Effects of Climate Change
Abstract
For years on end, global warming has been there, but currently the pace and degree have increased to unprecedented amounts. Scientists predict that mother earth will become inhabitable by humans quite quickly with the ongoing climate changes. While global warming is still triggered by natural causes, human behaviour is mostly intensified, particularly with regard to carbon dioxide emissions, otherwise known as the greenhouse effect. This paper looks at many facets of global change, including certain triggers, consequences and methods of reducing these complex effects.
Keywords: global warming, climate change, aerosols, carbon dioxide.
The milankovitch theory implies three cyclic events alter the volume of solar radiation that enters the planet over time and eventually it causes climate change. According to Burroughs (2007) eccentricity is a cyclical variation that determines the shape of the earth’s orbit around the sun. The more elliptical the earth’s orbit is, the greater the variation in solar energy that is received at the top of the atmosphere between the earth’s perihelion and aphelion. On its axis, as the planet rotates, it wobbles hence changing the timing of the solstices, and equinoxes a process known as the procession of the equinox. Volcanic eruptions eject large amounts of sulphur dioxide gas which reacts water vapor found in the stratosphere to form a dense layer that reduces atmospheric transmission of sun’s incoming radiation. Sun spots, which are caused by the sun’s magnetic field are dark, planet sized regions that appear on the sun’s surface. These regions are colder than with an average temperature of 4,000K. Climate change can be explained by these factors although they are only some of those which cause climate change.
Since 1979, the summer polar ice cap’s size has shrunk more than 20% and this has not only affected the natives but the globe as a whole. The contraction of the arctic ice cap accelerates global warming since the protective, cooling layer over the arctic is melting and hence the earth absorbs more sunlight (Kininmonth 2004). If the arctic is warmer, this will affect weather patterns since the rest of the world will also warm up and eventually food production will decrease. In contrast, most of the world depends on melted glaciers for fresh water supply through lakes and rivers hence their melting will cause short supply of the same. It will also cause shortage of electricity since a great percentage of the world’s population depends on melting glaciers for hydro electric power. Animals, birds and fish may lose their ecosystems because some animals need glacier temperatures to thrive, while some bird species depend on fish found in fresh melting waters to live. In the environment, this would create an imbalance. However, both melting glaciers and ice sheets based on earth contribute to rising sea levels which in turn cause flooding and contamination of fresh water supplies.
Although global temperatures constantly fluctuate, this is the longest period cooling has been experienced in history. Contrary to popular belief carbon dioxide emissions is not the only reason for global warming. Other forces affect the net energy flax into the climate, for example, stratospheric aerosols reflect sunlight back into space hence causing net cooling of the earth. If there is so much carbon dioxide emitted into thespace, some of it reacts with water to form carbonic acid and eventually lowers the overall pH of oceans. Weart(2008) states that the more the acidic the oceans are, the less the calcium carbonate and hence less material for shell building animals and plants which constitute the base of the food chain in marine life and in the long run distorting the entire eco system. Ocean acidification is majorly affects the top layer of the oceans but with time it diffuses into deeper parts of the water. In addition to that, cold water coral reefs which are feeding grounds for commercial fish species will also be exposed to corrosive waters and hence will die out. Humans too will be affected because feeding on fish, oysters and other marine products that have fed on corrosive coral reefs nay cause some types of cancers and it also makes the general immune system weak.
Burroughs (2007) argues that there is an almost direct relationship between the natural environment and human health. Not only is human health affected by land degradation, depleted water flows, acidic oceans and disrupted eco systems, but also disease like asthma, diabetes, cancers and heart attacks are predicted to increase if the current depreciation of the earth goes on. Ignoring climate change and its effect on human health would be wrong sine it affects food, temperatures as well as water availability. Unprecedented floods, wildfires and tropical storms are some more results of climate change that directly influence human health. Food production is already on the decline due to climate change causing malnutrition, diseases caused by lack of some nutrients in the body and even death. Lack of water also causes diarrhea, cholera, malaria, typhoid and other water borne diseases and more often than not death. Humans need to avert climate change and conserve the environment for their own benefit.
