EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RECONITION, WHAT ISHAPPENING...

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RECONITION, WHAT ISHAPPENING ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO REALISE,WE NEED CHANGE NOW, NOT TOMORROW.

Hotter temperatures

As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the global surfacetemperature. The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since the1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Nearly all land areasare seeing more hot days and heat waves. Higher temperatures increaseheat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult. Wildfiresstart more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter.Temperatures in the Arctic have warmed at least twice as fast as the globalaverage.

More severe storms

Destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in manyregions. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, which exacerbatesextreme rainfall and flooding, causing more destructive storms. The frequencyand extent of tropical storms is also affected by the warming ocean. Cyclones,hurricanes, and typhoons feed on warm waters at the ocean surface. Such stormsoften destroy homes and communities, causing deaths and huge economic losses.

Increased drought

Climate change is changing water availability, making it scarcer inmore regions. Global warming exacerbates water shortages in alreadywater-stressed regions and is leading to an increased risk of agriculturaldroughts affecting crops, and ecological droughts increasing the vulnerabilityof ecosystems. Droughts can also stir destructive sand and dust storms that canmove billions of tons of sand across continents. Deserts are expanding,reducing land for growing food. Many people now face the threat of not havingenough water on a regular basis.

A warming, rising ocean

The ocean soaks up most of the heat from global warming. The rate atwhich the ocean is warming strongly increased over the past two decades, acrossall depths of the ocean. As the ocean warms, its volume increases since waterexpands as it gets warmer. Melting ice sheets also cause sea levels to rise,threatening coastal and island communities. In addition, the ocean absorbscarbon dioxide, keeping it from the atmosphere. But more carbon dioxide makesthe ocean more acidic, which endangers marine life and coral reefs.

Loss of species

Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and inthe ocean. These risks increase as temperatures climb. Exacerbated by climatechange, the world is losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at anyother time in recorded human history. One million species are at risk ofbecoming extinct within the next few decades. Forest fires, extreme weather,and invasive pests and diseases are among many threats related to climatechange. Some species will be able to relocate and survive, but others will not.

Not enough food

Changes in the climate and increases in extreme weather events areamong the reasons behind a global rise in hunger and poor nutrition. Fisheries,crops, and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. With the oceanbecoming more acidic, marine resources that feed billions of people are atrisk. Changes in snow and ice cover in many Arctic regions have disrupted foodsupplies from herding, hunting, and fishing. Heat stress can diminish water andgrasslands for grazing, causing declining crop yields and affecting livestock.

More health risks

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity.Climate impacts are already harming health, through air pollution, disease,extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, andincreased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or findsufficient food. Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around 13million people. Changing weather patterns are expanding diseases, and extremeweather events increase deaths and make it difficult for health care systems tokeep up.

Poverty and displacement

Climate changeincreases the factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweepaway urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods. Heat can make it difficultto work in outdoor jobs. Water scarcity may affect crops. Over the past decade(2010–2019), weather-related events displaced an estimated 23.1 millionpeopleon average each year, leaving many more vulnerable to poverty. Most refugeescome from countries that are most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to theimpacts of climate change.

Based on various UN sources