Climate Change Impact

Climate Change: Impact

Recently we have seen the effects of climate change in the news. 2015 was the hottest year on record. This astonishing fact should be a wakeup call to our generation. If we do not make a conscious effort to halt the temperature rise, there will be detrimental consequences. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change around the world.

Antarctica- Because of rising temperatures, glaciers are melting. The artic sea ice, during 2015, was recorded to be the lowest on record. Eventually, the west Antarctic ice sheet could be melted. If all of the sea ice melts that means more heat will be absorbed by the planet. Large ice sheets covered in snow reflect up to 85% of sunlight. Dark ocean water only reflects 7%. Therefore, melted ice (water) absorbs more heat and continues to melt even more ice because surface temperatures increase. This also raises sea levels.

Permafrost- Rising temperatures are also causing frozen ground in the arctic to thaw. This thawing is releasing carbon dioxide and methane gas from the ground. These gases add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and cause more warming which causes more melting.

Plant and Animal Ranges:  We are seeing shifts in the ranges of plants and animals, with species moving farther north and growing seasons increasing in areas farther away from the equator. Unfortunately, this also means that historically fertile areas in the southern part of the northern hemisphere are becoming too hot and dry to sustain the large quantities of food they have typically produced. The longer growing seasons near the poles are not enough to mitigate this.

Social Impact: Future America- As the climate continues to change the United States can expect to get no snow starting sometime between the years of 2041-2070. Less snowpack will mean a lower water supply because there will not be any snow melting into fresh water sources. However, sea levels will continue to rise, and will rise more than 1.2 meters by 2100. There will be more plant and animal range shifts which will affect ecosystems. Birds will fly farther north and growing seasons will be longer. All of these factors will affect population, resources, ecosystems, etc.

Government and Economics- Future impacts of climate change will depend on if we take action or not. Our generation must decide whether we are going to elect people that believe in preserving the environment we have now or people who are willing to “adapt” rather than take “corrective” action. Politicians will need to look for an incentive to get people to change their lifestyle. It is difficult to address climate change when the impact is perceived to be in the distant future and when the challenge requires global cooperation.

The economic costs of climate change are already believed to be taking place with storms becoming larger and moving into areas that are not historically impacted, so are not well prepared.  As fertile areas become too hot to produce enough food, scarcity becomes an issue. As the earth warms, fresh water becomes less available increasing competition for water sources.  While some areas will benefit from climate change (for example, northern Canada when shipping lanes open up due to ice melt) other areas are expected to take a large economic hit.

Vocabulary-

Permafrost: layer of frozen soil in Polar Regions

Insolation: solar radiation (energy) from the sun that reaches the earth’s surface

Orbital climate forcing: cyclic variations in earth’s orbit that affect climate

Anthropogenic: because of human activity

Methane hydrate: methane trapped in ice

Be able to read about climate change and see if the evidence provided is of high quality or not. For example: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2011/10/12/a-case-against-climate-change-alarmism/#3845f9ad61fd