Global Change

Question 1

What are some human causes of climate change?

Answer 1

1. Motor Vehicles
2. Power Plants
3. Deforestation
4. Atmospheric Accumulation

Question 2

What are some observed changes that have come with climate change?

Answer 2

1. A global temperature increase of 1.1 degrees Celsius
2. Shifts in precipitation patterns
3. Ecotherms are more sensitive to climate change (ex. insects, fish, and amphibians)

Question 3

What are some local effects on insects?

Answer 3

1. Pesticides
2. Habitat Destruction (ex. agriculture, deforestation, urbanization)
3. Air and water pollution

Question 4

What are the effects of climate change on insects?

Answer 4

1. Direct physiological damage
2. Shifts of suitable habitats
3. Shifts in phenology
4. Increased mortality of beneficial insects
5. Increased abundance of pest insects (ex. ecological pests and disease vectors)

Question 5

What is the detection of changes?

Answer 5

The finding of statistically significant changes from natural variability

Question 6

What is the attribution of causes?

Answer 6

The determination of relative importance of different factors; generally for at least 30 years of data

Question 7

What are some key case studies?

Answer 7

1. Local extirpations (disappearances of more than 400 plant and animal species globally), some include the mountain ringlet butterfly, scotch argus, and the northern brown argus
2. Reduced forest insect abundance by 75-98% in Puerto Rico
3. The North American bark beetle outbreak (climates got warmer so bark beetles expanded farther and farther; killing many trees in NA)

Question 8

What are some future risks?

Answer 8

1. Climate change at 4 degrees celcius above pre-industrial levels could cause 30% more animal and plant extinctions than human habitat destruction in 12,000 years
2. Could reduce habitat area >50% for half of insect species

Question 9

What are some specific examples for future risks?

Answer 9

1. Increased mortality of western US butterflies
2. Loss of monarch habitats in Mexico
3. Even more damage from bark beetles
4. Increased risk of Pierce’s disease in grapevines

Question 10

What are some disease consequences as future risks?

Answer 10

1. Increased spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito-spread of dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus
2. Increased spread of malaria outside of the tropics
3. Double the range of ticks that carry Lyme Disease

Question 11

What are some adaptations and solutions?

Answer 11

1. Eliminate insecticides and restore critical habitats
2. Protect areas of high biodiversity (such as national parks)
3. Cut global carbon emissions to net zero by 2050

Question 12

How will we cut global carbon emissions to net zero by 2050?

Answer 12

1. Reduce car numbers and car use
2. Adopt meat free diets
3. Renewable energy solutions
4. National and international policies
5. Halt deforestation