Climate Change Impacts
Our List of Articles About Climate Change Impacts:
Below is what the IPPC says about these impacts:
The IPCC (2001) states that, “…climate change represents opportunities and risks for human development”. The areas where climate change could produce opportunities include:-
- expansion of agriculture into areas previously limited by temperature, but only if adequate soils are present.
- As the arctic ice thins, areas will be accessible for surface navigation that were previously inaccessible.
- Heating demand and mortality from the cold in winter could decrease due to milder weather.
The following areas are those where climate change will cause adverse effects, are of concern to mankind, and which can be predicted with more than 90% confidence (Grub, 2004):-
- There will be an increase in precipitation events, leading to increased flooding and landslide occurrences.
- Run-off will increase leading to a higher level of soil erosion, along with an increase in maximum temperatures producing heat waves, which could cause heat related stress in crops and livestock. Grub (2004), predicts the following changes as likely, with a confidence of over two thirds: Mid-latitudinal drought risk, through summer heat, higher intensity of tropical cyclones, and a more variable Asian summer monsoon. This last prediction is thought to have an especially high impact, as it will effect half of the worlds population that live in China, India and surrounding countries.
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