SCIENCE AND NATURE

OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Science and Nature of Climate Change
• What is Climate Change?
• What are the Causes of Climate Change
• Impacts of Climate Change
• Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management
• Addressing the Problem of Climate Change:
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
Climate Change
• is a change in the usual weather found in a place.
This could be a change in how much rain a place
usually gets in a year. Or it could be a change in a
place's usual temperature for a month or season.
Causes of Climate Change
•Energy Generation
•Manufacturing goods
•Deforestation
•Transportation
•Food Production
•Powerplants
•Overconsumption
Energy Generation
• Any facility, whether privately or
publically owned, that produces
energy from renewable natural
resources such as sunlight, wind,
water, or geo-thermal heat, or
the burning of non-toxic
materials and biomass such as
solid waste, trash, or plant
materials, or the burning of
natural gas or other clean
burning fuels. This term shall not
include gas or oil processing or
manufacturing facilities.
Manufacturing Goods • The process making of
goods by hand or by
machine that upon
completion the business
sells to a customer. Items
used in manufacture may be
raw materials or component
parts of a larger product. The
manufacturing usually
happens on a large-scale
production line of machinery
and skilled labor.
Deforestation
• the cutting down of trees
in a large area, or the
destruction of forests
caused by humans.
Transportation
• the movement of people
or goods from one place
to another
Food Production
• the process of preparing
food by converting raw
materials into ready-made
food products either in the
home or in the food
industries.
Powerplants
• an industrial facility that
generates electricity from
primary energy. Most power
plants use one or more
generators that convert
mechanical energy into
electrical energy in order to
supply power to the
electrical grid for society's
electrical needs.
Overconsumption
• the state or an instance
of consuming too much
food, drink, fuel, etc.
Impacts of Climate Change
• Increase Global Temperature
• More severe storms
• Increased rate of drought
• A warming and rising sea level
• Increase extinction events
• Decreased Agricultural Productivity
• Increase health risks
• Poverty and displacement
Increase Global Temperature
• the unusually rapid
increase in Earth's
average surface
temperature over the past
century primarily due to
the greenhouse gases
released as people burn
fossil fuels.
More severe storms
• Changes in temperature
cause changes in rainfall.
This results in more severe
and frequent storms. They
cause flooding and
landslides, destroying
homes and communities,
and costing billions of
pounds.
Increased rate of drought
• a deficiency of
precipitation over an
extended period of
time (usually a season
or more), resulting in a
water shortage.
A warming and rising sea level
• is an increase in the
level of the world's
oceans due to the effects
of global warming.
Increase extinction events

• the dying out or

extermination of a
species.
Decreased Agricultural Productivity
• the less production of
the agricultural crops
Increase health risks
• something that
increases your chance
of developing a disease.
Poverty and displacement
• not having enough
money to meet basic
needs including food,
clothing and shelter
• The displacement of
human populations refers
to the relocation of large
numbers of people from
their homes.
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

 CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS TO

AGRICULTURE
 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE COUNTRY’S
FOREST
 CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH
 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE COASTAL
RESOURCES
 Climate Change and its Impacts to
Agriculture
Climate change disturbs the agricultural ecosystem,
resulting in the change in agricultural climatic elements
The impacts of climate change on the arable and
livestock sector are made known by biological changes
including the change of flowering and harvesting
seasons, quality change, and shift of areas suitable for
cultivation. Climate change affects the agricultural
ecosystem, giving rise to blights and pests and causing
population movement and change in biodiversity.
Climate change brings about biological changes in areas
such as fertilization and breeding and also affects the
growing pattern of pastures.
  Climate Change and Its Impacts and
the Country’s Forest
A changing climate may worsen many of the threats to forests, such as pest outbreaks, fires,
human development and drought.
Climate changes directly and indirectly affect the growth and productivity of forests , elevated
levels of carbon dioxide have an effect on plant growth.
Warming temperatures generally increase the length of the growing season.
Habitats of some types of trees are likely to move north or to higher altitudes.
Other species will be at risk locally or regionally if conditions in their current
geographic ranges are no longer suitable.

