Consequences To Climate Change Flashcards
What are the potential impacts of climate change?
A changing distribution of species, sea surface temperatures increasing, changing precipitation patterns, a reduction of biodiversity and melting ice
Give an example of a changing distribution of species being a consequence of climate change?
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes may be able to inhabit more places in the world due to the rising temperatures, meaning that malaria and similar exotic diseases may be more common worldwide
How will rising sea temperatures affect natural hazards?
More severe cyclones appearing in more places, having more energy because of the warmer water
How will rising temperatures affect coral?
It will bleach sensitive corals
How will changing precipitation patterns be a consequence of climate change?
It changes the amount of rain areas get and the times of year they get it
How will there be a reduction of biodiversity due to climate change?
Evolution takes place over thousands of years so species cannot rapidly adapt to a warmer earth within 100 years. This will lead to the extinction of many species.
How is melting ice, and therefore rising sea levels, a consequence of climate change?
Flooding of coastal areas and coastlines move inwards and animals struggle to survive with the lack of ice
What are the effects of climate change on people?
More deaths due to heat exhaustion
How will climate change create a problem with water sources?
Hotter temperatures and changing precipitation patterns mean that droughts are more common and happen in new areas
How will problems with water supplies lead to political issues?
There could be wars between countries trying to secure access to water sources and fertile farmland
How will climate change create a problem with crop yields?
Hotter temperatures mean it’s harder to grow crops, leading to food scarcity and people being malnourished and dying of starvation
How does more extreme weather lead to economic issues?
Repairing damage of natural hazards will most likely increase with the increasing severity of them and predicting and preventing extreme weather is costly too
How will climate change lead to forced migration, overcrowded living conditions, poverty and potentially wars?
Low lying areas along the coast will become inhabitable due to flooding.
If world temperatures were 4*C higher, give examples of cities that would be underwater.
London, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Shanghai
