See How Climate Change Affects the Planet

Inspiring Page - See How Climate Change Affects the Planet. Whether you think that climate change is a valid hoax or scientific phenomenon, it can not be denied that our planet is changing. From desertification and glacial melt to wildfires raging, things that preserve the planet as a whole do not look too great.

Take a look at the photos we've collected. Though they paint a pretty bleak picture, all hope is not lost. Some photos at the end of the slideshow will tell you more about it, but for the moment, scroll through these beautiful but heartbreaking photos, and read about how climate change is affecting the Earth.

#1. Smoky Fog at Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing. Smoky haze, or haze of smoke, visible air pollution caused by various pollutants. In Los Angeles, this is caused by vehicle and industrial emissions. In India, agricultural burning and road dust exacerbate pollution from vehicle emissions. In China, rapid industrialization in the country, dependence on coal, and more and more people owning and driving all contribute to smog.

Smog is not only harming the planet; It's also a health risk. Senior citizens, children, and people with liver and lung conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma are all at risk.
Above: An elderly man walks in front of a group of people during a thick smoke at the garden of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in 2016. More than five days of low visibility resulted in hundreds of flights being canceled and road and train transportation stopped.
#2. Extreme Flooding in Houston, Texas. Extreme weather patterns are dangerous and scary, causing people around the world to lose their property and even their lives. The year 2017 sees more than a fair share of such weather - including Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Jose - making it the second and most deadly storm season since 1900, according to Time.

