No Way Out: The Terrifying Reality of Climate Change

Over the past several decades, we’ve seen our planet deteriorate before our eyes; from mercurial climate to melted polar ice caps, it’s clear to most that we’ve taken advantage of our planet. Despite this, some continue to chalk up the environmental crisis to unreliable models and exaggerated claims. Denial of this nature has prolonged our response to growing temperatures and set us further back in our attempts to repair our home. 

Perhaps you’re familiar with astronomical projects working to bring the human race to Mars; the Red Planet’s often considered our “backup” in the case that Earth becomes inhabitable. Despite having water in abundance millions of years ago, solar wind and radiation peeled away at the Martian atmosphere until it was rendered inhospitable for life. In this sense, scientists also use Mars as an example of what Earth has the potential to become: a barren, hostile celestial body. Visiting such an unfamiliar place in person would unlock countless new doors for human colonization (think transformed agriculture, new resources, economic prospects), aside from preventing human extinction. In reality, we have a long way to go before setting the first human on our planetary neighbor. Hundreds of million dollars have already been contributed to the cause, for plans spanning from rover landings to probe construction. For a trip estimated to take around seven months, the sheer distance between us poses a challenge on its own. 

Climate change has only managed to make matters worse; the average temperature on Earth has increased noticeably compared to pre-industrial times, and this takes an evident toll on advanced observatories and their ability to gather high quality data. Telescopes and other imaging systems require a significant period of cooldown, actively shortening as a direct reaction to climate climbs. Unfinished cooling routines result in blurry images, impacting the quality and accuracy of our visual observations (making all the difference in astronomical studies). The consequences of measurements even slightly off the mark are catastrophic, ranging anywhere from future crash landings and billions of dollars wasted to lives being lost. 

So, what now? If the effects of the climate crisis are already breaching our escape plan, do we have any way out? 

To some extent, we have reached a point of no return in the state of our planet; extinctions of two dozen species occurred in 2019 alone. Take a look at our society in itself and you’ll see why: we unknowingly do more damage than good with most daily decisions, whether  it be trashing recyclable material or contributing to light pollution from our homes. View this on an industrial scale and you’ll see dire conditions affecting all life forms. Although the issue of sustainability is only now beginning to enter mainstream media, it’s not too late to incite noticeable change -- this growing awareness will undoubtedly transform our state of affairs and allow us to stay on Earth for years to come.