Climate Change examples

Question 1

How Do Human Actions Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Answer 1

Fossil Fuels

the use of fossil fuels increased steeply since the start of the industrial revolution in 1880s → contributing more than 35b tonnes of CO2 emission a year

Question 2

How Do deforestation Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Answer 2

Globally, tropical deforestation contributes to about 20% of annual greenhouse gas emission

• Trees absorb carbon dioxide from our air + store carbon in their roots, leaves and trunk.
• Trees in the Amazon rainforest hold 48 billion tons of carbon → when trees are cut down → more carbon dioxide is released and less is absorbed.

Question 3

How Do agriculture Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Answer 3

• Cattle ranching in Brazil historically accounts for 24% of global annual tropical deforestation
• cattle farming supply chain accounts for nearly 2 percent of all global emissions

Question 4

How does industries Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Answer 4

• it is estimated that industries contribute about 43% of greenhouse gases annually
• Beijing air pollution crisis (ongoing) is a result of heavy industrial emissions from factories and coal power plants
• a blanket of smog so severe, air pollution levels are 22 times higher than World Health Organizations guidelines

Question 5

oceans acidification

Answer 5

• Since industrial revolution (1800s), ocean acidity has increased by 25%.
• partly becoz of ocean acidification, coral cover in Great Barrier Reed has dropped abt 30% of what it was 1960s.

Question 5

How does urbanisation Contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Answer 5

• cities consume about 78% of the world’s energy and contribute significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases
• Las Vegas urban heat island effect occurs due to excessive concrete, asphalt, and energy use, leading to higher city temperatures compared to surrounding areas.
• Las Vegas was the city with the greatest difference in temperature of 7.3°F over the last 10 years.

Question 5

strengthened precipitation patterns example

Answer 5

RAIN:
in 2020 Bangladesh experienced its worst monsoon flooding due to intense rainfall
- estimated casualty: 260
- 1.3b homes were destroyed
- damage of agricultural crops estimated to be calued at millions of dollors → alot of money for developing country
DRY:
2020 drought in Thailand
- Worst drought in 40 years.
- Lack of rain + shorter monsoon season → dried up reservoirs and barren land → unable to grow crops.
- Thailand was heavily affected because its agricultural sector uses 70% of the nation’s water supply
- economic livelihoods of farmers were greatly impacted

Question 6

Impact of climate change on corals

Answer 6

• the Great Barrier Reef in Australia was severely affected in 2016 and 2017 due to rising sea temperatures
• Two-thirds of the corals died in the northern section of the reef.
• Species diversity decreased.

Question 7

Disruption of marine food webs eg

Answer 7

due to slowing down of ocean circulation:
- phytoplanktons levels in North Atlantic have dropped by 10% since the 1800s

Question 8

changes in geographical distribution of aquatic species + diveristy of species in tropical waters

Answer 8

tropical species (eg parrotfish/rabbitfish) jave migrated polewards (cooler waters in Japan or Australia)
- study found that diveristy of species in tropical waters have dropped around 56% in the last 50 years

Question 9

changes in composition of aquatic species

Answer 9

• rabbitfish and parrotfish move to cooler water in Japan/Australia → feed on kelp → huge decline in kelp (eg. in japan its over 40% decrease) → affects other species that depend on kelp for food and protection
• in japan, pop of lobsters and abalone have declines + disappearence of kelp.

Question 10

changes in Geographic distribution of terrestrial species eg

positive and negative

Answer 10

N:
Over the past 40 years, around 170 bird species in North America have moved 50 km northward on average.

P:
Due to warmer temperatures, species like white-tailed deer and moose are moving northward within Canada → forests are expanding in the northern regions → greater biodiversity in these areas.

Question 11

impacts of excessive rainfall on flora and fauna

impacts of draughts on them

Answer 11

• in assam, india, unusually excessive rainfall in 2020 resulted in floods
• more than 200 wild animals were killed, including 8 endangered rhinos

• Droughts in California, USA from 2012-2016 have dried up wetlands → many insects, fish, and plants died + many migratory birds also starved.
• It contributed to the death of 102 million forest trees due to lack of water and spread of diseases.

Question 12

Impact of Heatwaves on Humans EG

Answer 12

2003 heat wave hit europe
- around 70000 people died from the heat waves → 2 weeks
- harvest for agricultural crops (wheat, staple crops) affected → many died → inflation on food prices (bread)

Question 13

Impact of floods on Humans EG

Answer 13

in 2020 Bangladesh experienced its worst monsoon flooding due to intense rainfall
- estimated casualty: 260
- 1.3b homes were destroyed
- damage of agricultural crops estimated to be calued at millions of dollors → alot of money for developing country

Question 14

Impact of cyclones on Humans EG

Answer 14

over just 4 weeks in Oct to Nov 2020, Philippines was hit by 6 tropical cyclones
- strongest typhoon being Typhoon Goni which lead to:
1. casualties
2. property destruction
3. evac of mills of ppls
4. estimated damage to crops was almost 36m
5. power supply cut

Philippines → a developing country → infrastructure couldn’t cope with severe flooding → communities didn’t have time to recover before another cyclone hit.

Question 15

provisioning services (fish industry)

Answer 15

• 2012, fisheries contributed over $1.55 billion to the US economy, but are now being threatend
• Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia → fishing is a manin economic activity → climate change led to:
  1. increase in temp + unpredictable rainfall: water levels in lake to decline → less fishes
  2. high temps: surrounding forest can burn → destroys fish habitats → less fishes

indirectly threatens livelihoods and food security of cambodians

Question 16

provisioning services (impacts on crop yield)

Answer 16

2020 drought in Thailand
- Worst drought in 40 years.
- Lack of rain + shorter monsoon season → dried up reservoirs and barren land → unable to grow crops.
- Thailand was heavily affected because its agricultural sector uses 70% of the nation’s water supply
- economic livelihoods of farmers were greatly impacted

Question 17

regulating services (increase in vector-borne diseases) eg

Answer 17

in 2018 mosquitos were non-existent in the mountains of Bhutan (too cold)

in 2019 Bhutan suffered the country’s 1st national dengue epidemic → global warming results in temp increase → Bhutan is warm enough for mosquitos

Question 18

Cultural services (degradation of landscape)

Answer 18

• Sea level rise threatens low lying islands (eg. Maldives0 -> rely on tourism but now not many wanna go there since many aprts are inhabitable and corals are bleeching)