impacts of climate change Flashcards
Agriculture – social
The increased frequency of natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and storms due to climate change have the frequency to destroy crops, which are critical infrastructure and key community assets. This results in people’s livelihoods deteriorating and poverty will worsen as many people rely heavily on agriculture for survival. The destruction of crops means that people would not have any harvest to earn money. Countries which are greatly affected are those with coastal deltaic regions, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Egypt. In Egypt, sea levels have been rising at 2cm per year in the past decade. This resulted in increased floods and erosion along the Nile Delta. About 24% of Egypts population, about 24 million people, rely on agriculture for survival. With the destruction of crops caused by climate change, these people’s livelihoods have worsened.
Tourism – coral bleaching
With increased sea temperatures, corals become stressed as they are very sensitive to temperature changes. The increased temperatures and acidity of ocean waters attack the coloured algae that live in and feed the corals. This results in coral bleaching and crumbling, degrading the coral reefs which absorb wave energy and protect enclosed islands and lagoons. Diving is a popular tourism activity, and it promotes tourism. Places with extensive corals attract more tourists. However, coral bleaching results in the death of about 49% of live corals. Without the corals and underwater creatures, tourists would be less interested in visiting these places, since sea life has experienced devastation, thus affecting the tourism industry.
Tourism – winter activities
The tourism industry in the colder areas rely on winter activities such as skiing to operate. However, climate change has brought on longer summers and less snow coverage. If there is not enough snow in these regions, traditional ski resorts would not be able to operate and less tourists would travel there, having less or no activities to do there. For example, all ski resorts in Spain are expected to close since 88% of ice has disappeared in the last 100 years, and ice may continue to melt, affecting the tourism industry in Spain.
Tourism – coastal flooding
Coastal systems and low lying areas are vulnerable to flooding and erosion due to the increased sea levels because of the increased average temperatures. This may destroy coastal resorts and other recreational facilities and areas, implicating tourism. One example of this is the Maldives, where average elevation is only 1.5m above sea level. The higher the sea level rises, the higher the frequency of storm surges that overwash the island. If this continues, the Maldives may be removed from the map in the next 30 years. Not only would the country’s tourism be affected, but the whole island would disappear
Agriculture – economic
Climate change affects the water supply of the world. With hotter temperatures and irregular rainfall patterns, the global water supply is threatened. This impacts food production as there would be less water available for agricultural purposes. Low lying crops would also be wiped out by floods. Climate change threatens not only the food supply and security of agricultural produce, but also the volatility of food prices. For example, Kenya is a country that relies heavily on agriculture. Agricultural based foods like coffee and tea are Kenya’s major forgein export earners. The food and agricultural organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has noted that Africa has transformed from being a key exporter of agricultural produce into a net importer. In Africa, more than 30 million require food aid annually. The export of agricultural goods is proven to help a country’s economy. However climate change has affected some country’s economies negatively, thus affecting the country itself.
Sea level rise
The burning of fossil fuels and other human or natural activities has released enormous amounts of gas into the atmosphere. Sea levels began to rise 100 years ago as climate change increased the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in thermal expansion of the water. Since then, sea levels have risen 20cm and may continue to rise up to 1m by the end of the century. One of the main causes of sea level rise is the melting of glaciers. When glaciers melt, due to warmer temperatures caused by climate change, water flows into the world’s oceans. In each of the 20 years to 2010, it is estimated that 275 billion tonnes of water was lost from the world’s glaciers. If greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed, scientists estimate that 35 to 85% of the world’s remaining ice would vanish by 2100.
Harsh weather conditions
The frequency of storms and hurricanes are increased and there is more precipitation around the world. Rain - soaked soils are prone to slipping, causing landslides which affect housing businesses, transport routes and power lines. Increased precipitation also increases the risk of landslides. Climate change also increases the frequency of floods, heat waves and drought conditions. For example the UK and Europe are likely to experience higher temperatures. On 5 December 2013, England’s east coast experienced its worst storm surge in 60 years. This was followed by a night of storm surges in Scotland. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency issued more than a dozen flood warnings that night. Hence, one impact of climate change is the increased frequency and harsher weather conditions.
Altered habitats
Climate change affects animals and plants. Animals that depend on each other to survive become out of sync and the ecosystem changes. Habitats of animals and plants are also expected to experience further changes in rainfall and temperatures. This may affect some species of animals and plants as some species thrive better in cooler conditions. Furthermore, if there is too much or too little rainfall, animals and plants may drown or become dehydrated respectively. Forecasts show that 30% of land based birds may go extinct if climates continue to change drastically. Plants, insects and parts of rainforests are also affected by climate change. Some butterflies, foxes and alpine plants have migrated to colder regions or higher, cooler places. The spruce bark beetle has bloomed in Alaska due to warmer summers and researchers have studied the decline of Adelie penguins, where numbers have dropped from 32000 breeding pairs to 11000 in just 30 years.
health - heat waves
heat waves can cause a rise in deaths amongst people, especially amongst the very young and very old. There will be a rise in heat waves because there has been increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that trap heat. These heat waves will cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and eventually heat stroke which can be fatal. for example, there was an extra 2000 deaths in England and Wales during the 2003 heat wave. there were also 35000 deaths in parts of Europe such as Spain, France and Italy. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also found that 540 to 760 deaths in the country was attributed to the heat spell in 2013.
health - water borne diseases
As climate change occurs, the number of cases of water borne diseases, such as Diarrhoea, skin diseases, eye infections and mosquito-borne diseases, have increased. this is because climate change increases the frequency of precipitation, floods and the rise of sea temperatures, which increases flood and run-off that spreads sewage chemicals and disease agents. for example, Diarrhoea cases have been spreading across relief camps set up by the government in Pakistan. more than 20000 cases were recorded in the country’s worst hit province, Sindh, after Pakistan’s record breaking flood that caused an outbreak of water borne diseases.
flooding - loss of homes
Low-lying countries are at the risk of very high tides and low air pressure which connect to tropical cyclones that raise sea levels. rise in sea levels associated with climate change may make people need to leave and abandon their island. for example, two countries that are particularly affected by rising sea levels are Tuvalu and Kiribati. They are surrounded by the world’s largest oceans and are one of the world’s most low-lying countries. Tuvalu’s highest point is only 5m above sea level and most of its land is only 1m above the high tide mark. the people of Tuvalu live mainly in low-lying atolls and fishing farms, putting them at a great risk of flooding and their homes being damaged.
advantages - fewer winter deaths
during the winter, temperatures drop to extremely low numbers. People especially the poor may not have appropriate heating and proper clothing, and risk dying from the cold weather. with climate change, there have been warmer temperatures, reducing the numbers of winter deaths. for instance, according to a study, there has been 40000 less deaths in the US alone, mostly comprising of the young and the elderly, with less people dying of pneumonia and other cold weather diseases.
advantage - increased agriculture production
warmer temperatures can increase agricultural produce because there will be longer growing seasons. higher latitudes would experience longer growing seasons and this is beneficial to the countries there like the UK as more crops can be produced. furthermore, crops that could not have been grown at some places could thrive due to warmer temperatures, increasing businesses for farmers as it increases their agricultural production. for example, crops of sweet corn, maize, soya and sunflower have increased due to longer growing seasons. furthermore, these crops have been thriving better in the increased carbon dioxide caused by climate change, with 30% increased production.
