Environmental, Economical and Social Impacts of Climate Change

Transcription

1 9 Issue 15, September 2016 Environmental, Economical and Social Impacts of Climate Change Iman Al Sheikh Introduction In recent years climate change has became the greatest threat on human life. Scientists believe that Earth s temperature is gradually increasing with an average rate of 0.8 C and it will continue to increases to reach 0.87 C by 2020 (IPCC, 2014). Figure 1: Change in global surface temperature between 1880 and 2020 (NASA, 2016). Natural and anthropogenic activities influence Earth s climate. However, human activities e.g. burning fossil fuels, breeding cattle, and other practices are the main influence on climate change, emitting green house gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere that leads to warming effects (Government of Canada, 2015; EPA, 2016).

2 10 Figure 2: Illustration of enhancement of GHG effect by human activities (CCES, 2016). Impacts of Climate change: There are various impacts of climate change including environmental, economical, and social impacts. A. Environmental Impacts 1. Species Extinction Weather pattern have a strong influence on animal s habitat. As the temperature increases animals are forced to migrate into other areas to survive. However, some of them may not be able to adapt to new environments, thus their populations would decline. Scientists predicted that if the warming trend continues to rise, one-fourth of Earth s species would be extinct by 2050 (TNC, 2016). In Fact, there are many species are already affected by the climate change e.g. polar bear population is declining due to melting of ice sheets in the Artic. Coral reef is another species that headed to extinction, as elevated temperatures tend to kill algae that are significant for corals survival (TNC, 2016). Envirocities emagazine

3 11 Issue 15, September 2016 Figure 3: A coral reef, before and after bleaching (Darby, 2015). 2. Sea levels rise The Polar Regions are melting in an accelerated rate due to their vulnerability to warmer atmosphere. One of the most serious consequences of melting ice sheets is sea level rise. Experts estimated that the range of sea levels rise would be one to four feet higher by 2100, which would have devastating impacts on costal habitat (Denchak, 2016; WWF, 2016). Figure 4: Projection of sea level rise from 1800 to 2100 (EPA, 2016).

4 12 Figure 5: A satellite image viewing the minimum concentration of Arctic ice in 2005, and the yellow line indicates where the concentration of ice was in 1979 (Macalister, 2011). 3. Extreme weather events Climate change has altered the weather patterns, which resulted in longer and intense heat waves, storms, drought, and devastating floods (Brasbury & DeConcini, 2012). Extreme weather events tend to threaten public health and safety e.g. drought conditions threaten clean drinking water availability (NRDC, 2016). Figure 6: Extreme weather events e.g. drought and flooding (Zabarenko, 2012; pack, 2012). Envirocities emagazine

5 13 Issue 15, September 2016 B. Economical Impacts of climate change Researchers believe that climate change is damaging the global economy and causing slow growth in the coming years (Worland, 2015). 1. Agriculture Agriculture is an important sector mostly in the developing countries, which provide food and crops, and economical growth. Extreme weather events such as drought, flooding and extreme heat waves have adverse effects on irrigation systems, soil and water degradation, crop yields, and breeding cattle (Southgate, 2015; EPA, 2016). This would have serious impacts on those whose economies depend on agriculture and natural resources (Southgate, 2015). Figure 7: Impacts of climate change on agriculture (Kerry, 2011; Deonarain, 2014). 2. Property and Infrastructure Severe weather events such as flooding, sea level rise, and storms are factors that cause serious properties and infrastructures damage, which is expensive and require extensive repair (UCS, 2011).

6 14 Figure 8: Images of properties and infrastructures damage due to climate change (Wildsmith, 2009; Kovach, 2015; Bowden, 2016; NCA, 2016). C. Social impacts of climate change Climate change also could influence societies through social, cultural, and natural resources (EPA, 2016). Poverty and inequality are deeply influenced by climate change as underprivileged people lack the necessary resources to cope with climate change effects e.g. flooding, storms, and drought, which would force them to move to other areas and alter their lifestyle (Byrd & demates, 2014). Another serious impact of climate change is water shortage. Currently, approximately 1.6 billion people live under fresh water scarcity and it is expected that the number would increases to reach 2.8 billion people by 2025 (WBG, n.d.). Furthermore, changes in temperature and precipitation pattern influence the geographical range of diseases spread by vectors e.g. malaria, diarrhea, and in some cases death (EPA, 2016). Envirocities emagazine

