Climate Crisis: Impacts, Causes, and Solutions

This guide is designed to help you review the provided materials on the climate crisis and changes. It covers the definition of climate change, its causes, its wide-ranging effects on various Earth systems and human societies, and potential adaptation and mitigation strategies.

I. Understanding Climate Crisis and Change

• Definition: What is climate crisis and the changes and how does it differ from global warming?
• Historical Context: How do paleoclimatologists study past climates, and what do these historical records tell us about current warming trends?
• Evidence of Warming: What concrete evidence indicates that the planet is warming, and what agencies are tracking this data?

II. Causes of the Climate Crisis and Changes

• Greenhouse Effect: Explain the natural greenhouse effect and how human activities are enhancing it.
• Key Greenhouse Gases: Identify the primary greenhouse gases mentioned and their sources (e.g., CO2, methane, nitrous oxide).
• Fossil Fuels: How do fossil fuels contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?
• Deforestation: Describe the role of deforestation as a significant contributor to climate change. What practices drive deforestation?

III. Impacts of Climate Crisis and the Changes on Earth’s Formations and Ecosystems

Mountains

Glacier retreat and snow loss: consequences for water supply and natural hazards.

Biodiversity threats: impact on high-altitude species.

Extreme weather: increased floods and landslides.

Oceans

Rising temperatures and sea levels: causes and threats to coastal areas.

Ocean acidification: process and effects on marine life (e.g., coral reefs, shellfish).

Marine biodiversity loss: coral bleaching, shifting fish populations, disrupted food webs.

Deep-sea ecosystems: warming, deoxygenation, acidification, and reduced food supply. What are the specific implications for deep-sea biomass and recovery rates?

Deserts

Temperature increases and water scarcity.

Ecosystem fragility: biocrust loss and desertification.

Forests

Drought and wildfires.

Pests, diseases, and shifts in forest composition.

Carbon loss.

Cryosphere (Ice Sheets and Permafrost)

Melting ice sheets and glaciers: contribution to sea level rise and altered ocean currents.

Permafrost thawing: release of greenhouse gases and ground destabilization.

General Ecosystem Risks

Habitat loss, species extinction (including physiological limits), and the destabilization of ecosystems.

IV. Impacts of Climate Change on Human Societies and Health

Extreme Weather Events

Increased frequency and intensity of storms, heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rainfall.

Examples of specific extreme weather events and their consequences.

Water Systems

Freshwater scarcity: projections and causes.

Waterborne diseases.

Food Systems

Soil degradation: impacts on agricultural land.

Fishery collapses and disrupted marine food webs.

Impact on crop suitability and planting/harvesting.

Human Health

Heat stress and heat-related illnesses (e.g., impact on flying fox populations).

Respiratory illnesses due to air pollution.

Vector-borne diseases (e.g., malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Vibrio) – how are their ranges expanding?

Mental health impacts from climate disasters.

Strain on health systems.

Economic and Societal Impacts

Infrastructure risks (e.g., blackouts).

Climate migration and displacement.

Challenges for insurance industries (data issues, ethical dilemmas).

Impacts on ways of life, sports, and tourism.

V. Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

Mitigation vs. Adaptation

Briefly differentiate between these two approaches.

Role of Forests

How do forests act as climate regulators and what is the consequence of their loss?

Individual Actions

What is implied about individual consumption and demand?

Community-Level Adaptation

Why are community-level vulnerability assessments important?

What kind of local knowledge is valuable?

Examples of community-identified adaptation strategies (e.g., diversification of livelihoods, early warning systems).

Challenges in integrating local plans with national strategies.

Built Environment 

How can urban planning and building design contribute to adaptation (e.g., cooling systems, air quality improvements)?

International Governance Frameworks

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): Relevant provisions regarding marine pollution, environmental impact assessments, and protection of the marine environment.

UNFCCC and Paris Agreement: How do these frameworks address oceans and blue carbon ecosystems? What are Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)?

