How Rising Temperatures Are Threatening Our World

Alright, so we’ve all heard about climate change, right? It’s the thing that's ruining your summer holidays, making you cancel that beach trip because either it’s too scorching to survive, or the sea has risen and decided to claim the coastline. This is no longer just the scientists waving their arms frantically from some obscure lab—now it's all of us sweating our socks off, watching glaciers melt like cheap ice cream on a hot pavement. And the latest warnings from Mexico aren't exactly comforting either.

A chap by the name of Francisco Estrada Porrúa—coordinator of the Climate Change Research Program at UNAM (that’s the National Autonomous University of Mexico, by the way)—has said that we’re in for a rough ride. And this isn’t just a "put on some sunblock and keep calm" kind of situation. We’re talking apocalyptic thunderstorms, droughts that could turn your lawn into something out of Mad Max, and heat waves that will make you feel like a rotisserie chicken.

He’s warning that the climate is becoming more extreme and far less predictable. It’s like nature is playing roulette with our lives, and guess what? The house always wins. According to Porrúa, it's not just these Hollywood-style disasters we should be worried about. There's also the slow-burn stuff—like the gradual increase in global temperatures, desertification, and biodiversity loss. You know, the kind of creeping dread that we tend to ignore because it’s not sexy enough for the 24-hour news cycle.

The bottom line is, we’re losing a lot more than cool summers and polar bears. The losses we’re talking about here are economic and social, the kind that make your wallet shriek in agony. Imagine agriculture on its knees, the economy sinking like the Titanic, and entire communities packing up and moving because, well, there's nothing left for them. If you think the world’s current refugee situation is bad, just wait until climate change kicks it into high gear.

Estrada Porrúa isn’t the only one ringing the bell. José Manuel Saniger Blesa—Secretary of Research and Development—echoed these concerns, saying we need to act as if our lives depend on it. Because guess what? They actually do. Climate change is a "perfectly intertwined" mess, blending environmental disasters, social upheaval, and economic catastrophes in one neat little package, like a surprise gift no one wanted.

This, Saniger Blesa says, demands answers from science. But here's the thing: science doesn’t have all the answers yet. It's a bit like driving a fast car with dodgy brakes—sure, you can steer for a while, but at some point, you're going to need to stop. And right now, we’re still trying to figure out how not to crash. But one thing's for sure, we need to work hand-in-hand with governments, academia, and society. And not just for the usual long-winded discussions that lead to nothing. No, this time, we need solutions. Real ones. Ones that don’t just look good in a PowerPoint presentation.

This year, Mexico's climate change research program celebrated its 14th year, and the National Congress on Climate Change Research is in full swing. It’s basically a big climate change shindig, with universities, scientists, and nations gathering together to talk about how bad things are, and more importantly, how much worse they could get. Seven countries were there, plus three Mexican states and 28 universities. They all discussed the state of our planet as it slowly transforms into something unrecognizable. Climate change is like that horror movie villain that keeps coming back stronger every time you think it’s been defeated.

In one talk, José Luis Samaniego Leyva, a bigwig from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, pointed out that Mexico has made some strides in reducing its carbon footprint. But don’t pop the champagne just yet—those strides are baby steps at best. In 2020, Mexico pumped 716 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The year after that? 714. A whole two tons lighter. It’s like boasting about losing weight after switching to diet cola while still eating double cheeseburgers for every meal. Sure, you’ve cut down a bit, but you’re still hurtling towards a heart attack.

And let's talk about Mexico’s environmental vulnerabilities. Hydrometeorological events—those storms, droughts, and floods—caused damages amounting to over 26 billion pesos in 2020. Add to that the fact that almost half of Mexico's mangroves and cloud forests have been lost, and you start to see just how bad things are getting. We’re not just killing off a few trees here; we’re systematically wiping out entire ecosystems.

What about solutions, you ask? Well, according to Samaniego Leyva, we’ve got some ideas, and they’re as varied as they are necessary. First up: fire management. Because, believe it or not, Mexico’s forests are basically bonfires waiting to happen, with nearly 6,000 fires recorded in 2020 alone. Then there’s livestock. Cows, as we all know, are part of the problem. The methane they belch out isn’t helping matters. So, we need alternative ways to manage livestock and restore the forests. And no, putting cows on a diet won’t solve it.

We need to create new protected areas, boost "blue carbon" (that’s carbon stored in coastal ecosystems, if you didn’t know), and promote remote work and better rail transport. Oh, and let’s not forget the circular economy—because we need to recycle our way out of this mess as much as possible.

It all sounds great on paper, doesn’t it? But let’s be real: this is a massive task. One that requires global cooperation and actual follow-through. Right now, the climate situation is akin to a massive oil tanker heading for an iceberg. The question is, can we turn the wheel fast enough to avoid disaster? Or are we all just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

What’s clear is that the climate apocalypse is no longer a far-off possibility. It’s happening now, in real time, and unless we get serious about tackling it, we’re in for a wild—and likely very bumpy—ride.