Transcript Impact of climate change

Elspeth, Lily, Olivia, Alma, Adele, Mollie, Millie, Martha,
Lizzie, Eden (Scotland)
Phillip, Alex (Germany)
Eszter (Hungary)
Jóhanna (Iceland)
Karoline, Regine (Norway)
Lousie, Sander (Belgium)
Climate-Changes
Weather Patterns
If the carbon dioxide emission goes heavily up, what
will the world look like?
 The ice in Greenland melts, the result is that the




sea level will rise
If we go on with the CO2 emissions the average
temperature will rise 4 °C
The port cities will be flooded
We must build higher dams
We have to face heavy rainfall and heat waves
The temperature change in the world
Economic and Social Effects
Ocean
 The Ocean is getting warmer and is killing off more fish,
meaning that the countries that normally sell fish to
other countries are loosing out on money.
 Sea – level rise, flood, droughts, wildfires and extreme
storms destroys many houses, roads, bridges, train
tracks, airport runways, power lines, dams, and sea walls.
All of these examples need lots of money to repair them
again.
 Societies can find ways to prepare for this and cope with
some climate change and impacts. Studies show that the
rebuilding after disasters strike is likely to prove even
more costly than the having already precautions in place.
Income
 Low Paid – they are more vulnerable to the
temperature changes, even though they have
contributed less to climate change and they
cannot afford to change their houses to the
different effects.
 The Elderly – it is likely that there will be an
increased mortality with this group in
relation to the temperature changes.
Food production
 Food supplies can be greatly affected by a single
spell of extreme of flooding or drought
 Stanford University found that productions of
maize and wheat would be 5% higher if it were not
for climate change
 Societies will need to adapt hugely to cope with
growing change of the climate all over the world if
we are to continue to produce enough food to feed
the population.
Population
 Population growth is a major
contributor to global warming –
more humans means more use
of “fossil fuels” which produce
carbon dioxide
 More people means more
demand for oil, gas, coal and
other fuels mined or drilled from
below the Earth’s surface
therefore prices will rise and
CO2 contents will also.
 According to the Worldwatch
Institute “reversing the
deforestation of Earth,
stabilizing water tables, and
protecting plant and animal
diversity, much more
manageable. If we cannot
stabilize climate and we cannot
stabilize population, there is not
an ecosystem on Earth that we
can save.”
Rising sea level
 The rising temperature and global
warming are one of the main
contributing factors causing the ice
caps to melt.
 A full melting of the polar ice caps
would imply a rise of about 70-80
meters.
 Because of the increase of water
there will be and has been great
disruption caused from rising sea
level in the world due to global
warming
 For example places that will be
affected by rising sea levels and
cause flooding are : London,
Bangkok and New York, Shanghai
and Mumbai
The Effect Climate
Change Will Have On
Different Countries.
Belgium
 In Belgium, over the course of the 20th century, there were
very marked and quite severe increases in seasonal and
annual temperatures (in the order of 1°C) during two
periods, firstly during the first half of the 20th century and
then in the 1980s
 The frequency of cold spells reduced significantly in the
early 1970s. The general increase in minimal temperatures
during the 20th century also explains why the longest
annual period without frost has increased
 Between 1833, when rainfall records began, and the end of
the 20th century, the Brussels region has seen an increase
of roughly 7% in annual rainfall
Hungary
 The annual precipitation amount significantly decreased in the 20th century. It
is most significant during spring when the sum of precipitation is only 75% of
the sum in the beginning of the 20th century. The summer precipitation
amount did not change in the past 100 years. The autumn and winter
precipitation decrease is 12-14%. The winter precipitation is the lowest in
comparison to the other seasons.
 The number of frosty days is expected to decrease in 2040, compared with 1961-
1990, in all parts of the country, by 12-15 days. The areas at higher altitudes are
expected to show a larger reduction, while the southern areas are expected to show a
smaller change. The number of frosty days shows a definite reduction which will
decrease the heat consumption due to a higher average temperature and a shorter
heating period. The number of days with heat alert shows an increasing tendency in
2040, compared with 1961-1990.
 The largest temperature increase is expected in summer, and the smallest increase
in spring. The expected summer warming of Hungary in 2071- 2100 compared with
1961-1990 ranges from 4.5-5.1°C (scenario A2) and 3.7-4.2°C (scenario B2). In case
of spring, the expected temperature increase inside Hungary is 2.9-3.2°C (scenario
A2) and 2.4-2.7°C (scenario B2) (6).
Norway
 For the period 1900-2008 as a whole, the annual mean temperature in




