Climate 2 Final

8/3/2019 Climate 2 Final

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INTRODUCTION

The atmosphere surrounding the earth is made up of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and theremainder, 1%, is made up of trace gases (called so because they are present in very smallquantities) that include the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, water vapor, and

nitrous oxide. These greenhouse gases act as a blanket and protect it from the harmful ultra violetrays of the sun. They can also be regarded as natural controllers of the earth's temperaturesystem.

The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earths surface. As this energy passesthrough the atmosphere, a certain percentage (about 30) gets scattered. Some part of this energyis reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actuallyremains behind to heat the earth. In order to establish a balance, therefore, the earth must radiatesome energy back into the atmosphere. As the earth is much cooler than the sun, it does not emitenergy as visible light. It emits through infrared or thermal radiation. However, certain gases inthe atmosphere form a sort of blanket around the earth and absorb some of this energy emittedback into the atmosphere. Without this blanket effect, the earth would be around 30 C colderthan it normally is. These gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, along withwater vapour, comprise less than one per cent of the atmosphere. They are called 'greenhouse

gases' as the working principle is same as that which occurs in a greenhouse. Just as the glass of the greenhouse prevents the radiation of excess energy, this gas blanket absorbs some of theenergy emitted by the earth and keeps temperature levels intact. This effect was first recognizedby a French scientist, Jean-Baptiste Fourier, who pointed out the similarity in what happens inthe atmosphere and in a greenhouse. Hence, the term greenhouse effect.

This gas blanket has been in place ever since the creation of the earth. Since the industrialrevolution human activities have been releasing more and more of these greenhouse gases into


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the atmosphere. This leads to the blanket becoming thicker and upsets the natural greenhouseeffect. Activities that generate greenhouse gases are called sources and those that remove themare known a s sinks. A balance between sources and sinks maintains the levels of thesegreenhouse gases.

Humankind upsets this balance when new sources that interfere with the natural sinks areintroduced. Carbon dioxide is released when we burn such fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas.And, when we destroy forests, the carbon stored in the trees escapes as carbon dioxide into theatmosphere. Increasing agricultural activities, changes in land-use patterns, and other sourceslead to rising levels of methane and nitrous oxide. Industrial processes also release artificial andnew greenhouse gases like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), while automobile exhaust fumes lead toozone generation. The resulting enhanced greenhouse effect is more commonly referred to asglobal warming or climate change.

Greenhouse gas emission trends

The concentrations of several greenhouse gases have increased over time. These arecarbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbon, perflurocarbons and sulphurhexafluoride Human activity increases the greenhouse effect primarily through release of carbondioxide, but human influences on other greenhouse gases can also be important. Of all theGHGs, the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at the highest levels. Theemissions of these gases have increased at different rates. CO2 emissions have grown between1970 and 2004 by about 80% (28% between 1990 and 2004) and represented 77% of totalanthropogenic GHG emissions in 2004. The largest growth in global GHG emissions between1970 and 2004 has come from the energy supply sector. The emissions of ozone depletingsubstances (ODS) controlled under the Montreal Protocol, which are also GHGs, have declinedsignificantly since the 1990s. By 2004 the emissions of these gases were about 20% of their 1990

levelGreen house gases and their sources- Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most importantgreenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing,agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide.Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. About of all methaneemissions are said to come from domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes,camels, horses, and sheep. These animals produce methane during the cud-chewing process.Methane is also released from rice or paddy fields that are flooded during the sowing andmaturing periods. When soil is covered with water it becomes anaerobic or lacking in oxygen.

Under such conditions, methane-producing bacteria and other organisms decompose organicmatter in the soil to form methane. Nearly 90% of the paddy-growing area in the world is foundin Asia, as rice is the staple food there. China and India, between them, have 80-90% of theworld's rice-growing areas. Methane is also emitted from landfills and other waste dumps. If thewaste is put into an incinerator or burnt in the open, carbon dioxide is emitted. Methane is alsoemitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines (due toaccidents and poor maintenance of sites). A large amount of nitrous oxide emission has been
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attributed to fertilizer application. This in turn depends on the type of fertilizer that is used, howand when it is used and the methods of tilling that are followed. Contributions are also made byleguminous plants, such as beans and pulses that add nitrogen to the soil.

OBJECTIVE: - To study the scientific evidences on climate change.

METHODOLOGY: - Collection of secondary data from internet, books, magazine, newspaper etc.

