Change is happening all across the globe. Natural disasters and social pressures put the food supply at risk, and the planet is on the brink. Current solar activity is driving the change. What will our world look like when all is said and done?

“The winter of 2018-2019 left ninety-one percent of the Midwest and great plains covered in an average depth of ten point seven inches of snow.” This was the opening sentence in 2019 Flooding and Future Implications, an article that I wrote late in 2019. This article focused on the extreme weather that the United States and the world faced that year.

Department of Agriculture assured us then that years with that type of devastation and low yields had happened before in the 70s, and as long as next year’s crops were back online, we would be okay. Then came the pandemic. Worker shortages, supply shortages, and more extreme weather took their toll on the markets.

How are farmers doing in 2022? Bad! The Northern United States experienced extreme storms that delayed planting and ruined established crops. The Central, Western, and Southern United States faced extreme heat and drought. Experts say it could take three years for farmers to recover due to the loss of seed stock because of the harsh summer.

The weather hasn’t been the only problem. Aei.agreports that production costs for the world’s farmers have skyrocketed. The farmlands’ increased value has pushed the prices of leasing land. They echo the concern over seed stock, citing the increasing loss because of disasters in 2020 & 2021. China has not been immune to natural disasters, and its failure to produce increases the need for imports. Their demand increases the cost of the product worldwide.

Supply chains are still struggling to keep up with demand. The skyrocketing gas prices, microchip, fertilizer, pesticide, and weed abatement chemical shortages have severely impacted every aspect of normal operations. Inflation and political priorities put more stress on already fragile markets. The icing on the cake is the literal blockage of trade routes due to wars.

The United States knew it was faltering on supply and looked to the Southern Hemisphere to help fulfill global requirements. However, extreme weather and the monumental eruption of the Tonga Volcano changed that reality. When the Tonga eruption happened, it blew ash more than 24 miles up into the air and reached the stratosphere. The Mount Pinatubo eruption only went 12 miles into the air when it erupted and had a significant cooling effect on the planet. We can expect a similar impact from the Tonga Eruption. The ash cloud is now spreading over the southern hemisphere. Water vapor and sulfur dioxide affect weather patterns and the sun’s ability to penetrate the ground. The ash’s effect will significantly impact areas between ten to thirty degrees south latitude. These areas can expect a reduced crop yield and nutrient-deficient plants due to the lack of sunlight.

While some countries are rapidly importing crops to stockpile for the future rainy day, others are running out of food. However, all of the countries are reporting reduced yields. The lack of weed control is causing poisonous weeds to inundate the final product and clog combines with vines.

Then, on August ninth, the east coast got a warning to start preparing for a major earthquake. In the few days preceeding the nineth, significant earthquake activity along the edge of the North American Crayton was reported by Volcanoe Discovery and USGS. This area is overdue for a major quake, and quakes like the New Madrid Quake have devastated the area in the past. In fact, the last big earthquake hit Charleston on August thirty-first, 1886, making us thirty-six years past the one-hundred-year due date. Predictions estimate that a quake of the same size today would kill over 900 people and cause over twenty billion in damage. Earthquakes are happening more and more frequently, and in fact, a two-point-five hit South Carolina on August twelfth.

The increase in solar activity only exasperates the problem and is not showing signs of slowing. It has caused the world to spin faster. We have already broken the world’s fastest day record a few times this year, with the quickest day on record estimated to be November tenth, when the world will spin 2.93 milliseconds faster than it usually does. Down a total of 113.05 milliseconds for the year.

These small changes have significant effects on the planet. It changes the magnetism of the planet’s core, making earthquakes and volcanic eruptions more prevalent. As the earth spins faster, the equator expands, cracking the crust and causing the water to disappear or change location. The magnetic shield that protects our planet from solar radiation also weakens, allowing more energy to penetrate the earth.

If you’ve been following along with the Changing Earth word weather updates, we’ve been watching extreme weather events smack every corner of the globe. Areas with droughts that receive too much rain too fast experience devastating flooding that destroys crops, livestock, properties, and lives. When earthquakes happen, magma surges across the globe, and the pressure eventually causes eruptions like Tonga and La Palma, but sleeping giants like Yellowstone are still resting. Volcanoes hide in plane sight in places you may not think about for volcanic activity. There are over two hundred volcanoes in Texas and many others on the Pacific Coast and the American Southwest, but did you know there is a sleeping supervolcano under Maryland?

Arrogant humans are not helping. I’m not referring to carbon emissions. I’m talking about humans and corporations that think they have the right to manipulate the weather. A company is talking about putting a type of reflective ball in space around the planet to help cool it. They don’t realize that the earth will cool itself with natural events like the Tonga eruption.

Humans have been manipulating weather on our planet since 1946 when a man released six pounds of dry ice in clouds and created a snowstorm on November thirteenth in New York. Later this technology was applied to warfare in Vietnam. Today you can find lists of cloud seeding activities on NOAA.gov. Simply search for cloud seeding. Companies face a fine of $10,000 for not filing this document before they attempt to manipulate the climate. These artificial weather patterns have produced severe lightning and hail events. Strange that hail records are constantly being broken in the current weather events across the globe. I can guarantee that America is not the only country attempting to control its weather. The long-term effect of these activities is entirely unknown.

Pay attention to the world around you. Plan for a rainy day today and support your local farmers to keep them going.

Works Cited

Dalio, Ray. “Its Happening Across the Southern Hemisphere (1/2).” YouTube, 7 August 2022, https://youtu.be/mVjWbV4sg-0. Accessed 17 August 2022.

“Earth Rotation Speed Records, Stellar Activity, Sunspots | S0 News Aug.12.2022.” YouTube, 12 August 2022, https://youtu.be/Xk8tMn56OQ4. Accessed 17 August 2022.

“Home.” YouTube, https://youtu.be/ElVuWq4rvfc. Accessed 17 August 2022.

“Home.” YouTube, https://youtu.be/pj_h40IIhNE. Accessed 17 August 2022.

“Precursor to MAJOR East Coast EARTHQUAKE! Hudson River Methane Gas Bubbles?” YouTube, 9 August 2022, https://youtu.be/9sdINSisq_w. Accessed 17 August 2022.

Widmar, David, and Brent Gloy. “11 Questions Facing Agriculture In 2022.” Agricultural Economic Insights, 10 January 2022, https://aei.ag/2022/01/10/questions-facing-agriculture-in-2022/. Accessed 17 August 2022.