Climate Change - effects Flashcards
What general types of effects does climate change cause?
Social – impacts upon people
Economic – impacts upon the economy
Environmental- impacts upon the environment e.g. Wildlife
Is climate change all bad?
Climate change will have positive as well as negative effects.
Give some negative examples of climate change.
- Arctic Ocean ice sheet could melt away near north pole
- Reduced rainfall in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil
- Stronger hurricanes in the Caribbean
- Ski resorts in the Alps close down due to lack of snow and ice
- Increased flooding in Bangladesh
- Increased threat of bush fires in the USA
- Increased desertification in some areas of Africa
- Species migration
Give some positive effects of climate change
- Increased rice crops in China
- South Australia able to grow more crops as it gets warmer
What are the two main categories we look at in responding to climate change?
Adaptation and Mitigation.
What does ‘adaption’ mean with regards to climate change?
Adaptation is when we change our lives and respond in order to cope with any changes happening due to climate change.
What does ‘mitigation’ mean with regards to climate change?
Mitigation is when we plan ahead and try to tackle the causes of climate change
Give examples of how we can adapt to climate change.
- Building more flood defences
- Changing the types of crops grown
- Using drought resistant food crops
- Turning ski resorts into mountain bike resorts
Give examples of how we can mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Renewable energy such as; wind turbines and solar panels
- Afforestation
- Waste recycling
- Electric cars
- Insulating homes
- International agreements
Describe the effects of the discovery of fossil fuel in Dubai.
A city within the United Arab Emirates. Before 1966 was a small poor fishing village. In 1966 they discovered oil. This stimulated the economy and the city grew massively.
Positive impacts are that oil provides 1/3 of all of Dubai’s money. The remaining 2/3 of the money is linked to oil indirectly e.g.- Tourism. Tourism is linked to oil as all the huge infrastructure projects and tourist resorts have been moistly funded by oil revenues.
Describe the effects of oil on Nigeria and the Niger Delta.
Though oil provides 98% of Nigeria’s money, it has many negatives. One of the main negatives is that shell oil who drill the oil in Nigeria allow oil spills to pollute the environment on a daily basis. This creates job losses as fisherman lose their jobs as all the fish die, and local vegetation e.g.- mangroves are poisoned as well!. Finally Terrorists are active in the area fighting against the oil companies that pollute the environment.
