Effects of Global Climate Change
Things Are Heating Up ...
As we have seen in previous lessons the main effect of climate change is that temperatures across the world are rising. This temperature change is having many effects in different parts of the world. These include:
- Glaciers Melting
- Severe Weather occurring more often
- Some areas get less rain causing Droughts
- Other areas get more rain causing Floods
Let’s look at each of these closer
1. Glaciers Melting
At the north and south poles, as well as at the tops of mountains the warmer temperatures are causing glaciers to melt away. We can see from the pictures of Mount Kilimanjaro that glaciers have even been shrinking at the top of Africa's tallest mountain. Some scientists think that by 2020 there will be no snow on top of Kilimanjaro at all! At the poles the melting water is flowing into the oceans, causing the sea level to rise. This will cause problems in the future for people living next to the ocean.
2. Severe Weather
Another effect of climate change is that severe weather events will occur more often. While we are used to occasional storms or floods these severe weather events will start to occur more often and have worse effects than before. Most severe weather events are fueled by warm temperatures, as the atmosphere heats up there is be more energy available for storms and severe weather events to occur. That means when in the future we will have more storms with stronger winds, more rain and more destruction.
3. Drought and Desertification
Scientists are predicting that in Sub-Saharan Africa rain levels are going to decrease due to climate change. This will cause several problems, such as less fresh drinking water for people and less irrigation water for agriculture. More droughts will mean less food being produced in an area that depends on agriculture for both jobs and food. Another problem that will arise is desertification. Areas that are near current deserts like the Sahara will likely start to turn into desert as well, meaning people living there will have to move to other areas. Also, in some areas that were already dry the high temperatures or bad agricultural practices may start to create new desert areas.
4. Floods
While some areas will be experiencing droughts other regions will have to deal with increased rains and floods. Eastern Canada is an area that may get more rain in the years to come. The increased rain and floods are related to the severe weather events. During some storms areas will get very high levels of rain in a very short time, causing floods. This will also cause problems for people working in agriculture, too much rain is not good for crops. Many of them will be washed away in the floods and the ones left over will a difficult time dealing with the new climate they have found themselves in. Flooding will also cause problems for people living in low areas or near rivers.
Flood Map Activity
One of the major problems many areas of the world will face is sea level rise. Due to the melting glaciers the amount of water in the world's ocean's is going to go up. By clicking on the link HERE you will be taken to a website that simulates flooding around the world, showing you what would happen if the ocean were to rise by different levels. Find your town and see how it could be affected!
The Gathering Storm
This weeks episode in our series The Gathering Storm is called Creeping Deserts and can be seen by clicking HERE. Don't forget to visit the Discussions Page after your finished to keep talking about what your learning!