Climate Change
║ Why is this a global issue? ║
A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE
- Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.
- The direct damage costs to health (i.e. excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated to be between US $2-4 billion/year by 2030.
Disruption: A Call To Act On Climate Change
║ THE FACTS ║
According to NASA,
Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment.
- Glaciers have shrunk
- Ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier
- Plant and animal ranges have shifted and
- Trees are flowering sooner.
Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.
In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states,
"the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change".
Furthermore, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the Third National Climate Assessment Report, proving the impacts of climate change on all regions within the United States.
For example,
- in the Northwest, changes in the timing of streamflow reduce water supplies for competing demands. Rising sea levels, erosion, inundation, risks to infrastructure, and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are causing widespread tree die-off.
- in the Midwest, extreme heat, heavy downpours, and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also exacerbate a range of risks to the Great Lakes.
║ What can we do to help? ║
There are many ways to help prevent climate change, some ideas include:
- being energy efficient
- choosing renewable power
- eating wisely
- getting informed
- getting involved, and
- support and donate
║ REFLECTION ║
Morgan Freeman's Powerful Climate Change Short Film
Thank you.
Work Citations
- "Global Climate Change: Effects." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
- "Top 10 Ways You Can Stop Climate Change." David Suzuki Foundation. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
- "Infographic: Sea Level Rise and Global Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.