Climate Change and Its Impact

“Climate Change” is a very important topic for discussion in today’s world. Global climate change is a very serious issue that needs to be focused on. In this article, we are going to discuss climate change and its impact on life. This topic is very much in demand in competitive exams and students need to read and revise it regularly.

Climate Change :

• Climate change includes both global warming caused by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and the accompanying large-scale changes in weather patterns.
  
• Since the mid-20th century, there have been periods of climate change in the past, but humans are having an unprecedented impact on the Earth’s climate system, causing change on a global scale.  
  
• Climate change is the cyclical change in the Earth’s climate caused by changes in the atmosphere and the interaction of the atmosphere with various other geological, chemical, biological, and geographic factors in the Earth system.
  
• Climate change can cause difficulty in understanding weather patterns. These unpredictable weather patterns can make crop protection and cultivation difficult, leaving agriculture-dependent countries like India vulnerable.
  
• It also causes more frequent and severe adverse weather events such as hurricanes, floods, cyclones, and floods. Rising temperatures due to climate change are causing polar ice to melt faster and sea levels to rise. This increases flooding and erosion and damages the coast.
  
• The current rapid climate change is caused by human activities and threatens the survival of humankind.
  
• The most significant contributor to global warming is greenhouse gas emissions, more than 90% of which are carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane.
  
• Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy use is the main reason for these emissions, and also due to agriculture, deforestation, and manufacturing. 
  
• Temperature rise is accelerated or moderated by climate feedback. Through the loss of sunlight-reflecting snow and ice cover, increased water vapour (a greenhouse gas itself), and changes in land and ocean carbon sink. Soil warming is about twice the global average, leading to increased desertification, heat waves, and wildfires.
  
• Temperature increases are also being amplified in the Arctic, melting permafrost, retreating glaciers, and losing sea ice. Warmer temperatures increase evaporation rates, leading to more intense storms and extreme weather events.
  
• Ecosystem impacts include the resettlement or extinction of many species due to environmental change. The most direct are coral reefs, mountains, and the Arctic.
  
• Climate change is exposing people to threats such as food insecurity, water shortages, floods, infectious diseases, extreme heat, economic losses, and displacement.
  
• These anthropogenic impacts have led the World Health Organization to identify climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.
  
• Even if efforts to minimize future warming are successful, impacts such as sea level rise, ocean warming, and ocean acidification will persist for centuries.

Impact of Climate Change:

1. Rising air temperature:

• Greenhouse gases emitted by human activities increase the temperature of the earth.
  
• Rising temperatures are currently the leading cause of increased heat-related deaths and illnesses, rising sea levels, and increased severity of natural disasters.
  
• During the 20th century, the average global temperature increased by 1°F. This is believed to be the fastest increase in the last 1000 years. Studies predict that the average surface temperature could rise to 3-5°F by the end of this century if we do not reduce greenhouse gases.

2. Landscape change:

• As a result of rising temperatures around the world and changes in climate and weather patterns, trees and plants have migrated to the poles and mountains. 
  
• As vegetation adapts to climate change by moving to colder regions, animals that depend on it are forced to follow them to survive. Some survive, but many die. 
  
• Other species that depend on cold terrains, such as the polar bear, are threatened by melting ice and habitat loss. The current rapid landscape change, therefore, poses significant risks to the survival of many species, including humans.

3. Risk to the ecosystem:

• As temperatures rise around the world, weather and vegetation patterns change, causing species to migrate to cooler regions to survive.
  
• This jeopardizes the survival of many species. It is projected that a quarter of the world’s species could be extinct by 2050 if current trends continue.

4. Sea ​​level rise:

• As the Earth warms, thermal expansion causes sea levels to rise (warm water occupies more surface area than cold water).
  
• Melting glaciers contribute to this problem.
  
• The populations of the regions, islands and coasts below are threatened by rising sea levels.
  
• It erodes coastlines, damages property, and destroys ecosystems such as mangroves and wetlands that protect coastlines from storms.
  
• Sea levels have risen 4 to 8 inches in the last 100 years and will continue to rise by 4 to 36 inches in the next 100 years.

4. Ocean acidification:

• The increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration has increased the uptake of CO₂ in the ocean. This makes the ocean acidic.
  
• Increasing ocean acidification is detrimental to many marine organisms such as plankton and mollusks. 
  
• Corals are particularly vulnerable to this as they struggle to build and maintain the skeletal structures necessary for survival.

5. Increased frequency of disasters:

• Due to the high temperatures, moisture from land and water evaporates quickly. This causes drought. Drought-affected areas are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of floods.
  
• Given the current situation, droughts are likely to become more frequent and severe. This can have detrimental effects on agriculture, water security, and health.
  
• Countries in Asia and Africa are already facing this phenomenon as droughts become longer and more intense. Rising temperatures are not only causing droughts, but they are also increasing the incidence of wildfires around the world.
  
• Climate change is also causing an increase and intensification of cyclones and tropical storms, with devastating impacts on human societies and the environment.
  
• The cause of this is rising ocean temperatures, which affect the energy of hurricanes and tropical storms.
  
• Other factors driving an increase in hurricanes and tropical storms are rising sea levels, loss of wetlands, and increased coastal development.

6. Health issues:

• High temperatures around the world can cause health risks and death. More people are dying around the world due to increased heatwaves caused by climate change.
  
• For example, the extreme heat wave of 2003 killed more than 20,000 people in Europe, and it killed more than 1,500 in India.
  
• Climate change amplifies the spread of infectious diseases because prolonged warm weather allows disease-carrying insects, animals, and microbes to survive longer.
  
• Diseases and pests that were once confined to the tropics are now able to live in cold climates that were previously difficult to live in.
  
• Now, the death toll from heat waves, natural disasters, and disease due to climate change is increasing.

7. Economic Impact:

• It is estimated that climate change could cost around 5-20% of global GDP annually if no action is taken to address carbon dioxide emissions.
  
• In contrast, the cost of mitigating the most damaging impacts of climate change is only 1% of GDP.
  
• Climate change can alter coastal habitats. This could result in the need to relocate ports and offshore infrastructure and habitats, which will cost millions of dollars.
  
• A surge in hurricanes and other related natural disasters can create extreme economic losses caused by property and infrastructure damage. Reduced yields due to prolonged drought and high temperatures could lead to famine for thousands of people.
  
• Coral reefs generate approximately $375 billion worth of goods and services each year. Their survival is now threatened.

8. Impact on Agriculture:

• The cultivation of plants depends on sunlight, good temperature, and rainfall.
  
• Agriculture has therefore always been dependent on climate patterns. current climate change
  
• It has impacted agricultural productivity, food supply, and food security.
  
• These effects are of a biophysical, ecological, and economic nature.
  
• Climatic and agricultural zones are shifting towards the poles
  
• Warmer temperatures are changing agricultural production patterns
  
• Increased atmospheric CO2 has improved agricultural productivity.