How Climate Change Destroys Christmas

*Image Source: Pixabay

Christmas is a celebration that bonds families together. People envision Christmas with snowy scenes in places like New Orleans. Even if families in the Southern Hemisphere who never see a white Christmas, each place looks forward towards its traditions.

However, climate change is endangering many features of this present generation’s celebrations. Here are some things that people love that are being endangered:

Christmas Trees

Shifts in temperatures, as well as changes in the level of moisture brought about by climate change, are not cooperative with America’s Christmas tree crops. In the Northeast, these holiday staples are being destroyed by increased flooding in summer and warmer temperatures in late winter. In the Midwest, these crops are being damaged by late-summer droughts that are increased by warmer winter temperatures.

Christmas shoppers might opt for artificial trees. However, these artificial trees emit 60 times more greenhouse gasses compared to a seven-foot-high real tree. This is according to Clint Springer, a plant biologist.

Reindeer

The declining population of caribou, Rangifer tarandus, in North America and reindeer in Eurasia, is brought about by the increase in Arctic temperatures that also alters the landscape. Nature Climate Change published a study about climate changes over the past 21,000 years affected how the animals spread around the North. This resulted in the isolation of populations that also permitted others to interbreed. The increase in the Arctic’s temperature will result in a more restricted distribution of the animals. As this population moves further in the Arctic’s southern regions, there is the probability of the habitat to even die out.

Coffee

One of the amazing Christmas gifts a person can have is coffee. However, this is threatened by the human-related emission activities as well as emissions from deforestation and pests that live in hotter temperatures. Starbucks, this giant in selling coffee, is taking the lead in using less energy and water. Further, it has announced that all new retail stores will be guided by the standards of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Decreasing emissions and protecting the resources used to create coffee will protect coffee plantations.

White Christmas

A snowy Christmas environment becomes less possible for the United States and there will be a rarity of traditional scenes. The Northern Hemisphere had a great decline in snow cover and sea ice between 1966 and 2010, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Christmases of future generations will be largely affected by climate change. Not only will aesthetics be affected due to “less” snow, it will also affect how the planet is kept cool. Snow reflects the energy of the Sun into space. Snow also provides water for communities downstream. It also disrupts the water cycle.

Climate change is a real issue that needs to be addressed by every human being. After all, we all live in one earth.