Australia is an island continent surrounded by water on all sides hence the effects will probably be worse on it as compared to other countries (Houghton 2004). The rising sea levels result from climate change with a great amount of coastal erosion taking place and significant damage to infrastructure occurring. Several families will be at risk from sea inundation and hence will have to relocate. All businesses and other operations near the coat line too will be closed as business will not take place any more. Those not near the coastline will also be affected especially since farming is a major economic activity in Western Australia. Long periods of heat as well as lack of water will cause Australian agriculture and forestry and this will in turn cause reduced food production throughout the continent. Australians will also be affected by frequent, intense bush fires especially those who live near forests in South Eastern Australia.
Australians in general will be highly affected by climate change but those in the coastal regions, the Western region and South Eastern Australia will be most affected. Those in the coastal regions can bring early preparations of resettling in order to save up on cost and time as well as to reduce chances of death. Bush fires are natural disasters that are almost impossible to stop. The best and only way to evade bush fires is for the government to set up emergency centers to help in such calamities. According to Weart (2008) these centers should respond with speed and accuracy, but the natives too should be equipped with techniques on how to handle with minor, less serious disasters. Farmers may take up other economic activities but preferably, they should learn how to conserve water and grow crops that are resistant to drought. The government should participate by teaching them new farming methods and water conservation techniques.
Henry’s Law was Formulated by William Henry in 1803 as a Gas Law in Chemistry
The law states: at a steady temperature, the amount of a given gas dissolved in a given type and volume of liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas in equilibrium with that liquid (Burroughs 2007).
Temperature is called the Henry co efficient because when the temperature of a system changes, the Henry constant will change. The solubility of a gas in a specific one atmosphere circumstance liquid at a specific temperature is proportional to the pressure of that gas above the liquid. Since volatile compounds are organic compounds and they have vapour pressures and they can affect the environment and human health, it is easier for these pollutants to cause environmental pollution.
Children’s body systems are still developing hence they eat more, drink more and breathe a lot more than adults in proportion to their body weight. Their body systems are also not very developed as is their immune systems therefore; they need clean food, water and air to enable them to thrive. Children learn through playing and crawling, they put their hands in their mouth increasing exposure to contamination by the environment. Children’s skins are also very sensitive to the sun’s ultra violet rays as their pigments are still not well developed hence exposure to the sun’s rays would cause skin cancer and other skin related diseases (Burroughs 2007). Aerosols sprayed into the air also easily affect children’s lungs and cause respiratory diseases for example, bronchitis, lung cancer and asthma. The effects of climate change pose numerous and unique risks but these risks can be reduced through preparation, planning as well as surveillance by health agencies at all levels.
According to Houghton (2004) disasters can be thoroughly traumatizing especially after the severe effects of climate change and natural disaster, for example when they get displaced by tides from the ocean or the sudden death of a loved one. This causes emotional as well as psychological trauma to those involved. Several patients are diagnosed with depression, stress, panic and other such types of trauma related illnesses. The Government should set up homes and shelters for those mentally affected by disasters in which they should be offered professional counseling sessions. They should also be sub divided into groups depending on how traumatized one was and how critical their condition is. They are guided through the emotional turmoil that they experience by well trained personnel without any cost. They narrate the feelings they went through in order to relieve them of the depression, Later; they too can volunteer and help others because they have first hand experience.
References:
- Burroughs, J. W. (2007). Climate change: A multidisciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press Publication.
- Houghton, T. J. (2004). Global warming: The complete briefing. (3rd Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Kininmonth, W. (2004). Climate change: A natural hazard. Multi science publishers.
- Weart, R. S. (2008). The discovery of global warming. Harvard university press.
