A white furry beast is floating on a thin chunk of ice. In all its confusion the mammal stares blankly into the water and wonders where all the seal have gone.

We are already familiar with this image. Your next-door environmental activist may have posted it, or you stumbled upon the animal on a meme site a few years back. But who could have cared for a creature stranded thousands of kilometers away?

The issue was just too far-fetched, and it became even more so when you were told it was because you bought the wrong brands. Yet disheartening scientific discoveries have finally surged, and everyone has begun losing their minds.

Research-based predictions on land desertification, crop failures, famines and societal collapses almost seemed like fear-mongering attempts advertised by doomsday merchants. In 2019 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that prolonged heat-wave projections indicate a decrease in crop yields and disastrous effects on Central Asian population health.

By 2030, without proper inclusive progress, climate change could increase the number of paupers by between 35 million and 122 million globally. Additionally, a related study showed that changes in climate drylands may promote rapid mortality of foundational species on the soil surface.

It is no wonder that millennials’ movement to forego having children owing to fears over climate crisis is on the rise. They believe that doing so will amplify global warming or are concerned about severe situations their progeny may have to endure. In less extreme responses, people might contract stress disorders that hinder their day-to-day activities.