{"id":18231,"date":"2017-10-30T14:29:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T19:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=18231"},"modified":"2026-03-13T15:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:10:13","slug":"a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"A real Halloween horror story: the five scariest aspects of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pixnio.com\/holidays\/halloween\/halloween-pumpkin-lamp-dark-holiday\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-18234 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-768x538.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-1024x717.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Halloween has arrived, and it\u2019s time once again for goblins, gremlins, and ghost stories.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s another threat brewing that\u2019s much more frightening \u2013 because it\u2019s real.<\/p>\n<p>An unrecognizable world is quickly creeping up on us as climate change progresses \u2013 and the anticipated impacts are enough to rattle anyone\u2019s skeleton.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five of the scariest aspects of climate change. Read on if you dare \u2026.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Extreme weather is becoming more extreme<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A changing climate paves the way for extreme weather events to live up to their name.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017 alone we saw fatal events worldwide, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <a href=\"http:\/\/www.climatecentral.org\/news\/heat-wave-india-whats-to-come-21342\">heat wave in India<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/apr\/20\/weve-never-seen-this-drought-this-disease-famine-looms-in-somalia\">most severe drought<\/a> in Somalian history<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/news\/article\/17-year-old-dies-of-burns-becomes-43rd-victim-of-12317178.php\">Devastating wildfires<\/a> in northern California<\/li>\n<li>An onslaught of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/25\/torrential-rains-and-violent-storm-surge-why-hurricane-impacts-are-getting-worse\">record-breaking hurricanes<\/a> in the Caribbean, U.S., and even Ireland<\/li>\n<li>Weeks of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/08\/29\/547078456\/floods-in-south-asia-have-killed-more-than-1-000-people-this-summer\">heavy rainfall and flooding<\/a> in Nepal, Bangladesh, and India<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The fingerprints of climate change can be found on each of these events.<\/p>\n<p>As global temperatures continue to rise, heat waves are expected to become more intense, frequent, and longer lasting.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists also predict that rainfall patterns will continue to shift, increasing regional risk for widespread drought and flooding.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18236\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18236\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Deerfire_high_res_edit.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18236\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/Deerfire_high_res_edit-1024x632.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/Deerfire_high_res_edit-1024x632.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/Deerfire_high_res_edit-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/Deerfire_high_res_edit-768x474.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/Deerfire_high_res_edit.jpg 1731w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Montana, 2002. Photo: U.S. Forest Service<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Drought conditions may also prompt wildfires to occur more frequently and within a longer fire season. The wildfire season in the western U.S. is already <a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/349\/6254\/1263.full\">weeks longer<\/a> than in previous years.<\/p>\n<p>Hurricanes are also influenced by climate change. Rising sea surface temperatures, a moister atmosphere, and changing atmospheric circulation patterns have the potential to increase hurricanes\u2019 power and travel paths.<\/p>\n<p>Extreme weather intensification impacts human health and development in many ways \u2013 extreme heat events directly generate health hazards such as heat stroke, while drought and wildfires threaten crop and ecosystem stability.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4952628\/hurricane-season-harvey-irma-jose-maria\/\">2017 hurricane season<\/a> has already demonstrated the shocking consequences of intensified hurricanes and flooding, with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria killing more than 150 people and causing as much as $300 billion in damages in the U.S. alone.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong> Tipping points loom in near future<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A particularly alarming facet of climate change is the threat of irreversible changes to climate conditions, called \u201ctipping elements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These components of the climate system earn their title from a possession of critical thresholds, or \u201ctipping points,\u201d beyond which a tiny change can dramatically alter the state of the system.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/blog\/2015\/05\/28\/6-climate-tipping-points-how-worried-should-we-be\">Many tipping elements<\/a> have been identified by scientists, and some may have already passed their critical threshold. For example, a vicious cycle of sea ice melt has already been triggered, leading scientists to predict that Arctic summers will be ice-free before mid-century.<\/p>\n<p>Imminent tipping points also exist for melting ice sheets, particularly those of Greenland and West Antarctica, where full ice sheet collapse could result in global sea level rise of up to 20 feet and 16 feet respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Coral reefs too are rapidly approaching a grave tipping point. Essential relationships between algae and corals begin to break down as ocean waters rise in temperature and acidity. Without stabilizing these changes, the majority of global <a href=\"https:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/2017\/06\/coral-reef-bleaching-global-warming-unesco-sites\/\">reef systems may collapse<\/a> before global temperatures reach a two-degree Celsuis warming threshold.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> Coastal communities battle sea level rise<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Sea level rise is one of the most visible impacts of climate change, as increased coastal erosion physically erases continental borders.<\/p>\n<p>As the climate warms, ocean waters expand and ice sheets and glaciers melt. Both factors contribute to a rising sea level at an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.climatecentral.org\/news\/study-reveals-acceleration-of-sea-level-rise-20055\">accelerating rate<\/a>. Communities in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/01\/10\/509176361\/alaskan-village-citing-climate-change-seeks-disaster-relief-in-order-to-relocate\">Alaska<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2016\/may\/10\/five-pacific-islands-lost-rising-seas-climate-change\">several<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/township-in-solomon-islands-is-1st-in-pacific-to-relocate-due-to-climate-change\/\">Pacific Islands<\/a> are already fleeing rising seas \u2013 relocating as their villages are engulfed and eroded.<\/p>\n<p>Rising sea levels also intensify damages from extreme weather events such as hurricanes. A higher sea level allows storm surges to grow in height and volume, exacerbating flooding and associated damages.<\/p>\n<p>As water levels continue to rise, more coastal communities will feel the consequences. Many major cities are located on coastlines, with almost <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/population.html\">40 percent of U.S. citizens<\/a> living in coastal cities.