According to a study released in December 2017, Hurricane Harvey rainfall is between 15 percent and 38 percent higher than expected if we do not experience global warming. Thanks to climate change, the storms mentioned above are becoming less frequent.
Above: A car was pulled from the flooded road in Houston, Texas in August 2017 after Hurricane Harvey.
#3. Fracking in Loveland, Colorado. A hydraulic fracture, colloquially known as fracking, is the process of drilling thousands of feet to the earth before pumping in water, sand, and even toxic chemicals at high pressure to force natural gas out.
Top: Large fracking operation in Loveland, Colorado in December 2017, with Mount Meeker and Longs Peak looming in the background.
#4. Is Fracking the Cause of Climate Change? While fracking has been credited with driving up gas prices in the United States, it also raises environmental concerns. For one, using a lot of water, which in addition to disposing water also means the company must carry water, which has monetary and environmental costs. Other concerns include chemicals - which are pumped into Earth rock - out and contaminated ground water, tremor caused by drilling, and increase our dependence on fossil fuels.
Above: Anti-fray protesters held a demonstration near the United Nations headquarters in New York City in 2014.
#5. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Burning one gallon of gasoline produces about 8,887 grams of carbon dioxide, while a gallon of diesel generates about 10,180 grams, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Adds to the staggering amount generated by other activities directly related to humans (deforestation, clearing, agriculture), and that's a lot of CO2. Who cares? Well, all the extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere generates more heat trapped by the atmosphere, causing the planet to become warmer and warmer. (Hello, climate change.)
Above: Independence Day travelers drive on Interstate 80 in California in 2015.
#6. Desertification is a kind of land degradation that occurs during drought, deforestation, or agriculture causing fertile soil to be a desert. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, desertification reduces soil fertility and vegetative productivity, leading to declining agricultural and livestock yields, and a decline in plant biodiversity.
Above: Taken in September 2017, these swamps in Spain hold less than half the water they can save when the country exposes the worst possible drought in 20 years.
#7. Cattle Ranching. Livestock cultivation not only contributes to deforestation when land is burned and cleared to enlarge livestock, but livestock-endued methane harm the ozone. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, livestock production accounts for approximately 35 percent of total anthropogenic methane emissions (related or produced by human influences).
Above: A forest near Rio Branco in Brazil burned to enlarge livestock farms. Since 2011, nearly one million hectares of Brazilian rainforest land has been cleared. Despite Save the Rainforest campaigns that stop destructions for a decade or more, agribusiness once again threatens the area.
#8. Worsening Droughts. Although drought may be caused by a number of different factors, scientists believe that extreme drought is closely related to climate change and global temperature rise, according to the Climate Reality Project. A study released earlier this year in the journal Nature found that "terrestrial ecosystems are recovering from drought in the 20th century, and incomplete drought recovery may be new in some areas, possibly leading to tree deaths and increased greenhouse emissions gas. "
Above: These dead trees are photographed in the Mongolian Gobi Desert in October 2017.
#9. California Bone-Dry. From 2011-17, California experienced one of the worst recorded droughts. In fact, the 2011-14 period is the driest in California history, since records began. Although the drought "ends" in early 2017, in December the country returns to prolonged dry weather.
Above: This "No Prefix on Duty" tag, which was photographed in March 2014, is posted in the dry part of Lake Folsom in Granite Bay, California. In 2014, California experienced a third year of drought conditions. Lake Folsom, located northeast of Sacramento, is only 20 percent full in photos.
#10. California's 2017 Wildfire Season. In California. By 2017, California has the deadliest recorded seasons. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, nearly 10,000 fires burned over one million hectares. In December, Santa Ana winds triggered the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes and businesses.
Above: In Montecito, California, the wind is blowing from the trees burning from the deadly fires, due to Thomas's fourth fire since the recording began in 1932. The fire grew to 400 square miles and destroyed more than 1,000 structures since the beginning of December 4 .
#11. Northern California is on Fire. Before the Thomas fire in December, about 250 forest fires occurred in October in Northern California. Known as the Northern California storm, the fire engulfed the wine country, killing more than 40 people and destroying 8,900 buildings. Fire insurance claims reached more than $ 9 billion. While preliminary reports suggest that falling power lines may be wrong, with such dry weather, virtually anything could cause an initial fire, The New Yorker reported.
Above: Terror is roaring into the neighborhood of Coffey Park Park and Orchard Mobile Home Park in Santa Rosa, California.
#12. Melting Glacier. "Things that usually occur in geological time occur during the lifespan of a human being," Daniel Fagre of U.S. Geological Survey's Global Change Research Program. told National Geographic. Why is that a problem? Melting glaciers caused global sea levels to rise at an alarming rate, threatening coastal cities, destroying cultural traditions, and even causing seabed to descend. Unfortunately some scientists have determined that even a rapid and drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not enough to save us.
Above: Float ice in Los Glaciares National Park in 2015. The majority of glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park, part of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field located in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, have retreated due to warming temperatures.
#13. Melting Moulin. A moulin is a kind of glacial dump. Thanks to the same rising temperatures that are responsible for the problems mentioned earlier in the slideshow, moulins help raise the sea level. How? As the ice melts, it flows through the moulin, carrying water under the ice. It lubricates the glacial ice sheet, which can help the entire sheet to flow into the ocean, according to NPR.
Above: This water-filled moulin is found on the Matanuska Glacier in Southcentral Alaska.
#14. Reduce Climate Change Rate by Using Wind Energy as in Kern County, California. Most of us have heard of wind farming, at least in the abstract, but what does that mean? It's wind; how do you cultivate the air? Well, according to the Department of Energy, "a wind turbine works in opposition to a fan instead of using wind-generating electricity, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to generate electricity.The wind rotates the propeller, which rotates the shaft, which is connected to the generator and make electricity. "Great. Except, how exactly is that useful, and how to help mitigate climate change?

Using wind energy, as opposed to coal and other harmful sources, helps us reduce emissions and lower our carbon footprint, both of which are critical to slowing climate change impacts.
Above: This wind turbine is part of the Tehachapi Pass wind farm, the first large-scale wind farm area developed in the United States. Located in Kern County, California.
#15. Reduce Climate Change Rate by Using Wave Energy as in Povoa de Varzim, Portugal. While wind and solar energy are both well known, you might think wave energy sounds like hippie crap. Not this one. It's actually pretty cool. A wave energy converter captures wave energy, which can be used to generate electricity and desalinate water.
Above: A worker ties a Portuguese flag to an offshore power generator based on wave power near Povoa de Varzim, Portugal, in 2008. Portugal has a wave energy farm that uses a floating tube that swings the pumping hydraulic fluid to drive the generator.

Also Read: 5 Best Inspirational Quotes About Bali

So. How about you? Have you been prepared for the climate change that has taken place? Immediately start using renewable energy every day. Reduce the use of plastic materials, and follow with the recycling of plastic materials into items that are useful for your life every day. Face climate change wisely. Nature and the earth belong to us together. Take care.