Thousands of pictures of nature or activities related to it are being posted on social media everyday. However, those activities are slowly getting destroyed due to climate change. It’s not only about the warming in countries we’ve never been before or animals on the other side of the globe suffering from danger we caused. The sea we adore, skiing in winter, and summer activities like boat tours or snorkeling are facing challenges due to global warming. It’s taking away our joy and hobbies, the earth’s beauty we experience.

In Canada, nature is a big part of their tourism. Skiing or skating between the trees piled with snow, clear rivers to swim in summer, and boat tours, snorkeling, or fishing in August are all activities many visitors enjoy. But as days get warmer each year, the days for winter activities get shorter. As humans throw away more wastes into water, algal blooms happen more and therefore swimming in lakes becomes dangerous. Rising sea levels and strong storms stops tourism related to water. The problems are going to get more intense in later years and pose more damages. 

Over 20 years, the color of the ocean changed, although it isn’t detectable through the human eye. Scientists at MIT, and National Oceanography Center in the U.K., and elsewhere reports that it happens most likely because of climate change from humans. This change may seem like a mere difference, but in fact, this color shift happened to more than 56% of oceans around the world. Color of the ocean tells about the ecosystem under the water, so changing color means changing the ecosystem. It also means that plankton—vital to marine food web and a contributor in absorbing carbon—communities will change as well. The color changes not only affects the pleasure we earn from earth but the ecosystem in water. 

Although there are unhealthy changes on earth, there are some healthy changes we aim to acquire. When asked to think of a beautiful day, most people imagine a blue sky. But for scientists, the blue sky simply means sunlight entering the planet’s atmosphere. Excessive amounts of light warms the earth and therefore, geoengineers are currently working to pump sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight and cool the planet. This will end up draining color out of the sky, but it will save the planet.

To be able to enjoy the beauty of the earth decades after today, our effort is compulsory. Actions should be done before becoming one of the last generations seeing the ocean color we know today.