Year 4 Impact of Climate Change on Humanitarian Environments

Question 1

What are the 4 results that an increase in global temperature could lead to?

Answer 1

1. Melting of permafrost and ice caps
2. Melting of permafrost and glaciers
3. Migration of the climate belt
4. Opening up trade routes

Question 2

Melting of permafrost and ice caps

Answer 2

1. The melting increases the supply of freshwater temporarily, which helps the problem of water security. However, this is a short-term solution as the melting of ice caps means that a lack of ice can be produced during the cold seasons, which reduces the surface runoff during the warmer season
2. The increase of water which may enters rivers, which might not have enough capacity to store the water, might result in flooding, Flooding results in the destruction of properties and the loss of life.

Question 3

Melting of permafrost and glaciers

Answer 3

• Might reintroduce long dormant diseases which may affect the livelihoods of man in both the societal and economic aspect. etc. a 15,000 old tibetan virus was discovered under ice.

Question 4

Migration of the climate belt (expansion, moving up latitudes)

Answer 4

Higher latitudes have a higher tendency for tropical diseases like dengue, affecting the economy, society, QOL SOL

Question 5

Melting of ice

Answer 5

1. Opens new trade routes. etc. Opened a new trade route in Arctic, which increased the ship traffic as it takes more time to pass the arctic.
2. Increases political tension in countries w higher power like USA and China who are fighting for control of Greenland.

Question 6

What does the increase in sea level temperature cause

Answer 6

1. Warmer oceans
2. Increase in sea level

Question 7

What does warmer oceans cause

Answer 7

The fish migrate from warmer waters to cooler waters, which eventually affects the amount of fish available for fishing. People who make money off fishing are affected in terms of both food and economic security.
eval: in higher lying latitudal areas, the increase in fish allows them to have more fish to eat-> food security and economic security. countries with the lesser amount of fish can adapt by importing food into the country. LIC countries may be unable to do so however, reducing the QOL

Question 8

What does increase in sea levels causes

Answer 8

Rising sea levels causes (flooding)
1) Low-lying countries like Maldives to be engulfed by sea water.
2) Flooding Arable land to be damaged due to increased salinity. No crops can be grown, which causes damage to the economy and food security.
3) Flooding Ground water supplies may be contaminated by germs or bacteria in sea water, causing the problem of water security.
4) Due to these QOL, people may migrate to other countries. As such, the receiving countires may face severe overcrowding, leading to an increase in informal housing and even worse SOL.
Eval: HIC has more money to invest in technology to help combat rising sea levels and flooding. ex. SIngapore. LIC may not have money/affluence to do so.

Question 9

What does extreme precipitation patterns cause

Answer 9

1) Drier conditions in areas already prone to droughts
- Water security due to lack of water
- Damage to arable land, lack of crops -> economic and food security
ex. Sudan, over the past few decades has faced droughts
2) Flooding
- Damage to properties
- Damage to arable land and crops affecting food security and economic security
- People die
ex. Bangladesh.
Eval:
- Temperate areas benefitted agriculturally because more water allowed more crops to grow, benefitting the economy and helping in food security
- Greenhouse are made and other tech to grow crop indoors are present but LIC may not have access to it
3) Extreme Summer
- heat strokes,which result in medical bills, economy, hospita overcrowding, more widespread diseases
ex. European Summer 2012 -> Severe heat waves.