Volume : 6 | Issue : 4 | April - 2017 ISSN - 2250-1991 | IF : 5.761 | IC Value : 79.

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Original Research Paper Zoology

Global Climate Change: Causes, Effects and

Dr Malti Department of Zoology Ch. Charan Singh University Campus, Meerut

and it will have many serious and potentially damaging effects in the decades ahead. Climate change is a serious concern, drawing
increasing attention from the media, policy makers and citizens around the world. Climate change is affecting the basic elements
of life for people around the world –access to water, food production, health, and the environment. Hundreds of millions of
people could suffer hunger, water shortages and coastal ooding as the world warms. It is important to do something about it to
help decrease the amount of change that occurs and make it not happen so fast.

KEYWORDS
Introduction Solar Radiations
Climate Change is a complex phenomenon. Consequently, it is The sun is the ultimate source of supply of energy for earth's
also a dif cult concept to de ne. A general de nition of this topic climate system. A small change in the output of sun's energy can
is a short-term or long-term alteration of the statistical properties in uence the climate change. These changes include changes
of a climate system. Such a change can be temporary or within the sun and changes in Earth's orbit. Studies suggests that
permanent. It can occur regionally or globally. However, in recent solar variations have played a role in past climate change. For
times the main focus is on human activity that is responsible for example, period between approximately 1650 and 1850 is known
climate change. Thus the United Nations Framework Convention as “Little Ice Age” which may have been partially caused by a low
on Climate Change de nes this subject as "a change of climate solar activity.
which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that
alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in Earth Orbital Changes
addition to natural climate variability Observed over comparable A slight change in the tilt of the earth can lead to climatic changes.
time periods." Climate change is real, and it is really something While less tilt means cooler summers and milder winters; more tilt
serious that people downplay a whole lot. means warmer summers and colder winters. These small and slow
changes can lead to important changes in the strength of the
Climate change refers to a statistically signi cant variation in either seasons over tens of thousands of years.
the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an
extended period (typically decades or longer). Climate change may Effects of Climate Change
be due to natural internal processes or external forcing or to Most of the consequences of Climate Change would result from
persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the one of three physical changes in rainfall; sea level rise, higher local
atmosphere or in land use. There are many different problems that temperatures, or changes in rainfall patterns. Climate change can
are leading to our climate change, some of them having to do with really have a lot of negative consequences. It is already having
the Greenhouse Effect, and other changes are occurring due to impact on the plant and animal life, and if you really don't want to
human activity and solar irradiance. The earth is becoming hotter, see it get much worse- it is time to go green.
whether we want to admit it or not. Here is what is happening.
Effect on Fresh Water System
Causes of Climate Change Water is an essential resource for all life and a requirement for
Human economic activity is causing the release of certain good health and sanitation. It is a critical input for almost all
pollutants (atmospheric trace gases-mainly carbon dioxide, production and essential for sustainable growth and poverty
methane, nitrous oxide and CFSs) which tend to block the emission reduction. The location of water around the world is a critical
of heat from the earth surface. These gases are transparent to determinant of livelihoods. Differences in water availability
short-wave radiation from the sun, but absorb long-wave between regions will become increasingly pronounced.
radiation from the earth, thus tapping heat. In theory, increasing
their concentration in the atmosphere causes the earth to warm- Effect on Agriculture
like green house. Food production is particularly sensitive to climate change,
because crop yields depend in large part on prevailing climate
The Greenhouse Effect conditions (temperature and rainfall patterns). Maize-based
An overwhelming body of scienti c evidence indicates that the agriculture in tropical regions, such as parts of Africa and Central
Earth's climate is rapidly changing, predominantly as a result of America, is likely to suffer substantial declines, because maize has
increases in greenhouse gases caused by human activities. The a different physiology to most crops and is less responsive to the
warming of our atmosphere is actually happening because the direct effects of rising carbon dioxide.
atmosphere is continuing to trap the heat that radiates from the
earth and traps it between earth and space. Depletion of Arctic Ice
Though greenhouse effect is necessary for all of us to survive on
Ocean Currents this planet but an increase in greenhouse gases causes
Variations in ocean currents can also in uence climate change for temperature to rise which can result in harmful effects to the
short periods of time. Ocean currents move vast amounts of heat ecology and environment. The increase in temperature of
across the planet. Movement of cold water deep under the oceans atmosphere has resulted in shrinking of arctic ice.
towards the regions near the equator and movement of warm
water near the equator back towards the pole play an important Wild res
role in determining the atmospheric concentration of Co2. The hot and dry conditions causes wild res to spread across dense
forests and makes it a perfect recipe for disaster. They not only
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Volume : 6 | Issue : 4 | April - 2017 ISSN - 2250-1991 | IF : 5.761 | IC Value : 79.96
