1) Sea level rise 2) More frequent extreme weather events 3) Spread of infectious insect-borne diseases 4) Lengthening of growing seasons

1. Impacts of
Climate Change
(in TB)

2. The carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants
we release into the atmosphere act like a blanket,
trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to
warm.
Evidence shows that 2000 to 2009 was hotter than
any other decade in at least
the past 1,300 years.
This warming is altering the earth's climate system,
including its land, atmosphere, oceans, and ice, in
far-reaching ways.

3. 1. Sea Level Rise
What is it?
• Sea level rise is the change in global average sea level caused
by the increase of volume of the ocean.
• Expected to rise between 18 and 59 cm by the end of the century
• Continued melting at the poles could add between 10 to 20 cm.
Two main reasons:
1. Melting of glaciers
• Higher global temperature
→ cause glaciers in Greenland and Antartica to melt
→ the resultant meltwater causes sea level to rise.
2. Thermal expansion
• Higher global temperature
→ water in seas and oceans expands
→ causes sea level to increase.

4. Alaska

5. Greenland

6. Arctic Sea
The extended spell of high global temperatures is continuing with the Arctic
witnessing exceptional warmth and – as a result – record low Arctic sea.

7. Arctic Sea

8. Arctic Ice Melt

9. Alaska

10. Alaska

11. Antarctica

12. Switzerland

14. 2. More Frequent Extreme Weather Events
What is it?
• An extreme weather event is a severe and rare weather
phenomenon (e.g. heat waves, severe droughts,
intense rainfalls, massive floods, tropical cyclones etc).
• Occurrence of extreme weather events has increased since
1980s.
Why does it happen?
1. Due to higher land and sea surface temperatures
• Higher temperatures
→ result in greater amounts of water vapour and
latent heat in a warmer atmosphere
→ which serves as a powerful driving force for extreme
weather events.

15. Heat waves (Senegal)

16. Heat waves (Texas)

18. 2. More Frequent Extreme Weather Events
How does heat waves affect people?
• When people are subject to extreme heat, vital organs are
at risk when the body cannot cool itself down
sufficiently, resulting in death.
• Young children and the elderly are expecially vulnerable to
heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses.

19. Severe droughts

20. Severe droughts

22. Intense rainfalls & Flooding

23. Massive flooding

24. Tropical cyclones

25. Tropical cyclones & Flooding

26. Tropical cyclones & Flooding

27. Extreme Weather 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXA82tTbpho

29. 3. Spread of Infectious Insect-Borne
Diseases
Why does it happen?
• Climate change could result in increase in temperature and
increase in rainfall in various parts of the world.
• These conditions are favourable for insects like mosquitos
to thrive in.
1. Higher temperatures
• Malaria mosquitoes digest blood quicker and feed
more often → lead to faster transmission of malaria
disease
2. Higher rainfalls
• Create more breeding grounds for mosquitoes as
there are stagnant water → lead to more mosquitoes
to transmit malaria and dengue to humans

30. 3. Spread of Infectious Insect-Borne
Diseases
How does it impact people?
North America & Europe
• Diseases like malaria and dengue fever used to be confined to the
tropics.
• But with global warming, dengue is spreading beyond the tropics, to places
like Europe and North America.
Nepal & Bhutan
• There used to be no such occurrence of dengue fever in the cool climate
areas of Nepal and Bhutan before 2004.
• But due to global warming, the temperature of both countries rose and
reached the optimum temperature for mosquitoes to breed.
• Now, people living in Nepal and Bhutan experience the risk of getting
infected by such insect-borne diseases.
 These places might not have the medical facilities available to deal with
such diseases  people suffer a higher chance of dying/infection

32. Global
Temperature
Dengue
Cases

33. 4. Lengthening the growing season
Why does it happen?
• Higher temperatures may result in longer growing seasons
in some regions.
 Positive impacts / opportunities
1. United Kingdom
• An increase in the types of crops that can be grown
• New crops such as blackberries and maize can be
cultivated → more food produced for people / can sell
to earn an income
2. Canada
• Higher yield of fruit, soya beans and potatoes →
3. Germany
• Previously considered too cold for wine-making, but now,
warmer temperatures enable Germany to produce wine →

36. 4. Lengthening the growing season
 Negative impacts
1. Yunnan province, China
• Production of fruits (e.g. apples & cherries, and nuts) is
reduced as these fruits and nuts require cool weather
conditions → farmers have lesser crops for sale, and
their incomes may decrease
2. Rome, Italy
• Earlier springs and warmer autumns made the grapes
sweeter
→ leads to more alcoholic wines
→ increase in alcohol content creates problems
(e.g. alcoholism & drink-driving accidents etc.

38. Impacts of
Climate Change
(More interesting stuff
outside TB)

39. 5. Salmon die or
fail to spawn

40. 6. Lobsters cannot produce
eggs & sperms for mating

41. Singapore
7. New shipping routes due
to melting of glaciers