Climate Change Impacts & Trends - Essay Example

Climate Change (Impacts & Trends) Climate Change (Impacts & Trends) Background A Swedish scientist d Svante Arrhenius gets the credit for pioneering the awareness on issues related to global warming when he proclaimed in 1896 that combustion of fossil fuel would enhance global warming. Global warming is the long-term and short-term influence on the climate that leads to increased greenhouse gas emission causing adverse impacts on the biological and physical systems. The menace is referred to as global warming because temperatures rise above the normal limits to melt the snows leading to rise in sea levels and ocean acidification (Figure 1). People did not take global warming seriously during 1900 because human activities were insignificant by that time. However, in 1988, efforts got intensive following the discovery that climate was warmer in 1988 than it was in 1880. For that reason, the United Nations Environmental Programme formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to assist in the prediction of the impact of global warming (greenhouse effects) and devise strategies to curb its spread (NASA, 2014). The IPCC has been advocating for strategies to mitigating global warming by releasing a number of reports in 1992, 1996, 2001, and recently in 2007 with significant awareness. According to Rosenzweig et al. (2008), the fourth assessment report of IPCC shows that anthropogenic climate change has significant global impact on both biological and physical systems. Figure 1: showing trends and changes in weather and climate over time Causes of global warming According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, 2014), the main cause of global warming is greenhouse effects because of the trend of human expansion. NASA named three gases as the main component that traps radiation in the atmosphere; these are methane, water vapour, and carbon dioxide. Other gases listed are nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons. Human activities like burning of oil and coal play a significant role in increasing greenhouse gases (Withgott, and Brennan, 2010). Accumulation of the greenhouse gases in the space traps radiations and cause increase in temperatures (Freedman 2012a). The increasing temperature leads to melting of the snows, which results in rising water sea levels. A rise in water sea level reduces the land for agriculture as well as changed ecosystem in the arctic and Antarctica (NASA, 2014). Such changes of weather and climate patterns over years would lead to changes in the biodiversity, these have devastating effects on land and marine ecosystems because it affects the flora and fauna (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno, 2010; Van Aalst, 2006). The long-term effect is the emergence of diseases that are resistance to available drugs because they get adapted to the environment very fast hence uncontrolled diseases (Freedman 2012b). Contribution of global warming to hurricane Sandy storms The climate changes are thought to have worsened the impact of Sandy. First, the rise in sea level, which is a major effect of climate change, could have contributed significantly. Besides, the abnormal warm sea surface temperature as well as the disappearance of arctic sea ice contributed significantly to these changes in weather patterns and the impact on property, land, and human life was massive especially in New Jersey, New York. (Freedman, 2012a) Figure 2: showing the impact of Sandy storm in New Jersey (Freedman 2012b) Figure 3: showing the impact of Sandy storm in New Jersey Figure 4: Showing the contribution of different components of climate change Pros and cons of climate change Changes in climate have adverse effect on weather patterns, which has direct impact on food production, availability of fresh water, land, and health of the population. Excessive changes introduce pressure on economic, social, political, and demographic parameters that have negative impact on societal wellbeing as shown in the diagram below. Besides, climate change affects the ecosystem, the human population, and the entire society if the risks are not addressed early (NASA, 2014). Climate change may not reveal itself early enough because its long terms effect may manifest after many years across land and marine ecosystem hence uncontrolled diseases (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno, 2010). These are some of the challenges because people may not see the real effect of climate change immediately hence not taking it seriously. Figure 3: effects of climate change on social, political, and economic position of the society Importance of global warming According to the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2013), the Amarican experienced disasters related to adverse changing weather patterns. The impact to these changes included loss of 1114 lives and properties whose total value approximated to $175 billion). These are some of the reasons NOAA makes its data related to changes in climate available to the public to disseminate the awareness. Human activities have increased over the years because of increased population that requires more food leading to more activities that are industrial in nature. Industrialisation has played a significant role in increasing the carbon level on the atmosphere, which is a characteristic of global warming (NASA, 2014). Recent reports indicate worrying trends, for instance, the figure 2 shows damning report on the current level of carbon dioxide that calls for increased attention and the need to increase efforts of mitigating global warming. Figure 4: Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide Global scale climate change The recent releasing of the report by the New York Panel on Climate Change (NPCC, 2015) that was chaired together with NASA documented the latest trends on climate change and the efforts required. The report found that climate change is taking a dangerous dimension owing to the increase in temperature, sea level, and precipitation especially in the New York metropolitan zones (Cabbage and McCarthy, 2015). Some of the strategies identified include Working together between scientists and municipal policy makers Developing costumed climate science that is specific to areas like New York metropolitan Use the best available data and information to draw relevant information Ensure that the residents and planners to understand climate change and prepare them to confront future changes (Cabbage and McCarthy, 2015). Although efforts to mitigate impacts of climate change has taken a new dimension, the effects of greenhouse gas emission has gone global. Nearly all countries are contributing in one way or another to green gas emission (NASA, 2014). However, some countries like China are considered notorious in emitting green gas that chokes the space. NOAA, (2013) has made it possible for the public to access relevant information related to the ever-changing trends of climate. (Cook, 2015) Plate 2: Animation showing indicators of climate change The governmental policy makers report on climate change According to IPCC, policy makers assert that climate change is likely to amplify the existing risks while creating new risks that human and natural system may not tolerate in the near future. Therefore, governments have been urged by policy makers to consider existing risks more carefully and devise alternative as well as intensifying efforts for their mitigation (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, 2007). IPCC draft policies on climate change also document that most risks associated with climate change are unevenly distributed. The uneven distribution means that most disadvantaged people and communities are at greater risks of climate change (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, 2007). IPCC shows that there is a projected change in the climatic systems associated with greenhouse gas. For that reason, there is high likelihood that heat waves will be more frequent and persistent leading to intense precipitation. The aftermath is warming ocean, with increased acidity leading to rise in sea level (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, 2007). Conclusion Climate Change is without doubt a menace in the current century. Although the current efforts have made tremendous awareness, it is important to ensure policies formulated by IPCC are implemented across the globe. It has adverse effect on weather patterns, which has direct impact on food production, availability of fresh water, land, and health of the population. In fact, climate change threatens to destabilise the society because excessive changes introduce pressure on economic, social, political, and demographic parameters that have negative impact on societal wellbeing. Reference Cook, J. (2015), Indicators of Warming world. Retrieved from http://www.skepticalscience.com/graphics.php?g=8 Cabbage, M & McCarthy, L. (2015). NASA science leads New York City Climate Change 2015 Report. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2239/ Freedman, A. (2012a). How Global Warming Made Hurricane Sandy Worse, retrieved from http://www.climatecentral.org/news/how-global-warming- made-hurricane-sandy-worse-15190 Freedman, A. (2012b). Hurricane Sandy Paralyzes New York, New Jersey, retrieved from http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hurricane-sandy- paralyzes-new-york-new-jersey-15188 Hoegh-Guldberg O. & Bruno, J.F. (2010). The Impact of Climate Change on the World’s Marine Ecosystems. Science, 328 (5985): 1523-1528 doi: 10.1126/science.1189930 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, (2007) retrieved from http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf. National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA (2014). Global climate change; vital signs of the planet – a blanket around the earth. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/ National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2013), Climate Change Impacts: Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow. Retrieved from http://www.education.noaa.gov/Climate/Climate_Change_Impacts.html Rosenzweig C. (2008). Science Briefs: Warming Climate is Changing Life on Global Scale, retrieved from http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/rosenzweig_02/ Withgott, J. H & Brennan, S. R. (2010). Environment: The Science behind the Stories. Fifth edition. Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Read More