We live on a planet that is warming
By: Dra. Nélida Barajas Acosta, CEDO Intercultural Executive Director
Puerto Peñasco woke up to rains and strong winds, and hurricane Nora is not even here yet. This is in addition to the monsoon season that brought the rain from the Gulf of California to the heart of the Arizona-Sonora Desert in recent weeks and has caused serious flooding in our sister city of Tucson”, warned Nélida Barajas Acosta, executive director of the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO).
“Although in recent years we have been experiencing unusual situations such as floods in Europe, and numerous extreme hydro-meteorological events (floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and landslides) that impact the planet, this week, the announcement that the trajectory of Hurricane “Nora” could impact the northern and upper Gulf of California shouldn’t take us by surprise, ” Dr. Barajas said.
The Director of CEDO pointed out that, a few days ago she was reading with concern the findings of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC[1]), where a group of scientists provided evidence that the effects of climate change will be much more shocking and irreversible than had previously been predicted and that it is essential to make transformative changes in the way we live to avoid a planetary collapse.
“We live on a planet that is getting warmer, is showing higher temperatures, more energy in the earth’s systems, higher temperatures in the water, and the air and ocean increase the possibility of evaporation and, therefore, of cloud formation that can lead to an increase in the intensity, duration and / or frequency of rainfall”, she added.
Nélida Barajas said that “oceans are heating up, polar caps are melting, oceans acidify, rise and change their physicochemical conditions, affecting us not only directly with these extraordinary hydrometeorological events, but also impacting biodiversity including species such as fish and shellfish that are the main source of protein and of employment, income, and way of life for many communities in the world”.
[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/
“Act today and protect yourself today. Please take the necessary measures to avoid unfortunate situations. Don’t take chances, avoid river beds (although dry today, they can suddenly fill with water), check beach conditions before visiting, follow the authorities’ instructions”. Let’s continue to take care of ourselves in these times of COVID,” she concluded.
About the Author:
Executive Director of Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans.
I am a passionate and committed conservationist, mother of three wonderful people, biologist from UNAM, Master of Science from CIMAV and Doctor in philosophia from UACH. My professional experience includes research, regulatory management, environmental education, political science interface and complex systems.
I have directed numerous national and international projects with WWF, TNC, CFE, GIZ, advised international cooperators and as a public servant in the Federal Government. I participated in the coordination of substantive issues of COP-13 of the CBD; I was a Specialist in the United Nations system; and Coordinator of the First IUCN Mexican Forum with the Mexican Committee.
My commitment is to work every day on global challenges to build a world where people respect and protect biodiversity, and recognize that the environmental goods and services that they provide us are fundamental to living in harmony with nature and building equitable societies.
Leave a Reply