Norway has increased by about 0.9°C
The annual precipitation has increased in Norway during 1900-2008
Snow cover has decreased in the northern hemisphere for the past 50
years
Snowfall depends strongly on temperature and precipitation. In
Norway, these have increased during winter in the past few decades.
The Norwegian coastal glaciers, which were expanding and gaining
mass due to increased snowfall in winter up to the end of the 1990s, are
also now retreating, as a result of less winter precipitation and more
summer melting . Nearly all the smaller Norwegian glaciers are likely to
disappear and overall glacier area as well as volume may be reduced by
about one third by 2100
Iceland
 Iceland enjoys a warmer climate than its northerly location would indicate
because a part of the Gulf Stream flows around the southern and western
coasts of the country. Reykjavik has a cool climate; with annual
temperatures similar to those of Toronto or New York. However, it does
still get cold in Reykjavik.
 In addition, the result of mixing the warm, moist Atlantic air with the cold,
dry Arctic air produces a weather pattern that is constantly changing. The
annual temperature of Reykjavik is 5°C, with the average January
temperature being -0.4°C and July 11.2°C. The temperature records for
Reykjavík are 24.8°C (76.6°F) on August 11, 2004 and -24.5°C (-12.1°F) on
January 21, 1918.
 In the 1920s there was a period of rapid warming, similar to what is
observed in global averages, but in Iceland the temperature change was
greater and more abrupt. Since the 1980's, Iceland has experienced
considerable warming, and early in the 21st century temperatures reached
values comparable to those observed in the 1930s.
Germany
 The annual average temperature increased by ca. 0.8 to
1.0ºC between 1900 and 2000. After a cooling trend up to
the 1970s we now observe a continuous and rapid
temperature increase that still continues today .
 The intensity and frequency of the occurrence of extreme
rainfall events have increased especially during the last
forty years of the 20th century. In general, this trend is
more pronounced in the winter than in the summer .
 The probability of occurrence of an extremely hot summer,
such as in the year 2003, increased in the course of the
second half of the 20th century.
Scotland
 The Gulf Stream has a warming effect on the UK,
especially bringing mild winters for it latitude.
 From 1901 to 1999, annual mean CET
temperatures showed a warming of +0.6°C over
this period. The warming has been greatest from
mid-summer to late autumn.
 Temperatures in Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland have risen by about 0.7–0.8ºC since about
1980.
 Scotland is on average 20% wetter then it was in
1961
Estonia
 Estonia lies in the transition zone between maritime and
continental climate. Local climatic differences are due,
above all, to the neighbouring Baltic Sea, which warms up
the coastal zone in winter and has a cooling effect,
especially in spring.
 The most intensive warming to date has taken place in
March, April, and May, with a gradient of 1.5ºC per 100
years
 Since 1966 precipitation series in Estonia have been
massive. A significant increase in precipitation has
occurred in winter period (29%). During the period 1961–
2004 the winter seasonal precipitation increased over 45
mm.
Solutions to
climate
change
Fuel Economy
 Highway vehicles release about 1.5
billion metric tons of greenhouse gases
(GHGs) into the atmosphere each year.
 You an reduce them by:





Choosing a car with better gas mileage
Getting the best fuel economy out of your car
Using a low-carbon fuel such as ethanol or CNG
Walking, biking or taking public transport more
often
Combining trips when possible
Clean Energy
 Two thirds of all energy going into the UK’s
power stations is lost as waste heat energy.
Up the chimney and cooling towers. If we
captured this heat it would be enough of it
to heat every building and business in the
UK.
 To capture this energy we would need to
start using smaller plants, however, by
making these changes we could double the
efficiency of our power stations, slash our
carbon emissions and reduce our reliance
on foreign gas.
In The Home
 Domestic usage accounts for 15% of the UK’s carbon
emissions.
 There are many simple solutions that can do such as
switching to energy efficient bulbs and fitting
insulation in the loft, etc.
 But we can go further by decentralising our energy
systems. By installing a small scale solar and wind
generators we can make our own power and even sell
our excess energy made top neighbours etc.
Industry
 In 2005 the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU
ETS) was set up to tackle emissions from industry,
which accounts for almost a quarter of the UK’s
carbon emissions.
 The ETS requires companies to either reduce their
emissions or buy carbon credits from other
companies that have not exceeded their targets.
Top Ten Small Solutions
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning
3. Change Light Bulbs to Fluorescent
4. Drive Less and Drive Smart
5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products
6. Use Less Hot Water
7. Use the “OFF” Button
8. Plant a Tree
9. Manage Your Utilities
10. Encourage Others to Conserve
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqVyRa1iuMc
In 50 years…
“It’s virtually certain that human activities are responsible for
the changes in climate that we’ve been seeing over the past
50 years.”
Climate in 50 years time…
 Persistent emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to
increasing levels of climate change; this can include
atmospheric warming, rising acidity levels in the
ocean, rising sea levels, and changing precipitation
patterns.
 The extent of future climate change is dependent on
what we do now to reduce global warming. The
more we create, the larger the changes will be.
Future Temperature Changes
 By 2100, global temperature is expected to warm
at a rate at least twice as fast as it has during the
last 100 years.
Future Predictions
 For every 2°F of warming, a 25% decrease in the
amount of Arctic sea ice in September alone is
projected.
 Estimates of future sea level rise vary for different
regions, but global sea level for the next century is
expected to rise at a greater rate than during the past
50 years.
 Glaciers are expected to continue to decrease in size.
The rate of melting is expected to continue to increase,
which will contribute to sea level rise.
 As heat waves increase, droughts and floods will
become more common, diseases like malaria may
spread to Britain and climate change refugees from
across the world are likely to head to the country.
 According to a new OECD report, the balance of
economic power is expected to shift dramatically over
the next half century, with fast-growing emergingmarket economies accounting for an ever-increasing
share of global output.
 Divergent long-term growth patterns lead to radical
shifts in the relative size of economies. The United States
is expected to cede its place as the world's largest
economy to China, as early as 2016. India’s GDP is also
expected to pass that of the United States over the long
term. Combined, the two Asian giants will soon surpass
the collective economy of the G7 nations. Fast-ageing
economic heavyweights, such as Japan and the euro area,
will gradually lose ground on the global GDP table to
countries with a younger population.
Thank You!
References
 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html
 http://www.50yearforecast.org/
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6236690/Met-Office-
catastrophic-climate-change-could-happen-with-50-years.html
 http://www.climateadaptation.eu/
 http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/solutions
 http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.





htm
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/climate.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_climate_change_on_humans
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/19/climatechange-affect-food-production
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=population-growthclimate-change
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climatechange/impacts/sea_level_rise/