Climate Change Warning: Hans Ahlmann (May 30, 1947)

The US state of California has been facing a severe drought for three years , which has resulted in water usage restrictions as of June 1, 2022. Wetlands are drying up beyond the danger limit.

If California were a country, it would be the world's 5th largest economy , ahead of India and England. Such an economy is facing serious problems in its agricultural economy due to lack of water. We read news that some fish species are on the verge of extinction in some lakes and rivers in California.

Climate change is felt differently in different parts of the world. While some parts of the world experience extreme cold, other parts experience extreme heat. However, the root of the problem is global warming. Because the global average temperature is rising.

The aim of the measures against global warming is to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial revolutions. Some scientific studies state that it is very difficult to keep the increase at this limit.

One of the most important negative effects of warming is seen in coral reefs. Coral reefs are home to 1/3 of multicellular marine organisms . Studies show that between 30% and 50% of coral reefs have been destroyed since 1980 due to the increase in water temperatures. In other words, the life source of a significant portion of marine organisms is disappearing.

How possible is it to relate every environmental problem to global climate change? The answer to that lies with climate scientists. However, from what I have read, the answer is very complex.

Scientific studies on climate change and its effects are reported by many scientifically qualified national and international institutions, including the United Nations.

One of the most important effects of climate change is the melting of the ice in the North Pole. As a result of the melting, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the USA, Canada and Denmark, as the owner of Greenland , claim the oil and natural gas reserves in the North Pole. They are after extracting fossil-based energy sources, which are the main cause of climate change, from the depths of the sea for economic benefit.

The world has not just learned about the melting of glaciers. I took a look at the news articles of The New York Times newspaper since 1900 on the subject. I came across one of the news articles that bears the closest resemblance to today’s news on May 30, 1947. There may be more comprehensive news than I found. However, I found the news article dated May 30, 1947 meaningful and “current.”

Hans Ahlmann, a geographer at Stockholm University, says that the ice caps in the North Pole are melting and that this is a serious international problem. He says that the average temperature in the North Pole has increased by 10°F since 1900. He explains that the melting of the ice caps will cause sea levels to rise. He emphasizes that if the rise in sea levels continues at the same rate, it will have devastating effects and the coasts of low-lying countries will be flooded.

Source: The New York Times archive.

Ahlmann explains that some small lakes in the West African region have disappeared, while larger ones are drying up. He says that a lake like Lake Victoria, whose shores lie in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, is losing water levels. He warns that an international institution needs to be established on the subject “urgently”.

In 1910, it was only possible to navigate the coast of Spitsbergen, which is on the coast of the North Pole, by sea for 3 months, but in 1947 this period was increased to 10 months. In other words, the period during which the sea was covered with ice decreased.

If we were to write Ahlmann's statements as if they were quoted from another scientist as of 2022, I think no one would understand that the date of a newspaper article dated May 30, 1947 was changed. The content of the article is no different from a climate change article from 2022, except for the scientific data.

We have learned from various sources that some companies that make profits from fossil-based energy sources were aware of global climate change in the 1970s. They may have been aware of it much earlier.

The world is trying to combat climate change. There are obstacles in the way of organizations that want to combat it. Chief among these obstacles are fossil-based energy companies that lobby against climate-related regulations. In the US, the energy companies in the top 5 stock markets spend $200 million a year on lobbying.

Social awareness is vital to the environment. Two-thirds of US citizens think the government should do more to address the climate. When you go deeper into this general idea, you come across ideological and class differences. Democrats and Republicans have very different perspectives on climate change, both in terms of their party cadres and their voters. When asked whether climate change is a result of human activities, 72% of Democrats say it is caused by human activities, while only 22% of Republicans say it is caused by human activities.

From the perspective of economics and sociology, it is of great importance to address the environmental issue as a class issue. Because, on an international level, poor countries buy the garbage of the rich for economic reasons. On a national level, facilities that are harmful to the environment and human health are generally built in neighborhoods where minorities and/or low-income groups live. The neighborhoods of Los Angeles that host Latin Americans are examples of this situation. Society views these experiences as “environmental racism.”

Turkey has been faced with countless environmental disasters in recent years. Mucilage in the Marmara Sea, the plundered coastlines of the Mediterranean and Aegean, the Ergene River , etc. The environment is a mirror of the perspective on economic order in Turkey, as in many parts of the world. However, some countries have managed to raise social awareness to a certain level, albeit slowly.

There is a ministry in Turkey that deals with climate change: the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey. When you enter the organizational chart of the ministry, you see a link with the title of Climate Change Presidency. You want to learn what Turkey is doing against climate change. You click on the link and the organizational chart appears again. Does the ministry have climate change in its name? It does. Is there a presidency responsible for climate change? Yes. What's in it? Empty!

Special note: This article was not written by an environmental expert naturalist or an environmental economist. I am not an expert in any field of environmental issues. However, as a world citizen, I have to be sensitive about the environment. I have to contribute to social awareness by first raising my own awareness. This article was written by someone who is trying to catch this awareness and keep it alive. Rivers, fish, trees, poor people, birds have no more time or tolerance for social unconsciousness.