Global Warming: The Devastating Effects of Climate Change - Essay Sample

Introduction

Global warming is one of the most devastating environmental effects that has negatively influenced the way of life. It is rereferred to the long-term increases in the average temperature of the world's climate system. Global warming is a primary aspect t of climate change, the researchers have demonstrated the effect through a rise in premature and measurement of other effects. Climate change and global warming are commonly used interchangeably. However, global warming is more concern with human activities that leads to a change in earth's average temperature (Sigei, 2020).

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In contrast, climate change comprises of global warming as well as its effects like trends in precipitation. In East Africa, many human activities have led to climate change; these human-induced actors have led to an adverse change in environmental factors. Increased use of greenhouse is one of the leading factors influencing to climate change (Tesfahunegn, Mekonen & Tekle, 2016). This article describes the relationship between climate change the infection of locust in East Africa; the main focus is to identify if the plague of locusts occurring in the region has something to do with climate change.

Climate change occurs as a result of rising in the temperature of global surface contributing to increased periods of droughts, rise in the intensity of storms and a general change in the usual annual seasons. A plague of a swarm of locust that has recently affected east Africa is significantly related to climate change. Some of the human activities have made the circulation of oceanic patterns to drastically change triggering an unusual confluence of natural events causing the infestation of locust.

East Africa is facing a crisis of locust infestation, the swarm of the locust is rapidly spreading across the regions with East Africa, including dry parts such as most parts of Somalia, northeastern Kenya and South Sudan. Even though the area has faced locust infestation for several times in history, the current trends on locust are overwhelming, and this is because of the rising change in temperatures or climate change that influence some climatic factors to change causing the phenomenon (Stone, 2020). Most of the reports have affirmed that the current infestation of is linked to climate change, to be specific the researchers have indicated that the current experience has been made worse because of the unusual storms and heavy rains in The East Africa regions (Stone, 2020). The change in heavy rains and storms is a result of climate change which is associated with the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD). It is the climatic system that influences change in weather from the region to western Australia. According to World Meteorological Organization, 2020, the swarm of locust arrived in the horn of Africa towards the end of summer 2019, which they originated from the Arabian desert where the climatic conditions had allowed them to multiply to 8,000-fold (Bhalla, 2020). For several months the plague of locust has been stretching for miles in length and breadth, and they have blighted East Africa.

The history of locust in the region has indicated that there was a considerate rise in the current outbreak with Kenya reporting that it is the most massive swarm experienced for 70 years and 25 years in both Ethiopia and Somalia (Williams, 2020). It is therefore clear that climate change has led to this trend. Desert locust biology plays a significant role in understanding their relationship with climate change. Biologically desert locust is known to be biphasic organisms. It describes that they can take entirely two different forms, they exhibit various features at the solitary form and in the gregarious form (Cressman, 2015). As a result of the increase in moisture, there was a lush of increase in vegetation, therefore, attracting breading and development suites for desert locusts.

Climate change led to a change in rainfall pattern and usual growth of vegetation encouraging optimal environment for locust. On reaching high numbers, desert locust turns into gregarious from in certain regions. Upon moving from peninsula to horn of Africa hunting for vegetation, they were encouraged by unusual wet conditions which were followed by more cyclones allowing them to grow into more enormous swarms beyond the control of the local governments. It is reported that East Africa faced frequent cyclones as a result of climate change, the amount of rainfall between October and November 2019 in the horn of Africa was 300% beyond average (World Meteorological Organization, 2020). Kenya reported up to 400% higher amount of precipitation above average. In general, East Africa was faced with eight cyclones in the year 2019 (World Meteorological Organization, 2020). Climate change has, therefore led to a chain of climatic related events shifting from atmospheric conditions to heavy rains and eventually swarms of locust (Stone, 2020).

Conclusion

Locust destroys vegetation which is one of the essential elements in human's life. Each of them can eat to its weight or an average of two grams a day. If multiple with the millions of locust infestation, it can lead to loss of tones of crops within a short period. The impacts of climate change and locust infection in the East African region has, therefore led to famine and other climatic related problems. Climate change has led to floods and displacement of people. Controlling the impacts of climate change is expensive, for instance, to contain locust in regions of East Africa is expensive considering that the countries within the horn of Africa are among the developing countries in the world. It affects agriculture and economic development within the regions.

References

Bhalla, N. (2020). Climate change linked to African locust invasion. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-climate-locusts/climate-change-linked-to-african-locust-invasion-idUSKBN1ZS2HX

Cressman, K. (2015). Desert Locust Information Service. Retrieved March 9. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Keith_Cressman/publication/282604865_Desert_Locust_Information_Service/links/563b3f0208ae45b5d285cbcd/Desert-Locust-Information-Service.pdf

Reuters. (2020). Climate change linked to African locust invasion. Available at: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/Climate-change-linked-to-african-locust-invasion/4552908-5439280-ak4igqz/index.html

Sigei, J. (2020). Locust invasion of cooler areas linked to climate change: expert. Available at: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/Invasion-of-cooler-areas-linked-to-climate-change/4552908-5473244-13190nf/index.html

Stone, M. (2020). A plague of locusts has descended on East Africa. Climate change may be to blame. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/locust-plague-climate-science-east-africa/

Tesfahunegn, G. B., Mekonen, K., & Tekle, A. (2016). Farmers' perception on causes, indicators and determinants of climate change in northern Ethiopia: Implication for developing adaptation strategies. Applied Geography, 73, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.05.009

Williams, W. (2020). Locusts & climate change in Africa. Available at: https://triblive.com/opinion/walter-williams-locusts-climate-change-in-africa/

World Meteorological Organization. (2020). Heavy rains contribute to desert locust crisis in East Africa. Available at: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/heavy-rains-contribute-desert-locust-crisis-east-africa