LITERATURE REVIEWIndia is a large developing country with nearly 700 million rural population directly depended onclimate sensitive sectors (agriculture, forests and fisheries) and natural resources (such as water,biodiversity, mangroves, coastal zones, grasslands) for their subsistence and livelihoods. Further,the adaptive capacity of dry land farmers, forest dwellers, fisher folk and nomadic shepherds isvery low. Climate change is likely to impact all the natural ecosystems as well as socio-economicsystems as per the National Communications Report of India to the UNFCCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its 2007 report, predicts that globaltemperatures will rise by 2- 4.50 0C by the end of this century, with a 2.7-4.3 0C increase overIndia by the 2080s. The panel also predicted an increase in rainfall over the Indian sub-continentby 6-8 per cent and that the sea level would rise by 88 centimeters by 2100.

The latest high resolution climate change scenarios and projections for India, based on RegionalClimate Modeling (RCM) system, known as PRECIS developed by Hadley Center and appliedfor India using IPCC scenarios A2 and B2 depicts the following:

An annual mean surface temperature rise by the end of this century, ranging from 3C to5C (under A2 scenario) and 2.5C to 4C (under B2 scenario), with the warming morepronounced in the northern parts of India.(IPCC-2004)

A 2 percent rise in all India summer monsoon rainfall and a further rise in rainfall isprojected over all states except Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which show a slightdecrease. (IPCC-2004)

Extreme rise in maximum and minimum temperatures is also expected and similarlyextreme precipitation is also projected, particularly over the West Coast of India andWest Central India.(TERI-2004)

Indian 7500-km long densely populated and low-lying coastline would be worst hit dueto rise in sea level .(IPCC-2004)

25% of countrys population would be exposed to increased cyclone.

70% plants may not be able to adapt to new conditions.


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Adverse impact on agricultural yield.( IPCC-2004)

Science of climate change

Scientific understanding of past and future climate change has made substantial progress sincefinalization of the IPCC WG1 AR4. New knowledge includes improved analysis of prehistoricclimate shifts, updated observations of recent climate change, better attribution of the causes of observed climate change to anthropogenic and natural factors, improved understanding of carboncycle feedbacks, and new projections of future changes in extreme weather events. As a result,many risks are now assessed to be larger than in the AR4, in particular the risk of large sea-levelrise already in the current century and the risks from increases in extreme weather events

Observed climate change

The IPCC AR4 published in 2007 stated that 11 out of the 12 warmest years on record (i.e., since1850) had occurred during the last 12 years. According to the NASA Goddard Institute for Space

Studies (GISS), 2007 was another exceptionally warm year that tied with 1998 for Earth's secondwarmest year on record. The eight warmest years have all occurred since 1998. [GISS, 2008]Comparison of the most recent observed climate trends for carbon dioxide concentration, global

mean surface temperature and sea level with the projections in the IPCC Third AssessmentReport (TAR) shows that previous projections have not exaggerated, but in some respectsunderestimated, the change in global climate. The observed increase in global mean surfacetemperature since 1990 is 0.33 C; this is in the upper part of the range set by the IPCC. Sealevel data from tide gauges and satellite data show a linear trend of 3.3 mm/yr, which is fasterthan the best-estimate projections in the TAR of 2 mm/yr.A new analysis of satelliteobservations suggests that precipitation and total atmospheric water have increased at about the


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same rate over the past two decades, while climate models suggest that precipitation wouldincrease much more slowly. If this observed trend continues, climate change will result insubstantially more rain than currently predicted by climate models.

Sea surface temperatures in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea show an unprecedented warming

trend since the mid-1980s in all seasons. Temperatures in summer since 1985 have increased atnearly triple the global warming rate and summer temperatures have risen two to five timesfaster than those in other seasons. Therefore, globally averaged warming is likely tounderestimate the magnitude of climate change in the North and Baltic Sea and the resultingimpacts. A team of British and US scientists was able solve one of the remaining gaps inunderstanding 20th century climate change. These scientists reanalyzed the weak cooling trendobserved in global surface temperatures between 1940 and 1970. They explain an abrupttemperature drop of 0.3 degrees C in summer 1945 as the apparent result of uncorrectedinstrumental biases in the sea surface temperature record. Therefore, the largest climate shift inthe 20th century that climate models were unable to explain is actually a mirage. The results donot alter estimates of the century-long trend in global- mean temperatures. A new analysis of

radiosonde data for the first time shows a warming trend in the upper troposphere, which agreeswell with predictions from global climate models. The consistency between model simulationsand inferred data increases confidence in model-based climate projections.Detection and attribution of recent climate change

