Despite climate change, Homo sapiens survived the storm and thrived.

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The earth, the environment and people … we are all connected. Every element must adjust when one element is changing. Climate change is threatening all living things and human life. Survival requires action and adaptation.

Always fluctuating, Earth’s climate veered from the frosty cold of “Snowball Earth” about 700 million years ago, to the warm, oxygen-filled Carboniferous Period about 350 million years ago, with glacial and interglacial phases in between and after. Each of these extreme events was averted by the planet’s resilience.

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Climate change is different this time. The instigators are humans.

“In 2019 alone, we emitted more than 35 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, a rate faster than any geological processes,” Kathryn Tso and Kristin Bergmann stated in “Has there been climate change before?” on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Climate Portal. “Climate models suggest that, in the near future, these rapid CO2 emissions could raise temperatures until they rival those from the PETM (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum).”

Reaching the PETM results in rising greenhouse gases, which cause high temperatures as well as acidification of the oceans.

Humans survived the climate swings and learned to deal with the Ice Age 24,000 years ago. As they moved through colder climates early people used loose-fitting animal hides to protect themselves and keep babies warm. The needle was the first step towards more comfortable living.

“The miracle of the needle was that it enabled humans to make tight-fitting clothing that was tailored to the individual, and that’s vital,” according to University of California professor emeritus Brian Fagan in Dave Roos’ “How Early Humans Survived the Ice Age” at History.com.

Producing layers of clothing for warmth, “an Ice Age tailor would carefully select different animal skins — reindeer, Arctic fox, hares, even birds like ptarmigans — and sew together three or four layers, from moisture-wicking underwear to waterproof pants and parkas.”

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Homo sapiens, with their larger brains, better planning skills, and communication by speech, survived and thrived in an environment that orchestrated their lives. Nature is being pushed and beaten, with human actions causing stress to global proportions.

Nations, agencies, and activists are trying to stop the ecological havoc caused by global warming and climate changes. The immediate concern is the well-being of humans, animals, and plants.

“In the decades to come, these health impacts will intensify, and costs will increase,” the Canadian Climate Institute states in an infographic. “Climate change will affect everyone living in Canada — but it won’t affect everyone equally.”

The warming climate poses problems across the entire spectrum. Temperatures rising can affect the growth of plants and air quality. “Higher pollen concentrations could also lead to surges of allergies, respiratory illness” and threats to breathing, a CCI report from June 2021 states. “The true scale of climate-induced air quality health impacts will be substantially larger than those we modelled for ground-level ozone, as these other impacts are still difficult to model accurately.”

The changing climate is favorable for warmth-loving animals, plants, and insects. Insects that usually avoid shorter Canadian summers are expanding territories northward — dragonflies, pine-devouring beetles, Asian giant hornets (murder hornets) and others. As the warm season lengthens, lowland plants start to climb higher up the mountainsides.

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The numbers of pink-footed geese are now more than twice as many due to the lower snow cover in the high Arctic. However, “geese are herbivores, and a heavy increase in their population size means less vegetation is available for other herbivores in the area,” according to Lily Nordgren in The Starfish.

Polar bears, who require thick ice and cold temperatures to survive, are suffering. Their environment is becoming a food desert that is hard to reach for hungry bears. Northern peoples are also struggling. “Inuit depend on strong sea ice to support hunting routes and living areas,” Nordgren wrote. “Sea ice is thinning due to changing temperatures, making many hunting grounds less accessible during the warm season.”

In eastern Ontario and other parts of Canada, black-legged ticks are growing in numbers. Borrelia Bergdorferi could infect arthropods (which are in the same category as spiders). Lyme disease can develop if a tick infected bites an animal or human. Tick bites can be painless because of the numbing agent that the tick produces as it digs in. “The risk of getting Lyme disease from a tick bite is believed to be greater if an infected tick has been attached to you for more than 24 hours,” Eastern Ontario Health Unit noted. Early diagnosis of the tick’s presence and antibiotics may prevent the disease from developing.

Climate change has severe and growing consequences. The sweltering heat waves can cause the death of many people, and wildfires can threaten or destroy homes and livelihoods. For people with asthma or breathing problems, the air is contaminated with forest fire smoke. Flood waters can cause panic and result in the loss of income, property, and homes. The financial costs can be overwhelming and many people cannot afford them.

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It takes time to set goals, and launch climate action plans. We can take steps to adapt to the changing environment, once we recognize that it is changing rapidly. The vulnerable and those who need it most benefit from cooling centres that have water and air conditioning. Prevention or reduction of health hazards is critical, CCI said, “by increasing emergency response capacity and developing early warning systems.”

According to CCI, the root problems need to be addressed, “for example, by reducing food and water insecurity, increasing access to preventive health care and reducing economic inequities.”

Pet owners and their pets need the same relief. Accessible water is vital. During the heat dome in British Columbia in 2021, “we’ve seen higher numbers of companion animals dying of heatstroke in the recent heat waves this summer, and, unfortunately, we will likely see more of this in the future,” University of British Columbia described in “Companion animals in the climate crisis,” Aug. 19, 2021.

It is also important to protect pets’ feet from harsh weather. In winter, pets’ paws need to be cleaned and dried. Booties can keep paws cosy in snow or ice. To keep your dog warm, you can get rain coats or winter coats in all sizes. Horses also appreciate a warm coat when it is cold.

On summer days, pavement and other surfaces can burn tender animal paws — on a lovely summer day with a temperature of 25 C, the pavement may be a scorching 52 C. Avoid hot surfaces, keep drinking water handy, enjoy a walk with the pet later in the day, or perhaps use booties on those four busy feet.

Environmental change is a real threat and it is rapidly progressing. While the world faces the immense challenge of climate change, each individual can adapt and survive. Early humans survived, and so can we.

Susanna McLeod lives in Kingston and is a writer. She can confirm that tick bites do not hurt and are treatable.