7 15 Issue 15, September 2016 Figure 9: Images of social impacts of climate change in some parts of Asia and Africa (Jeppesen, 2013; Paulson, 2013; Bapna, 2015; Tiboris, 2016). References 1. Bapna, M Let s Make it Earth and Prosperity Day. World Resources Institute Bradbury, J & DeConcini, C Fact Sheet: The Connection Between Climate Change and Recent Extreme Weather Events. World Resources Institute Byrd, R. & DeMates, L Reasons Why Climate Change is a Social Issue, Not Just an Environmental One. The Huffington post CANC. n.d. Social Impacts. Climate Action Network Canada. learning-cente/global-impacts/social-impacts/#. 5. CCES The Basics. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (CCES) Deonarian, B ways Climate Change is Already Affecting Africa. 350 Africa.org Denchak, M Are Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad. National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). nrdc.org/stories/are-effects-global-warming-really-bad.

8 16 8. Derby, M Warming Seas Devastate Coral Reefs in Global Bleaching Events. Climate Home. com/2015/10/08/warming-seas-devastate-coral-reefs-in-global-bleaching-event/. 9. EPA Agriculture and Food Supply. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). impacts/agriculture.html. 10. EPA Agriculture and Food Supply. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). impacts/agriculture.html. 11. EPA Future Climate Change. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). future.html. 12. GOC Causes of Climate Change. Government of Canada (GOC). asp?lang=en&n=65cd73f IPCC Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers. syr/ar5_syr_final_spm.pdf. 14. NASA Global Temperature. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Retrieved on August 2, NC Climate Change Impacts: Wildlife at Risk. The Natural Conservancy (NC). urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/threats-impacts/wildlife-at-risk.xml. 16. UCS Climate Hot Map: Global Warming Effects Around the World. Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/economy.html. 17. Worland, J Climate Change Could Wreck the Global Economy. Time Magazine WWF The Effects of Climate Change. World wild Fund (WWF). change/impacts_of_climate_change/. 19. WBG. n.d. Water and Climate Change. World Bank Group (WBG). Photo References 1. Bawden. T East Coast Strom: Scientists Want Erosion Monitoring to Deal with Impacts of Climate Change. ABC News. Retrieved on August 2, Denchak, M Are Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad. National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). nrdc.org/stories/are-effects-global-warming-really-bad. 3. Derby, M Warming Seas Devastate Coral Reefs in Global Bleaching Events. Climate Home. com/2015/10/08/warming-seas-devastate-coral-reefs-in-global-bleaching-event/. 4. Jeppesen, H Climate Change Fuels Water Scarcity and Hunger. DM News. Retrieved on August 2, Kerry, B Slow-Onset Climate Change could have Potentially Catastrophic Long-Term Impact on Food Production in The Developed World. Earth Times Kovach, T Minnesota s DOT is ready for Climate Change. ODOT? Not So Much. Tim Kovach. tag/sea-level-rise/. 7. Macalister, T. Melting Ice Caps Open Up Arctic for White Gold Rush. The guardian. environment/2011/jul/04/ice-caps-arctic-white-gold-rush. 8. Southgate, L The Economic Impact of Climate Change in Southeast Asia. Global Risk Insights. com/2015/11/the-economic-impact-of-climate-change-in-southeast-asia/. 9. Wildsmith, H Storm Damage on Pierremont Road. The Times Network. news/2015/10/26/storm-damage-on-pierremont-road/ /. Envirocities emagazine

9 17 Issue 15, September NCA Infrastructure. National Climate Assessment (NCA). infrastructure. 11. NASA Global Temperature. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Retrieved on August 2, Paulson, T Gates-Backed test Malaria Vaccine is Celebrated, Half glass Full. Humansphere. org/science/2013/10/gates-backed-malaria-vaccine-is-halfways-promising-half-not/. 13. Pack, D Why Extreme Weather is Increasing- Part One. The Real Truth Magazine. html. 14. Tiboris, M Water Scarcity, Urbanization, and Climate Change are Combined Threat to Supply Chains in The developing World. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Zabarenko, D Does Climate Change Increase the Odds of Extreme Weather Events? The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on August 2, 2016.