Climate Change examples Flashcards

1
Q

How Do Human Actions Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A

Fossil Fuels

the use of fossil fuels increased steeply since the start of the industrial revolution in 1880s → contributing more than 35b tonnes of CO2 emission a year

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2
Q

How Do deforestation Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A

Globally, tropical deforestation contributes to about 20% of annual greenhouse gas emission

  • Trees absorb carbon dioxide from our air + store carbon in their roots, leaves and trunk.
  • Trees in the Amazon rainforest hold 48 billion tons of carbon → when trees are cut down → more carbon dioxide is released and less is absorbed.
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3
Q

How Do agriculture Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A
  • Cattle ranching in Brazil historically accounts for 24% of global annual tropical deforestation
  • cattle farming supply chain accounts for nearly 2 percent of all global emissions
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4
Q

How does industries Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A
  • it is estimated that industries contribute about 43% of greenhouse gases annually
  • Beijing air pollution crisis (ongoing) is a result of heavy industrial emissions from factories and coal power plants
  • a blanket of smog so severe, air pollution levels are 22 times higher than World Health Organizations guidelines
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5
Q

oceans acidification

A
  • Since industrial revolution (1800s), ocean acidity has increased by 25%.
  • partly becoz of ocean acidification, coral cover in Great Barrier Reed has dropped abt 30% of what it was 1960s.
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5
Q

How does urbanisation Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

A
  • cities consume about 78% of the world’s energy and contribute significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases
  • Las Vegas urban heat island effect occurs due to excessive concrete, asphalt, and energy use, leading to higher city temperatures compared to surrounding areas.
  • Las Vegas was the city with the greatest difference in temperature of 7.3°F over the last 10 years.
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5
Q

strengthened precipitation patterns example

A

RAIN:
in 2020 Bangladesh experienced its worst monsoon flooding due to intense rainfall
- estimated casualty: 260
- 1.3b homes were destroyed
- damage of agricultural crops estimated to be calued at millions of dollors → alot of money for developing country
DRY:
2020 drought in Thailand
- Worst drought in 40 years.
- Lack of rain + shorter monsoon season → dried up reservoirs and barren land → unable to grow crops.
- Thailand was heavily affected because its agricultural sector uses 70% of the nation’s water supply
- economic livelihoods of farmers were greatly impacted

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6
Q

Impact of climate change on corals

A
  • the Great Barrier Reef in Australia was severely affected in 2016 and 2017 due to rising sea temperatures
  • Two-thirds of the corals died in the northern section of the reef.
  • Species diversity decreased.
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7
Q

Disruption of marine food webs eg

A

due to slowing down of ocean circulation:
- phytoplanktons levels in North Atlantic have dropped by 10% since the 1800s

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8
Q

changes in geographical distribution of aquatic species + diveristy of species in tropical waters

A

tropical species (eg parrotfish/rabbitfish) jave migrated polewards (cooler waters in Japan or Australia)
- study found that diveristy of species in tropical waters have dropped around 56% in the last 50 years

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9
Q

changes in composition of aquatic species

A
  • rabbitfish and parrotfish move to cooler water in Japan/Australia → feed on kelp → huge decline in kelp (eg. in japan its over 40% decrease) → affects other species that depend on kelp for food and protection
  • in japan, pop of lobsters and abalone have declines + disappearence of kelp.
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10
Q

changes in Geographic distribution of terrestrial species eg

positive and negative

A

N:
Over the past 40 years, around 170 bird species in North America have moved 50 km northward on average.

P:
Due to warmer temperatures, species like white-tailed deer and moose are moving northward within Canada → forests are expanding in the northern regions → greater biodiversity in these areas.

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11
Q

impacts of excessive rainfall on flora and fauna

impacts of draughts on them

A
  • in assam, india, unusually excessive rainfall in 2020 resulted in floods
  • more than 200 wild animals were killed, including 8 endangered rhinos
  • Droughts in California, USA from 2012-2016 have dried up wetlands → many insects, fish, and plants died + many migratory birds also starved.
  • It contributed to the death of 102 million forest trees due to lack of water and spread of diseases.
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12
Q

Impact of Heatwaves on Humans EG

A

2003 heat wave hit europe
- around 70000 people died from the heat waves → 2 weeks
- harvest for agricultural crops (wheat, staple crops) affected → many died → inflation on food prices (bread)

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13
Q

Impact of floods on Humans EG

A

in 2020 Bangladesh experienced its worst monsoon flooding due to intense rainfall
- estimated casualty: 260
- 1.3b homes were destroyed
- damage of agricultural crops estimated to be calued at millions of dollors → alot of money for developing country

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14
Q

Impact of cyclones on Humans EG

A

over just 4 weeks in Oct to Nov 2020, Philippines was hit by 6 tropical cyclones
- strongest typhoon being Typhoon Goni which lead to:
1. casualties
2. property destruction
3. evac of mills of ppls
4. estimated damage to crops was almost 36m
5. power supply cut

Philippines → a developing country → infrastructure couldn’t cope with severe flooding → communities didn’t have time to recover before another cyclone hit.

15
Q

provisioning services (fish industry)

A
  • 2012, fisheries contributed over $1.55 billion to the US economy, but are now being threatend
  • Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia → fishing is a manin economic activity → climate change led to:
    1. increase in temp + unpredictable rainfall: water levels in lake to decline → less fishes
    2. high temps: surrounding forest can burn → destroys fish habitats → less fishes

indirectly threatens livelihoods and food security of cambodians

16
Q

provisioning services (impacts on crop yield)

A

2020 drought in Thailand
- Worst drought in 40 years.
- Lack of rain + shorter monsoon season → dried up reservoirs and barren land → unable to grow crops.
- Thailand was heavily affected because its agricultural sector uses 70% of the nation’s water supply
- economic livelihoods of farmers were greatly impacted

17
Q

regulating services (increase in vector-borne diseases) eg

A

in 2018 mosquitos were non-existent in the mountains of Bhutan (too cold)

in 2019 Bhutan suffered the country’s 1st national dengue epidemic → global warming results in temp increase → Bhutan is warm enough for mosquitos

18
Q

Cultural services (degradation of landscape)

A
  • Sea level rise threatens low lying islands (eg. Maldives0 -> rely on tourism but now not many wanna go there since many aprts are inhabitable and corals are bleeching)