The Causes and Effects of Climate Change

The causes of climate change are divided into two categories: natural and anthropogenic.

The former include solar radiation intensity, Earth axis and orbit changes, volcanic activities and ocean currents. while the latter consist of burning of fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers, deforestation, energy production. 

Although the climate has been naturally changing throughout its history, scientists have recorded that since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, the global temperature has increased at a much faster rate. By burning fossil fuels and changing how we use the land, human activity has quickly become the leading cause of changes to our climate.

This rapid warming is consistent with the scientific understanding of how the climate should respond to a rapid increase in greenhouse gases like that which has occurred over the past century, and the warming is inconsistent with the scientific understanding of how the climate should respond to natural external factors such as variability in solar output and volcanic activity.


The evidence for the changes in the climate are pretty tangible from the single individual, experiencing warmer summers, tougher rainfalls and decrease in snowfall, to the big corporation, which, especially in this year of socio-political crisis is struggling to provide the necessary energy input to continue the production in a financially sound manner.

On a more global scale, it's easily spotted the melting of glaciers and with it the sea levels rising. The oceans becoming hotter and as well more acidic from the interaction with the overload of GHG in the atmosphere. Rainfalls are becoming less predictable and more dangerous, on the other side, droughts are more frequent in many places and with it wildfires, famine and increase in pests/diseases.

Another very important variable to be considered with regard to the effects of climate change is the subjective variable of the different socio-demographic and economic conditions of the region/population affected by it.

I will further deep dive into this topic in a future post as it unravels a less geologic and more socio-economic aspect of climate change.



The predictions for the future made by the academics are catastrophic. An IPCC Report from 2021 claims that if we do not stop our increase in GHG emissions in the atmosphere by 2050, the average global temperature will keep increasing and with it the effects of climate change become exponentially more dangerous.

Extreme weather events can become worse with time: Every additional 0.5C rise in temperature amplifies the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, heavy precipitation and droughts. Land and ocean's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) will decrease: Emitted CO2 will remain in the atmosphere. Greenland ice sheet and Antarctic ice sheet will continuously lose ice over the 21st century. This ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet will increase with cumulative emissions. Deep ocean warming and ice sheet melt will drive sea level rise for centuries and millennia.

References:

Ministry for the Environment & Stats NZ (2020). New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series: Our atmosphere and climate 2020 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/causes-of-climate-change

"IPCC Report 2021: What do we expect in future?" Down To Earth, 11 Aug. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A671640390/ITOF?u=ull_ttda&sid=summon&xid=7ce834b4. Accessed 21 Oct. 2022.


Commenti

Posta un commento

Post popolari in questo blog

Italy and its Protected Areas

Immagine
  Italy presents a highly diversified and complex network of protected areas which cover around 21.5% of terrestrial territory and 8.8% of marine territory (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2023). Nonetheless, these areas are continuously reported as lacking of appropriate financing which leads to poor management plans resulting with the inability to protect the areas from illegal activities, such as pastures, tourism or fishing (WWF Italia 2018).  During an investigation by WWF Italia in 2018 where protected areas personnel itself responded to a survey exploring the current status of Italian Protected Areas, respondents highlighted some key points of development regarding risks and opportunities (WWF Italia 2018).  First of all, the main threat for Italian Protected Areas, especially Marine territories, is identified with Climate Change as the leading problem, followed by littering, naval traffic, illegal fishing or poaching and invasion of alien species (WWF Italia 2018).  To re...
Continua a leggere

Umbrella Species as a Conservation Practice: Benefits and Limitations

Immagine
An umbrella species in the context of ecology and biodiversity is defined by the Oxford Reference as "a species of plant or animal that has a large home range and broad habitat requirements, both of which overlap with other species, so that if it is given a large enough area for its own protection the other species will also benefit" (Park 2012). They represent a shortcut for the maintenance of biodiversity considering the consistent limitations on finance, knowledge and time for action (Roberge 2004). However, the adoption of umbrella species as conservation practice is equivocal based on the empirical data of its effectiveness (Thornton 2016).  This tool is useful in determining the minimum size for conservation areas, selecting the sites to be included in reserve networks and setting minimum standards for composition and processes of ecosystems (Roberge 2004).  When charismatic umbrella species are selected, they can also become a representative surrogate for sympatric spe...
Continua a leggere

Just Transitions for Energy and Climate

Immagine
Even though the line of energy development is often considered a linear conventional transition towards an increasingly more technological future, this worldview omits the factors of uncertainty , human behaviour, cultural differences and diverse societal norms all together which sometimes lead to a more complex relationship between prosperity and sustainability (Jasanoff 2018). Moreover, the identification of self bias by academic communities with regard to dynamic or uncertain scientific aspects in nowadays model making, such as diverse background, values and beliefs, would allow a more perceptive and aware utilization and/or development of new and/or existing technologies (Jasanoff 2018). "That reflexivity could become the doorway to a Second Enlightenment, a stage of self-awareness in which we deploy both our knowledge and our doubts more wisely" (Jasanoff 2018). The disparity of local scales of governance along with the development efforts needed for downscaling national...
Continua a leggere