reduce green cover but also push forest animals towards higher Ÿ Technologies are available today to produce electric power and
altitudes. Animals that could not survive become extinct and gets heat more ef ciently using both fossil fuels and renewable
their name registered in the list of endangered species. energy. Power plants using the Integrated Gasi cation and
Combined Cycle (IGCC) process, for example, deliver
Effects on Energy Supply and Demand ef ciency gains along with reductions in air pollution by
Climate change have wide ranging impacts on society and converting coal into a cleaner-burning gas.
infrastructure that supports civilization. Global warming could Ÿ Renewable energy harnesses the power of the wind, the sun,
impact not only on agriculture but also on human settlement water, tides and other forces to produce electric power.
,energy use, transportation, industry, environmental quality and Agricultural “biomass” products also can be used to generate
other aspects of infrastructure that affect our quality of life (IPCC electricity and heat when combusted with coal. Renewable
1990). offer the potential to generate electricity without producing
greenhouse gases—or producing very little when compared to
Effects on Human Health traditional energy sources.
One of the most dangerous impacts of changing climate is the way Ÿ Many actions can be taken that would greatly reduce GHG
it will affect human health. Extreme heat can kill humans, but also emissions and or reduce the impacts of greenhouse warming.
virtually every aspect of predicted climate change has implication To avoid the worst effects, scientists say we will need to
for human health. Changes in temperature and precipitation, sea stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere;
level, sheries, agriculture, natural ecosystems, and air quality will that means reducing emissions of these gases by about 50 to
all directly or indirectly affect human morbidity or mortality. 80 percent. It is a major challenge that will require
unprecedented cooperation and participation across the
Effects on Ecosystem globe. These actions can be taken globally, nationally and
Climate change holds the potential of in icting severe damage on individually.
the ecosystems that support all life, from hazards to coral reefs due Ÿ Individual countries can choose from a large set of possible
to warmer and more acidic ocean waters to threats to polar bears policy instruments to limit domestic GHG emissions. These
because of declines in sea ice. Ecosystems around the world include traditional regulatory mechanisms such as technology
already are reacting to a warming world. For example, one study mandates and performance standards. They also include
found that 130 species, including both plants and animals, have “market-based” instruments such as carbon taxes, energy
responded to earlier spring warming over the last 30 years. taxes, tradable emissions permits, and subsidies to clean
technologies. They also include various voluntary agreements
Heat Waves between industries and regulators. Climate chang affects the
The large amount of greenhouse gases released from industries, basic elements of life for people around the world –access to
vehicles, agricultural activities increases the concentration of CO2 water, food production, health, and the environment.
and heats up the atmosphere. The increased temperature then Ÿ The impacts of climate change or rather the damage would be
cause heat waves and makes it dif cult for people to survive. more on poor countries as they do not have enough resources
to mitigate or adapt to climate change. If actions are not taken
Loss of Wildlife Species soon to reduce the impacts of human-induced climate change,
Wild res, deforestation, shifting habitat have caused several the consequences could be far reaching.
species to become extinct, pushed few of them towards extinction
and rest of them have migrated to some other place. If experts are REFERENCES
to be believed, one-fourth of Earth's species could extinct by 2050. 1. Hadley Centre (2005): 'Stabilizing climate to avoid dangerous climate change – a
summary of relevant research at the Hadley Centre', available from
2. Hardy John T. (2003) Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions Published by
Rise in Sea Level John Wiley Ltd, the Atrium Southern Gate, Chicester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ,
Some parts of the earth are going to naturally be warmer than England
3. Hassan,Zubair (2006) Introduction to Microeconomics :An Islamic Perspective
others, but as the climate changes that means that so will these Published by Prentice Hall Pearson Malaysia Sdn.Bhd,Lot 2,Jalan 215 ,off Jalan
areas. Warmer conditions may also lead to other areas not getting Templer, Selangor, Malaysia.
enough precipitation, and even some areas that may get more 4. Smith Klein and Huq (2003)Editors Climate Change, Adaptive Capacity and
Development published by Imperial College Press,57 Shelton Street Covent
than they should. It will also cause parts of glaciers to melt, which Garden, London.
could lead to ooding in certain areas and could make the sea
levels rise.

Shifting Habitat
Prolonged heat waves, deforestation, wild res, high temperatures
have pushed plants and animals towards higher altitudes. The
worst part is that most of them are not able to survive due to
changing climatic conditions and have moved more towards
extinction.

Remedies
Climate change can really be a negative force on our planet earth.
It is time to take a look at the things that can be done to help
improve the environment and help to slow down the process of
climate change. If we can do that, then the world will be able to be
sustainable for much longer. That doesn't mean that climate
change is completely avoidable though. The greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions that are causing global warming come from a
wide range of sources, including cars and trucks, power plants,
farms, and more. Because there are so many sources of these
gases, there are also many options for reducing emissions.

Ÿ If we could reduce CO2 emissions at the source, we could

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