Improved data and analyses techniques have improved understanding of observed climatechange. These findings add to the already extensive evidence of the anthropogenic signal on allaspects of current climate. Scientists from the UK Met Office found that anthropogenicgreenhouse gas emissions have led to a rapidly increasing risk of extremely hot summers in theNorthern hemisphere, such as those experienced in large parts of Europe in 2003 and 2006 . Hot

summers which were infrequent 20-40 years ago are now much more common and the currentsharp rise in incidence of hot summers is likely to continue. Another study was able to detect andseparate the effect of greenhouse gases from that of sulfate aerosols on the observed warmingtrend since 1950 in nine world regions. The human influence on climate has for the first timebeen detected in precipitation at global and regional scales. A recent study finds thatanthropogenic forcing contributed significantly to observed increases in precipitation in theNorthern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, drying in the Northern Hemisphere subtropics and tropics,and moistening in the Southern Hemisphere subtropics and deep tropics. These changes cannotbe explained by internal climate variability or natural forcing. New analyses combining climatemodel simulations with satellite data and surface measurements have also shown that the

atmospheric moisture content over land and over oceans has increased substantially in recentdecades, and that the increase is primarily due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Changes in ice sheets, glaciers and sea levels - Many new studies have investigated pre-historical and recent changes in glaciers, large ice sheets and sea level in order to improveprojections of future sea-level rise. UNEP and the World Glacier Monitoring Service havecompiled a database on glacier fluctuations from 1803 glaciers as far back as the 19th century.


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They find that 2006 established a new record annual mass loss of the reference glaciers underlong-term observation. The average annual melting rate of mountain glaciers has doubled after2000, in comparison with the already accelerated melting rates observed in the two decadesbefore. [UNEP/WGMS, 2008]

Figure: Change in melting area of the Greenland ice sheet. Source: [Mote, 2007]

Melting of the Greenland ice sheet in summer 2007 established a new record, which was 60%above the previous high in 1998. The most recent 11 summers have all experienced meltinggreater than the average of the available time series (1973 to 2007). The current and futurecontribution to sea level rise from Antarctica has been subject to large uncertainties. A recentstudy used extensive satellite observations to estimate the total Antarctic ice flux into the oceanfrom 1992 to 2006. The Antarctic ice sheet as a whole was found to be losing mass, mostly in

West Antarctica, and the mass loss increased by 75% in 10 years. Other studies have also foundthat changes in the Greenland and the West Antarctic ice sheets are accelerating. A team of USand Canadian scientists found that between 9000 and 8500 years ago, melting of the Laurentideice sheet on Greenland contributed around 6.6 m of sea level rise at about 1.3 m per century.Other scientists have found that the average rate of sea-level rise during the last interglacialperiod, around 120,000 years ago, was about 1.6 m per century. The two groups suggest thatclimatic conditions (in terms of the increase in summer surface air temperatures and global meantemperature, respectively) in these periods were comparable to those projected for the 21stcentury under business-as-usual emission scenarios. A team of US scientists has combinedclimate modelling and paleoclimatic data to assess the potential for large increases in sea levelby the end of the 21st century. Their maximum and best estimates of total sea-level rise by 2100

are 2 m and 0.8 m, respectively. Independently, a scientist from PIK has developed a semi-empirical model of sea-level rise, which simulates sea-level rise for the period 1880-2001 muchbetter than current GCMs. This model calculates a best estimate of sea-level rise of 55 to 125 cmby 2100 for the TAR climate scenarios and of 54 to 89 cm for the AR4 climate scenarios (whichexclude the highest emission scenario, SRES A1FI.All these figures are substantially higher thanthe model-based estimates in the IPCC AR4, which did not include ice-sheet dynamics. Thus, therisk of large sea-level rise in the 21st century is now estimated to be much greater than in theAR4. Changes in sea ice- According to data from the United States National Snow and Ice Data


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Center, Arctic sea ice area reached a new all-time minimum on 14 September 2007 at 3.6 Miokm2, which is 27% lower than the previous record low reached in 2005. The decline in ice coverhas accelerated substantially, from 3% per decade in 1979-1996 to -11% per decade in the last 10years. The observed sea ice decline is about three times faster than the model mean, whichsuggests that melting of Arctic sea ice is likely to happen much faster than projected by current

climate models.

