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What is Climate Change?And Consequences of Climate change
- 1. WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE?
- 3. Climate is the usual weather of a place. Climate can be different for different seasons. A place might be mostly warm and dry in the summer. The same place may be cool and wet in the winter. Different places can have different climates. You might live where it snows all the time. And some people live where it is always warm enough to swim outside!
- 4. There's also Earth's climate. Earth's climate is what you get when you combine all the climates around the world together.
- 6. 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.
- 7. Climate change is also a change in Earth's climate. This could be a change in Earth's usual temperature. Or it could be a change in where rain and snow usually fall on Earth.
- 8. Weather can change in just a few hours. Climate takes hundreds or even millions of years to change.
- 10. Earth's climate is always changing. There have been times when Earth's climate has been warmer than it is now. There have been times when it has been cooler. These times can last thousands or millions of years.
- 11. People who study Earth see that Earth's climate is getting warmer. Earth's temperature has gone up about one degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. This may not seem like much. But small changes in Earth's temperature can have big effects.
- 12. Some effects are already happening. Warming of Earth's climate has caused some snow and ice to melt. The warming also has caused oceans to rise. And it has changed the timing of when certain plants grow.
- 14. Many things can cause climate to change all on its own. Earth's distance from the sun can change. The sun can send out more or less energy. Oceans can change. When a volcano erupts, it can change our climate.
- 15. Most scientists say that humans can change climate too. People drive cars. People heat and cool their houses. People cook food. All those things take energy. One way we get energy is by burning coal, oil and gas. Burning these things puts gases into the air. The gases cause the air to heat up. This can change the climate of a place. It also can change Earth's climate.
- 17. Scientists think that Earth's temperature will keep going up for the next 100 years. This would cause more snow and ice to melt. Oceans would rise higher. Some places would get hotter. Other places might have colder winters with more snow. Some places might get more rain. Other places might get less rain. Some places might have stronger hurricanes.
- 19. Scientists think we can do things to stop the climate from changing as much. You can help by using less energy and water. Turn off lights and TVs when you leave a room. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. You also can help by planting trees. Another way to help is by learning about Earth. The more you know about Earth, the more you can help solve climate problems.
- 20. What are the Consequences of Climate Change?
- 21. Greenhouses gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat in the atmosphere and regulate our climate. These gases exist naturally, but humans add more carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels for energy (coal, oil, and natural gas) and by clearing forests. Greenhouse gases act like a blanket. The thicker the blanket, the warmer our planet becomes. At the same time, the Earth’s oceans are also absorbing some of this extra carbon dioxide, making them more acidic and less hospitable for sea life.
- 22. The increase in global temperature is significantly altering our planet’s climate, resulting in more extreme and unpredictable weather. For instance, heat waves are becoming more frequent and many places are experiencing record droughts followed by intense rainfalls.
- 23. SCIENTISTS AGREE, HUMANS CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE Scientists in the United States and the world have reached an overwhelming consensus that climate change is real and caused primarily by human activity. Respected scientific organizations such as the National Academy of Science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and World Meteorological Association (WMO) have all identified climate change as an urgent threat caused by humans that must be addressed.
- 24. “The need for urgent action to address climate change is now indisputable.” — National Academy of Science
- 25. FOSSIL FUELS Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, to generate energy has the greatest impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity. Globally, power generation is responsible for about 23 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – in excess of 700 tonnes every second. Coal is especially damaging to our atmosphere, releasing 70% more carbon dioxide than natural gas for every unit of energy produced.
- 27. Humans and wild animals face new challenges for survival because of climate change. More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on people’s livelihoods and communities.
- 28. Climate change affects all regions around the world. Polar ice shields are melting and the sea is rising. In some regions extreme weather events and rainfall are becoming more common while others are experiencing more extreme heat waves and droughts. These impacts are expected to intensify in the coming decades.
- 29. Melting ice and rising seas When water warms up it expands. At the same time global warming causes polar ice sheets and glaciers to melt. The combination of these changes is causing sea levels to rise, resulting in flooding and erosion of coastal and low lying areas.
- 31. Extreme weather, shifting rainfall Heavy rain and other extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. This can lead to floods and decreasing water quality, but also decreasing availability of water resources in some regions.
- 32. Risks for human health Climate change is already having an impact on health: - There has been an increase in the number of heat- related deaths in some regions and a decrease in cold-related deaths in others. - We are already seeing changes in the distribution of some water-borne illnesses and disease vectors.
- 33. Costs for society and economy Damage to property and infrastructure and to human health imposes heavy costs on society and the economy. Between 1980 and 2011 floods affected more than 5.5 million people and caused direct economic losses of more than €90 billion. Sectors that rely strongly on certain temperatures and precipitation levels such as agriculture, forestry, energy and tourism are particularly affected.
- 34. Risks for wildlife - Climate change is happening so fast that many plants and animal species are struggling to cope. - Many terrestrial, freshwater and marine species have already moved to new locations. Some plant and animal species will be at increased risk of extinction if global average temperatures continue to rise unchecked.