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Its objectives, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (specifically Target 10), and the concept of ecosystem-based adaptation.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 14.3 on ocean acidification.

Challenges in Policy and Data

Lack of climate-sensitive data in claims.

Need for standardization of metrics and indicators.

Defining ecologically safe thresholds (e.g., for pH).

Strengthening cooperation across conventions.

Quiz Climate Crisis

Instructions: Answer each question in 2-3 sentences.

Differentiate between “climate change” and “global warming” based on the provided text.

Identify two natural “climate proxies” that paleoclimatologists use to reconstruct past climate patterns and briefly explain how they provide clues.

Besides the burning of fossil fuels, name two other human activities mentioned that significantly increase atmospheric CO2 levels.

Explain how ocean acidification occurs and describe one specific negative impact it has on marine life.

What is meant by the term “ecological debt” in the context of human resource consumption, and when did humanity begin living under this condition?

List two specific ways in which heatwaves impact human health, as discussed in the sources.

How does the warming of surface oceans affect primary production in the deep sea, and what is the consequence for deep-sea biomass?

According to the sources, what is a “silent killer” associated with air pollution, and what percentage of people breathe polluted air today?

Describe one example of how a vector-borne disease’s range is expected to change due to climate warming, as discussed in the health impacts section.

What role do “blue carbon ecosystems” play in mitigating climate change, and why is their protection emphasized in international agreements?

Answer Key

“Climate change” refers to a long-term alteration in average weather patterns in a region, which can be natural or human-induced. “Global warming” is specifically the increase in the Earth’s average temperature, which is a key component of current climate crisis and change.

Tree rings show dry and wet years, indicating past precipitation and temperature patterns. Ice cores contain tiny air bubbles that act as time capsules, preserving the chemical composition of past atmospheres, including CO2 levels.

Deforestation and the removal of CO2 sequestering habitats, and cement production (from lime kilns) are two other human activities that significantly increase atmospheric CO2.

Ocean acidification occurs when oceans absorb human CO2 emissions, forming carbonic acid and driving down the water’s pH. This harms organisms that build shells or skeletons, such as coral reefs and shellfish, by making it harder for them to calcify and causing dissolution.

Ecological debt means that humanity’s annual demand for resources exceeds what the planet can naturally provide in a year. The sources indicate that humans began living on this debt around 1970 when the global population reached 3.7 billion.

Heatwaves lead to direct health problems such as heat stress and can cause fatalities, as seen with the flying fox example. They also put health systems under strain, diminishing their ability to protect human health.

Warming surface oceans strengthen the thermocline, limiting nutrient mixing and decreasing net primary production. This reduces the food supply (particulate organic carbon flux) to the deep seafloor, leading to a decline in deep-sea biomass, abundance, and respiration.

Air pollution is called a “silent killer” and is the fourth leading contributor to early death. According to the World Health Organization, 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air today.

As temperatures warm, the risk of malaria in Europe is increasing because warmer environments create suitable standing water for mosquitoes. Similarly, Vibrio infections are increasing in Mediterranean areas due to warmer waters.

Blue carbon ecosystems, such as salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses (and potentially deep-sea sediments), act as significant carbon sinks, absorbing and storing CO2. Protecting them is crucial for climate mitigation and is emphasized in international agreements like the Paris Agreement and CBD due to their role in carbon sequestration and providing other ecosystem services.

Climate Crisis Essay Format Questions

Analyze the interconnectedness of climate change impacts across different Earth systems (mountains, oceans, forests, cryosphere). Provide specific examples of how an impact in one system can lead to cascading effects in another.

Evaluate the severity of human overpopulation and resource consumption as drivers of climate change. Discuss the concept of “ecological debt” and its long-term implications, considering fresh water, soil, and air quality.

Discuss the multi-faceted impacts of climate change on human health, categorizing them into acute, chronic, and transition risks. How do socio-economic conditions influence vulnerability to these health impacts?