Carbon cycle feedbacks- Most climate simulations in the IPCC AR4 did not include physical orbiological carbon-cycle feedbacks. Recent research has provided new knowledge on carboncycle feedbacks and their implications for future climate change. One study finds that thewarming signal from a rapid loss of Arctic sea ice would penetrate up to 1500 km inland, whereit would cause rapid degradation of permafrost, which in turn may lead to additional methaneemissions. New measurements of methane emissions from Siberian thaw lakes revealed thatthese emissions

are already five times greater than previous estimates. Hence, future methane releases fromdecaying Arctic permafrost may create a new significant positive climate feedback that has notbeen considered by climate modelers. Inclusion of geological and ecosystem feedbacks inwarming projections could increase global warming over the next century due to humanemissions of greenhouse gases by an additional 15-78%. For a given emissions scenario that

would stabilize CO2 concentrations at 550 ppm in the absence of carbon-cycle feedbacks,consideration of carbon-cycle feedbacks increased the probability of exceeding 2C warming by2100 from 10 to 23% and the probability of exceeding 2C warming by 2200 from 23 to 41%.Thus, anthropogenic emissions result in higher final greenhouse gas concentrations, andtherefore more warming, than would be predicted in the absence of this feedback. These findingsimply that emissions need to be lower than previously estimated to reach a given target fortemperature stabilization.


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Changes in tropical cyclones- Current global climate models are rather poor in simulatingtropical cyclones (i.e, hurricanes and typhoons), due in part to the coarse spatial resolution of these models. In addition, there is still debate on the quality of observational cyclone datasets forthe 20th century. Several recent studies find that the frequency of strong tropical cyclones hasincreased in recent decades in all world regions. This observed increase is attributed primarily to

increases in sea-surface temperature caused by anthropogenic warming. Most studies suggestthat strong cyclones will further increase in the future. Changes in extreme events

Abrupt climate change and tipping elements- Human activities have the potential to push theEarths system beyond critical thresholds (tipping points) so that it will no longer function in theway we have come to know and expect. Recent research has identified that the two mostsensitive tipping elements are Arctic summer ice, with an estimated threshold temperature of 1-2.5C above preindustrial levels, and the Greenland ice sheet, with an estimated thresholdtemperature of 1.5-2.5C above preindustrial. Tipping of these elements can no longer beprevented with certainty, but stringent mitigation can substantially reduce the risk of large-scalechanges. Global warming of 3.5C above preindustrial could trigger additional tipping elements,

including the West Antarctic ice sheet, the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, the El Nino Southern Oscillation, the West African monsoon, the Amazon rainforest, and the boreal forest.Eight ancient abrupt climate shifts were all preceded by a characteristic slowing down of thefluctuations starting well before the actual shift. Such slowing down can be mathematicallyshown to be a hallmark of tipping points. These findings provide support to the concept of tipping points, but they might be used as a universal early warning signal for upcomingcatastrophic change.

Paleoclimate - Global warming sceptics frequently seize on disagreement amongst geologistsover whether high atmospheric CO2 concentrations were always associated with global warmingin the distant geological past. A new study supports the view that atmospheric CO2concentrations and Earth surface temperatures have always been closely coupled. The results areconsistent with the view that increased CO2 concentrations drive or amplify increased globaltemperatures.

Long-term effects of current emissions- A group of US scientists have applied a coupledcarbon cycle-climate model to investigate the impacts of delaying emissions reductions on theability to reach different targets for stabilizing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Assuming thatglobal emissions can decline at 1% per year, beginning emissions reductions today wouldachieve stabilization at about 475 ppm. When mitigation is postponed, options disappear at a rateof 9 ppm year. This value is much larger than the recent annual increase in atmospheric CO2concentrations of around 2 ppm per year because it considers the inertia in the energy andclimate system. These results suggest that delaying mitigation further impedes reaching a givenstabilization level much faster than generally assumed. Other studies have investigated the long-term effects of current emission. A recent review study involving all leading global climatemodels finds that 20-60% of the CO2 from fossil fuel emissions remains in the atmosphere formore than thousand years. As a result, current emissions have a substantial impact on the earth'sclimate for many millennia to come, much longer than generally expected.