Climate change will likely increase the risk of drought in some areas and the risk
of extreme precipitation and flooding in others. Increased temperatures alter the
timing of snowmelt, affecting the seasonal availability of water, drought increases
wildfire risk, since dry trees and shrubs provide fuel to fires.
The disturbances can reduce forest productivity and change
the distribution of tree species. In other cases, existing species
may shift their range or die out. New species of vegetation
that colonize the area create a new type of forest.Disturbances
can interact with one another, or with changes in temperature
and precipitation, to increase risks to forests.
 Climate Change and Health
According to World Health Organization there are five major health impacts of climate
change:

1. Malnutrition
2. Deaths and injuries caused by storms and floods. (Flooding can also be followed by
outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera)
3. Contamination (droughts and sudden floods) – increased burden of diarrhea disease.
4. Heat waves – direct increases in morbidity and mortality; indirect effects via increases in
ground-level ozone, contributing to asthma attacks.
5. Vector-borne disease – malaria and dengue.
The vulnerable population groups like Chronic medical conditions including
mentally ill, clients with special needs; poor and vulnerable communities; Being
confined to bed; Certain medical treatments. Some types of occupation, outdoor
workers; Very young children; Elderly suffer the greatest effects of heat-waves
(impact on mortality greater in women)

The health impact of climate change like the Air pollution - a reduction in the cold,
calm winter weather associated with winter air pollution episodes together with
reduced emissions of key pollutants including particles, oxides of nitrogen and
sulphurdioxide could lead to a reduction (up to 50%) in the adverse health effects of
winter air pollution. A small overall increase in the number of summer ozone
episodes coupled with a longer-term increase in background levels of ozone could
cause a rise in the number of premature deaths.
 Climate Change and Coastal Resources
Coastal and ocean activities, such as marine transportation of goods,
offshore energy drilling, resource extraction, fish cultivation, recreation, and
tourism are integral to the nation's economy, generating 58% of the national
gross domestic product (GDP). Coastal areas are also home to species and
habitats that provide many benefits to society and natural ecosystems.
Rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing the
oceans to absorb more of the gas and become more acidic. This rising
acidity can have significant impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems.
 Impacts Of Climate Change

•shoreline erosion
• coastal flooding
• water pollution

Change in sea level that is observed will be affected

by the increase in global sea level as well as land
movement up or down.
Climate change is likely to bring heavier rainfall to some coastal areas,
which would also increase runoff and flooding

Higher sea surface temperatures increase the risks of coral bleaching, which
can lead to coral death and the loss of critical habitat for other species. Rising
concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has increased the
absorption of CO2 in the ocean, which subsequently makes the
oceans more acidic.
Disaster Risk Management
• action taken to reduce the risk of disasters and the adverse
impacts of natural hazards, through systematic efforts to analyse
and manage the causes of disasters, including through
avoidance of hazards, reduced social and economic
vulnerability to hazards, and improved preparedness for adverse
events
Addressing the problem of Climate Change :
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
Mitigation
 reducing climate change – involves reducing the flow of heat-
trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by
reducing sources of these gases (for example, the burning of fossil
fuels for electricity, heat or transport) or enhancing the
“sinks” that accumulate and store these gases (such as the oceans,
forests and soil). The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant
human interference with the climate system, and “stabilize
greenhouse gas levels in a timeframe sufficient to allow
ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensure that food
production is not threatened and to enable economic development
to proceed in a sustainable manner”.
Adaptation
 adapting to life in a changing climate – involves adjusting to
actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce our
vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change (like sea-
level encroachment, more intense extreme weather events or
food insecurity). It also encompasses making the most of any
potential beneficial opportunities associated with climate
change (for example, longer growing seasons or increased
yields in some regions).
The difference between climate change mitigation
strategies and climate change adaptation is that mitigation
is aimed at tackling the causes and minimizing the
possible impacts of climate change, whereas adaptation
looks at how to reduce the negative effects it has and how
to take advantage of any opportunities that arise. Where
mitigation strategies fail to reach emissions containment
targets, climate resilience will be key to lessen the
impacts of climate change and pave the way for our
survival, along with the rest of the Earth's inhabitants.
Measures for Mitigating and Adapting to
Climate Change
Climate change is an uphill battle, but with our combined efforts and suitable mitigation
actions we can minimize the damage it causes:


Improving energy efficiency and opting for renewable energy over fossil fuels.

Promoting public transport and sustainable mobility by increasing the numbers of journeys
in towns by bicycle, reducing the number of flights and taking more trips by train or in
shared cars.

Promoting ecological industry, agriculture, fishing and livestock farming,
food sustainability, responsible consumption and the 3Rs rule (reduce, reuse, recycle).
By taxing the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions markets.

 Alongside mitigation measures to stem global warming,
measures for adapting to climate change also need to be encouraged:
 Erecting buildings and
infrastructure that is safer and more sustainable.
 Replanting forests and restoring damaged ecosystems.
 Diversifying crops so that they are better able to adapt to changing
climates.
 Investigating and developing innovative solutions to prevent and
manage natural catastrophes.
 Developing action plans for climate emergencies.