<\/p>\n<p>Protecting people from this creeping threat will be difficult and costly \u2013 as we\u2019ve already seen in the aftermath of coastal storms such as Superstorm Sandy.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong> Humans are nearing uncharted climate territory<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A globally averaged two-degree Celsius (or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming over preindustrial levels is the most widely suggested threshold we need to stay <a href=\"http:\/\/unfccc.int\/paris_agreement\/items\/9485.php\">\u201cwell\u201d below<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The threshold was first proposed by William Nordhaus in the 1970\u2019s, in part because of its historical significance \u2013 the human species has <em>never <\/em>lived during a time in which global temperatures were equivalent to two-degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.<\/p>\n<p>The unprecedented nature of this benchmark provided a foundation for alarm that carried the two-degrees Celsius value into political and scientific discussions for decades.<\/p>\n<p>In a changing climate, unprecedented events will become the norm.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, they already have.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"http:\/\/science.time.com\/2013\/08\/02\/infectious-disease-could-be-more-common-in-a-warmer-world-especially-for-plants-and-animals\/\">infectious disease<\/a><u>s<\/u> spread to previously untouched regions and an Arctic ozone hole threatens to open, people are beginning to catch the first glimpses of the new world we are creating \u2013 one that is in many ways more hostile and dangerous than the one we leave behind.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong> Many American politicians deny the problem<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/skeletons-funny-hear-no-evil-1617539\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-18238\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/skeletons-1617539_1920-1024x723.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/skeletons-1617539_1920-1024x723.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/skeletons-1617539_1920-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/skeletons-1617539_1920-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/skeletons-1617539_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Perhaps the only thing more terrifying than the impacts of climate change is the overwhelming denial of their existence by some political leaders in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>The Paris Agreement served as a major step forward in promoting climate change mitigation policy on an international scale, with almost every nation agreeing to tackle this looming threat.<\/p>\n<p>Then in June, President Trump announced his intent to withdraw from the agreement. That means the United States will be <a href=\"https:\/\/weather.com\/news\/news\/2017-10-25-nicaragua-signs-paris-climate-agreement\">one of only two countries<\/a> \u2013 out of almost 200 \u2013 failing to participate in the accords.<\/p>\n<p>The same efforts towards dismantling U.S. climate progress can be seen in recent national policy. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt (who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2017\/03\/09\/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html\">recently claimed<\/a> that carbon dioxide is not a major contributor to global warming) is perhaps the most visible of an exhausting list of leaders within the current Administration who <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/03\/23\/how-do-we-know-that-humans-are-causing-climate-change-these-nine-lines-of-evidence\/?_ga=2.223229656.2134221663.1508965125-1095860618.1505173443\">deny climate science<\/a>. The Administration is trying to undermine or reverse policies addressing climate change, including the Clean Power Plan, and information about climate change is vanishing from official agency websites.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the globe is striving to implement meaningful climate policy, including China\u2019s unparalleled growth in <a href=\"http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/18\/technology\/china-us-clean-energy-solar-farm\/index.html\">renewable energy support<\/a>. Soon the U.S. will be left in the dust in the race for a greener world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be afraid. Be very afraid. Then do something about it. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t protect you from the monsters hiding under your bed. But combating the ominous impacts of climate change is a much more hopeful endeavor.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on how you can help, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/04\/21\/take-these-first-steps-to-lower-your-impact-on-climate-change\/?_ga=2.197540844.2134221663.1508965125-1095860618.1505173443\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Halloween has arrived, and it\u2019s time once again for goblins, gremlins, and ghost stories. But there\u2019s another threat brewing that\u2019s much more frightening \u2013 because it\u2019s real. An unrecognizable world is quickly creeping up on us as climate change progresses \u2013 and the anticipated impacts are enough to rattle anyone\u2019s skeleton. Here are five of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123360,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,95,52,109,20,38,44,42],"tags":[],"coauthors":[108049],"class_list":["post-18231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arctic-antarctic","category-basic-science-of-global-warming","category-extreme-weather","category-international","category-news","category-oceans","category-policy","category-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A real Halloween horror story: the five scariest aspects of climate change - Climate 411<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A real Halloween horror story: the five scariest aspects of climate change - Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Halloween has arrived, and it\u2019s time once again for goblins, gremlins, and ghost stories. But there\u2019s another threat brewing that\u2019s much more frightening \u2013 because it\u2019s real. An unrecognizable world is quickly creeping up on us as climate change progresses \u2013 and the anticipated impacts are enough to rattle anyone\u2019s skeleton. Here are five of ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-30T19:29:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-13T20:10:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-300x210.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casey Ivanovich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casey Ivanovich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Casey Ivanovich\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/5247aaa8f951eb54be8e609c8873e0e0\"},\"headline\":\"A real Halloween horror story: the five scariest aspects of climate change\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-30T19:29:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-13T20:10:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/\"},\"wordCount\":1106,\"commentCount\":2,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/10\/30\/a-real-halloween-horror-story-the-five-scariest-aspects-of-climate-change\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/2017\/10\/2017-05-31-10-28-39-300x210.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Arctic &amp; 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But there\u2019s another threat brewing that\u2019s much more frightening \u2013 because it\u2019s real. An unrecognizable world is quickly creeping up on us as climate change progresses \u2013 and the anticipated impacts are enough to rattle anyone\u2019s skeleton. 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