Examine the challenges and opportunities in integrating local community knowledge and adaptation strategies into broader national and international climate change governance frameworks. Use examples from coastal communities and the Benguela Current region.

Compare and contrast the roles of international legal frameworks like UNCLOS, UNFCCC/Paris Agreement, and CBD in addressing climate change, specifically focusing on marine environments. What are the strengths and weaknesses of their current approaches, and what improvements are suggested?

Glossary of Key Terms in Climate Crisis and Change

Adaptation: Strategies and actions taken to adjust to actual or expected climate change impacts, aiming to reduce harm or exploit beneficial opportunities.

Anthropogenic: Originating in human activity; often used to describe environmental pollution or pollutants caused by human activity.

Aragonite Saturation Horizon: The depth in the ocean above which calcium carbonate minerals (like aragonite, used by corals and shellfish) are stable, and below which they tend to dissolve. Ocean acidification causes this horizon to shallow.

Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it.

Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Coastal and marine ecosystems (like mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses) that capture and store significant amounts of carbon.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A naturally occurring gas, also produced by human activities, and a primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.

Climate Crisis and Change: A long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. Often refers specifically to the significant and lasting change in the Earth’s climate due to human activities.

Climate Proxies: Preserved physical characteristics of the past that stand in for direct measurements to enable scientists to reconstruct past climate patterns (e.g., tree rings, ice cores, ocean sediments).

Cryosphere: The parts of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost.

Deforestation: The clearing of forests by logging or burning, often for agricultural or urban development, which contributes to CO2 emissions and habitat loss.

Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Marine environments below 200 meters depth, characterized by cold temperatures, high pressure, and limited food supply, and highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Ecological Debt: A situation where humanity’s annual demand for natural resources exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year, leading to a deficit that is “owed” by future generations.

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA): The use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

Extreme Weather Events: Weather phenomena of unusual severity, duration, or frequency, such as intense heatwaves, heavy rainfall, severe storms, or prolonged droughts, which are increasing due to climate change.

Fossil Fuels: Natural fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) formed in the Earth from the remains of dead organisms over millions of years, whose combustion releases large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Global Warming: The ongoing increase in the Earth’s average temperature, primarily caused by the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities.

Greenhouse Effect: The natural process by which certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat, warming the planet and making it habitable. Human activities are enhancing this effect.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Atmospheric gases that absorb and emit radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect (e.g., carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide).

Interglacial Period: A geological interval of warmer global average temperature lasting thousands of years that separates glacial periods within an ice age.

Mitigation: Actions taken to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or to enhance their absorption, thereby lessening the severity of climate change (e.g., reducing emissions, protecting forests).

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Climate action plans submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement, outlining their efforts to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Ocean Acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth’s oceans, caused by the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

Paleoclimatologists: Scientists who study ancient climates using various proxy data sources to reconstruct past climate patterns.

Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) Flux: The downward movement of organic carbon particles from the surface waters to the deep ocean, serving as a primary food source for deep-sea ecosystems.

Permafrost: Ground (soil, rock, or sediment) that remains frozen for two or more consecutive years, found in polar and high-altitude regions. Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gases.

Phytoplankton: Microscopic marine algae that form the base of most oceanic food webs through photosynthesis.

Picophytoplankton: Extremely small phytoplankton, whose increased abundance in warmer, nutrient-limited waters can reduce the food supply to deeper ocean layers.

Thermocline: A steep temperature gradient in a body of water, typically in a lake, ocean, or atmosphere, that separates warmer surface water from cooler deep water. A stronger thermocline limits nutrient mixing.

Topsoil: The uppermost layer of soil, rich in organic matter and crucial for food production, which can take hundreds of thousands of years to form an inch.

Vector-borne Diseases: Diseases transmitted to humans or other animals by insects or other arthropods (vectors), such as mosquitoes and ticks, whose ranges are expanding due to climate change.