to the seemingly neverending rise of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere. Another Youtube video, “Climate Change and Fiji,” posted by the user COP23fj emphasizes that Fiji is only one of many other Pacific Islands to be battling climate change (www#3). However, Fijians have taken the lead as the spokespeople for all Pacific Islanders to feel protected and not neglected. 

These negative biological implications seem to occur in other places around the world, right? Wrong. Our very own city, San Diego, has been facing and will continue to tackle the negative effects of climate change. A typed interview conducted by the Environmental Health Coalition with Kayla Race exemplifies the many ways climate change appears in our communities, including prolonged heat waves, more intense wildfires, increased water costs, and disruptions on electricity (www#4). My family and I have personally been affected by the increased water (and energy) costs and the interruptions on our electricity. We don’t use our AC system and rely on fans for a cool down from our heatwave, yet are charged more than during the year and face blackouts quite often. A video posted in 2017 by the San Diego Union-Tribune, explains the differences between catastrophic and existential climate change (www#5). Catastrophic damage is survivable by humans, while existential climate change threatens the immediate safety of humans. Many still do not believe that these repercussions are created by car emissions into the air, affecting our atmosphere. These effects appear not only in San Diego and Fiji, but all over the world. The loss of sea ice, increased sea levels, and intensified heatwaves not only affect coastal places, like the ones I mentioned (www#6). Sadly, these factors will eventually be seen and experienced by people all over the world. My fear is that by then, we might be too late.