Climate change is an issue that could have devastating impacts if we do not stop it. The global temperature over the years have gradually risen, and could rise up to nearly 6 degrees Celsius by the end of century. It may not seem much, but this has a dramatic impact on the global climate. It is important to know about climate change, what will it effect, how to adapt to it and what may happen in the future.
Climate change can increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, such as hot spells, droughts and storms. Heat waves in London, 2003, which saw record-breaking temperatures and floods in South Yorkshire, 2007, which caused 3 deaths are just some of the extreme weather over the decade.
Global warming, a specific part of climate change, is the warming up of the Earth's atmosphere over a long period of time. This is caused by harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These greenhouse gases are caused by humans.
These higher temperatures may reduce the water-holding capacitiy of the soils, which will increase the likelihood of soil moisture deficits, especially if precipitation does not increase as well. Higher temereatures may also have a major effect on types of crops, trees or other vegetation that the soils can support. The stability of building foundations and other structures would be affected if summers became drier and the winters became wetter. The increased sea levels and magnitudes of storms, storm surges and waves would caused more frequent coastal flooding.
The climate change will effect the flora and fauna. There may be significant movements of species northwards and to higher elevations. It may be too much for many of the species, especially when trees are to adapt genetically. Many native species and communities may be lost, especially threatened species which occur in isolated damp, coastal or cool habitats. There are also increased chance of invaison and spreading of alien weeds, pests, diseases and viruses.
Agriculture will be effected quite a lot by climate change. The higher temps will cause decreased yields of cereal crops, but potatoes and sugar beet will increase.
We can help by using less electricity, which means we would be cutting down carbon dioxide. We can use reneweable energy sources like solar, wind, and tidal energy. Next time you buy a car, get a hybrid car (uses both electricity and petrol) , as they are very fuel efficent compared to normal petrol cars. Instead of driving to work or school, you can walk, ride, or take the public transport. As the sea levels are rising, we may have to build barriers across rivers to stop floods, and may have to move to higher ground.
As you can see, climate change is an important issue, and we must do anything to stop it from getting worse. The effects and the future effects of climate change can be devastating, so we must adapt to it.
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