Climate change is a threat to mankind! Recent years have been the warmest since 1860, the year when regular Instrumental records became available.
Some important aspects of our lives can be affected through changes in climate, they are as follows:
1. Agriculture:
Climate change will affect agricultural yield directly because of alterations in temperature and rainfall, and indirectly through changes in soil quality, pest and diseases. As the temperature rises conditions becomes more favourable for pests such as grasshoppers to complete a number of reproduction cycles thereby increasing their population.
2. Weather:
A warmer climate will change rainfall and snowfall patterns, leads to increased droughts and floods, cause melting of glaciers and polar ice sheets and result in accelerated sea-level rise. Rising warmth will lead to an increase in the levels of evaporation of surface water the air will also expand and this will increase its capacity to hold moisture.
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This is turn, will affect water resources, forests and other natural ecological systems, agriculture, and power generation, infrastructure, tourism and human health.
3. Sea level rise:
Coastal areas and small islands are the most threatened because of rises in sea level that global warming may cause. The heating of oceans and melting of glaciers and polar ice sheet is predicted to raise the average sea level by about half a meter over the next century.
Sea-level rise could have a number of physical impacts on coastal areas. Including loss of land due to in updation and erosion increased loading and salt-water intrusion.
4. Health:
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Increase in temperature will directly affect human health by increasing cases of heat stress. Fluctuation in the climate especially in the temperature, precipitation and humidity can influence biological organisms and the processes linked to the spread of infectious diseases.
5. Marine life:
As ocean water in the tropics become warmer due to climate change, the damage to coral reels seems to be increasing. These corals are very sensitive to changes in temperature of water, which causes bleaching. Zooplanktons, small organisms that float on the sea surface are declining in numbers, reducing the number of fish and sea birds that feed on these organisms.
6. Forests and Wild Life:
Plants and animals in the natural environment are very sensitive to change in climate. Animals are concerned in national parks and wildlife sanctuary to provide them safety but no park boundary or conservation low car protect an ecosystem from climate change.