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Impacts of climate change and adaptation - Projections of climate impacts and understandingof adaptation have improved significantly since finalization of the IPCC WG2 AR4 in 2007.Many recent studies conclude that the consideration of current climate variability and itspotential changes in climate impact assessments increases the estimated adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture, natural ecosystems, coastal regions, and human health.

Furthermore, evidence increases that ocean acidification presents a very substantial risk fromanthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions for marine ecosystems, which is independent of climatic changes.

Synthesis of climate impacts - Climate change impacts for different emissions scenarios werenot displayed explicitly in the IPCC AR4 SPMs due to a lack of consensus in the IPCC plenary.Leading scientists from the outgoing IPCC Bureau have compiled information from the IPCCAR4 on climate impacts for different mitigation levels. They show major global impacts even fora 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050 compared to 1990. These results confirm that bothadaptation and mitigation are essential, the latter because the longer we delay mitigation, themore likely it is that global change will exceed our capacity to adapt.

Climate impacts on food production - Negative impacts on crops associated with recentwarming between 1980 and 2002 have very likely offset some of the yield gains associated withrising CO2 and technological advances. The negative impact was most pronounced for wheat,maize and barley. This finding suggests that some caution should be used in accepting modelassessments showing global crop benefits for warming up to about 2C. Simulations withagricultural crop models have suggested that increased temperature and decreased soil moisturewill act to reduce global crop yields by 2050, but that the direct fertilization effect of rising CO2concentration will offset these losses. A new study based on results of recent experiments withfree-air concentration enrichment technology shows that elevated CO2 enhanced yield of majorgrain crops by 50% less than in earlier studies based on enclosure experiments. This finding castsserious doubt on projections that rising CO2 will fully offset global crop yield losses due toclimate change.

Climate impacts on ecosystems- Coral reefs are among the most important biodiversityhotspots, and they provide important services to society, including for coastal protection andcoastal tourism. A recent review study shows the crucial role of ocean acidification in thedestruction of coral reefs during previous mass extinction events. The study finds carbon cyclechanges in general and ocean chemistry in particular as the primary causes of the five knownmass extinction events, each of which has left the Earth without living reefs for at least fourmillion years. Another study finds that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in exceedanceof 500 ppm and a global temperature rise of more than 2C significantly exceeds conditions of atleast the past 420,000 years during which most extant marine organisms evolved. Many coralsrely on their symbiotic algae for survival. The hypothesis that corals may survive climate changeby exchanging algal types has been shown to be potentially applicable only to a minority of corals. Out of 442 coral species assessed in a recent study, the vast majority (77%) do not changetheir symbiontic algae over time, even when a coral colony is transplanted to differentenvironments or subjected to increased temperatures. Thus, without stringent mitigationmeasures coral reefs will undergo a substantial reduction in biodiversity during the 21st centurybecause most coral species are unable to adapt.


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Climate impacts on coastal regions - Sea-level rise is expected to effect coastal properties intwo-ways: inundation of low-lying property and episodic flooding of properties at an elevation.A recent detailed study estimated the cost from episodic storm events to be much greater (up to250 times) than the costs from inundation alone. While the specific numbers represent the

particular circumstances of the study area, the results strongly suggest the total cost of sea-levelrise could be underestimated if the costs of episodic flooding are not accounted for.

Climate impacts on human health - Climate change is a major problem caused by the increaseof human activities leading to several direct and indirect impacts on health.

Diseases: - The GHGs have been responsible for the depletion of stratospheric ozone, whichprotects the earth from the harmful direct rays of the sun. Depletion of stratospheric ozone resultsin higher exposure to ultra violet rays of the sun, leading to an increase in the incidents of skincancer in light skinned people. It could also lead to an increase in the number of people sufferingfrom eye diseases such as cataract. It is also thought to cause suppression of the immune system.

Potential effects on health due to sea level rise include:

death and injury due to flooding reduced availability of fresh water due to saltwater intrusion contamination of water supply through pollutants from submerged waste dumps change in the distribution of disease-spreading insects effect on the nutrition due to a loss in agriculture land and changes in fish catch Health impacts associated with population displacement.

