Our daily life is threatened

....our daily life is threatened

Climate change will transform the physical geography of the world and affect all its inhabitants

 

 

Temperature changes, sea level rise and precipitation changes will have drastic consequences especially in the following areas:

Health

If the global average temperature increases by more than 2C 200 to 600 million people will face famine.


The distribution of mosquito bourne diseases is changing as higher altitudes become warmer and more inhabitable for mosquitoes. (CHO 2005)

Agriculture

 


Declining  crop yields could leave hundreds of millions without the ability to produce or purchase sufficient food.

In 2003, Europe experienced a heat wave which caused the death of 35,000 people and the loss of billion dollars, such occurrences could be common place by the middle of the century.

Forest

Vegetation is more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than animals.


For example, the Amazon rainforest could be subjected to significant drying as a result of climate change. One model, for example, finds that he Amazon rainforest could be significantly, and possibly irrevocably damaged by a warming of 2 - 3C

Water resources

Glaciers are the water tanks that fill our rivers.

Ice melt will eventually threaten one-sixth of the world's population.


Rise of 2C temperature will lead to 1-4 billion people of water shortages.

Coastal areas

Coastal areas will be seriously affected in South East Asia and in large coastal cities such as Kyoto, New York, Cairo and London.


Numerous low-lying islands will disappear.


By 2050, 200 million people may become permanently displaced due to rising sea  levels, heavier floods, and more intense droughts.

Wild life

Ecosystems will be particularly vulnerable to climate change, with around 15-40% of species potentially facing extinction after temperature increase of 2C


Ocean acidification, a direct result of rising carbon dioxide levels, will have major effects on marine ecosystems, with possible adverse consequences on fish stocks.

The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed: the poorest countries and people will suffer earliest and most!

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