Lesson 9 Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change

The impact of climate change most talked about is the rise in the average global temperature. It is important to note this is the global temperature; temperatures in individual locations may see drastic changes, subtle changes, or no change. Generally, the colder the location is, the more it will be affected by the increase in global temperatures. As such, the Arctic Circle and Antarctica are seeing the greatest change in temperature. The same thing can be said for the seasons: The coldest season, winter, sees the greatest change in temperatures.

The global temperature of Earth has increased by 0.7 ˚C in the past 100 years, and is predicted to rise by 2 ˚C to 6 ˚C in the next 100 years. This is a significant increase, as even the smallest temperature change can have a significant impact on the environment. Since this is the average global increase in temperature, some areas will see a larger increase in temperature, while others will see a smaller increase.

Scientists and the media focus on the predictions for this century; however, the increase in the global temperature and climate change will continue to grow beyond this century. Even if we stopped producing all greenhouse gas emissions today, we would still see their impacts for a long time to come. This is because these gases stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, unless they are removed.

The increase in global temperature has a significant effect on weather patterns. Depending on the individual location, there has and will continue to be an increase in floods, longer periods of drought, longer, more intense heat waves, more frequent wild fires (some caused by the longer periods of drought), and an increase in the number, length, and strength of tropical storms. As the global temperature increases, it will potentially increase precipitation in some locations drastically, while decrease it in others. In 2017, there was massive flooding in Southeast Asia, while East Africa saw one of the longest droughts on record. People in both of these locations are facing starvation, lack of shelter, and death for two very different reasons. Also in 2017, there were massive wildfires along the west coast of North America. Many people lost their homes and livelihood.

Hurricanes and tropical storms were at an all-time high in 2017. The increase in these storms is in part caused by rising sea levels due to the ice caps melting and the rising temperature of the ocean. More water at a higher temperatures means more evaporation and the formation of larger clouds. This leads to an increase in storms over the ocean.

Climate change is not the only factor causing these examples. Most of these weather patterns work in cycles, with some years being worse and others being better. However, climate change does seem to be making the worse years even worse.

The rise in global temperatures also causes a shift in our seasons. You may have noticed over the past few years that winter is ending earlier and starting later. Each year is different, but this is the overall trend. This can have positive and negative impacts. Having a shorter winter lengthens our growing season, increasing crop yields and giving farmers a greater variety of crops that will grow here. However, a shift in the amount of precipitation is also being seen. Southern Alberta is becoming more desert-like, reducing crop yields and impacting the type of crops  farmers can grow. As the number of droughts increases, farmers may choose to stop growing canola, a plant that loves moisture, and switch to a crop that is more drought-tolerant, such as wheat.

This shift in seasons also affects animal and plant behaviour. As the seasons warm, especially winter, some animals are migrating back to Alberta sooner and leaving later while others are moving farther north to escape the heat. Animals in the Arctic Circle, such as the arctic fox or polar bear, are running out of northern locations to escape to. Animals such as these are faced with having to rapidly adapt to the changes (this normally takes generations to do) or they will die off.

Having a colder climate helps to keep disease-causing insects at bay. As Alberta warms, we will see an increase in these diseases. For example, West Nile virus was not present in Alberta until 2003, as up until that year, it was too cold for the mosquitos carrying the virus. Since 2003, the Alberta government has tracked the daily mean temperature each summer. This helps the government assess the risk of West Nile, as the mosquitos need the temperature to be warm enough to survive.

Another example is Lyme disease. As of 2017, the Alberta government is starting to track this disease much more closely. In the past, this disease was only seen in BC and warmer locations. As Alberta’s summers have warmed up, the ticks carrying the disease have been able to spread into Alberta. The government of Alberta has set up the Submit-A-Tick program, asking people to send in any ticks found so the government can track the disease risk to Albertans.

Surging Seas © Climate Central

Click on the play button to open a map that shows how coastal cities could potentially flood in the future. When you open the link, you will be looking at Vancouver BC; however, you can use the search bar in the upper right-hand corner to find any coastal city that you would like. You can then play the simulation to see how rising ocean waters will affect that city.

So far we have looked at the direct impacts of climate change on our environment. There are indirect impacts as well. As biomes change, especially sensitive biomes such as the tundra, many different species are becoming endangered or going extinct. More species now than ever have been added to the endangered species list, as climate change, human activities, and destruction of habitat make it hard for these animals to survive.

As the climate changes and seasons shift, the traditional habitats of many animals are changing as well. Many animals and plants are adapted to survive in their specific habitat; it can be very difficult, even life threatening, for a plant or animal to live outside their preferred habitat. For example, as the polar ice caps melt, the ice that many arctic species call home and rely on for survival is shrinking. These animals need the ice caps to survive.

It is important to note that biological diversity (having many different species of plants and animals around) is important to the biosphere as well as human health. Every species has a role to play in the biosphere, and changes in those roles or in those species can have significant effects. Biological diversity has been linked to human health, as it provides us with a variety of foods (both plants and animals). A healthy environment is able to support many different kinds of life and a healthy human population. Unhealthy environments cannot provide this support, and human populations are more like to struggle. This diversity also provides important resources for medical research as well as traditional and modern medicines.

Another result of climate change is a greater impact on the parts of the population who rely on natural resources for their livelihoods or who are not able to respond to natural disasters due to lack of shelter or money. As climate change causes natural resources to change or disappear and natural disasters to become more frequent, this section of the population faces greater struggles than the general population.