Adaptation to climate change

Climate change is a multi-dimensional issue and in terms of adaptation numerous state and non-state actors are involved from global to national and local scales. Several recent studies havehighlighted failures of past adaptation actions and obstacles for future adaptation. One study hasinvestigated the reasons for a largely unsuccessful adaptive effort which was intended to reduceflood risk in Mozambique Among other measures; a resettlement programme was implemented,with entire villages being built to accommodate farmers in hills overlooking the floodplain. Justa few months later, farmers returned to the floodplain and re-built homes there. One reason forthe failure of this resettlement programme was disagreement between farmers and policy makersabout the seriousness of climate risks, and the potential negative consequences of proposedadaptive measures. A project to provide more information about climate change to farmers didnot change their beliefs. The results imply that adaptation to climate change might be more

difficult than currently assumed, even if risks are clearly identified and economic resources areavailable. Climate change is recognised to be a cross-cutting issue to which all governmentdepartments must sign up, but institutional networks appear weak, and information transferbetween different government departments and between them and non-governmental adaptationactors is inadequate. Thus, adaptation to climate change will be particularly difficult in countrieswhere institutional networks between governments departments and relevant non-governmentaladaptation actors are weak.
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FINDINGS: -

1.Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human-induced- Global temperature hasincreased over the past 50 years. This observed increase is due primarily to human-inducedemissions of heat-trapping gases.

2. Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow- Climate-related changes are already observed in the United States and its coastal waters. These includeincreases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers,thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the ocean andon lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows. These changes are projectedto grow.

3. Widespread climate-related impacts are occurring now and are expected to increase-Climate changes are already affecting water, energy, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems, andhealth. These impacts are different from region to region and will grow under projected climate

change.

4. Climate change will stress water resources- Water is an issue in every region, but the natureof the potential impacts varies. Drought, related to reduced precipitation, increased evaporation,and increased water loss from plants, is an important issue in many regions, especially in theWest. Floods and water quality problems are likely to be amplified by climate change in mostregions. Declines in mountain snowpack are important in the West and Alaska where snowpack provides vital natural water storage.

5. Crop and livestock production will be increasingly challenged- Agriculture is consideredone of the sectors most adaptable to changes in climate. However, increased heat, pests, water

stress, diseases, and weather extremes will pose adaptation challenges for crop and livestock production.

6. Coastal areas are at increasing risk from sea-level rise and storm surge- Sea-level rise andstorm surge place many U.S. coastal areas at increasing risk of erosion and flooding, especiallyalong the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Pacific Islands, and parts of Alaska. Energy andtransportation infrastructure and other property in coastal areas are very likely to be adverselyaffected.

7. Threats to human health will increase- Health impacts of climate change are related to heatstress, waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by

insects and rodents. Robust public health infrastructure can reduce the potential for negativeimpacts.

8. Climate change will interact with many social and environmental stresses- Climate changewill combine with pollution, population growth and overuse of resources, urbanization, and othersocial, economic, and environmental stresses to create larger impacts than from any of thesefactors alone.


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9. Thresholds will be crossed, leading to large changes in climate and ecosystems- There area variety of thresholds in the climate system and ecosystems. These thresholds determine, forexample, the presence of sea ice and permafrost, and the survival of species, from fish to insectpests, with implications for society. With further climate change, the crossing of additionalthresholds is expected.

10. Future climate change and its impacts depend on choices made today- The amount andrate of future climate change depend primarily on current and future human-caused emissions of heat-trapping gases and airborne particles. Responses involve reducing emissions to limit futurewarming, and adapting to the changes that are unavoidable.

CONCLUSION

Evidences in climate have put a lot of effect on the society in the day to day life and activity.This has resulted in decrease in economic status of the people where poor people are going more

and more poor, rich people are getting poorer, people moving steps in taking loans from differentsources, selling off their assets, mortgaging their assets in need of money, moving out in searchof jobs or work as labors, shifting the agriculture pattern i.e. moving away from more waterconsuming crops to less water consuming crops, shifting their livelihood profile, losing faith oneach other. This has lead to agriculture failure on which the community heavily depends on.

This can be said that climate change has badly hit all sections of the society whether it be poor orrich, lower caste or upper caste, rural people or urban people. Everyone is struggling to come interms with the effect of this impact which has of late grown more and more deep. Therefore thiscan be said as climate change is a serious threat to development and poverty eradication.


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Scientific Study on Climate change

Submitted To: - Prof. UNMESH PATNAIK

Date- 10 th November 2011

Submitted By: -

AKRAMUL HOHUE (10201002)

OMKAR GUPTA (10201033)

RANJAN PRASAD (10201040)


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Table of content

Introduction

Objective

Methodology

Literature Review

Scientific Study on Climate change

Impact of Climate change

Findings

Conclusion

References

Documents

Climate 2 Final