EFFECTS OF CLIMATE

CHANGE
In the last two decades the terms Climate Change
and Global Warming have been used
interchangeably.

However, there are differences between Climate

Change and Global Warming.
 Global Warming is the average rise of the earth’s
temperature over a specified period of time (e.g.
decades of centuries etc).

 Climate Change refers to the change in the

average weather or distribution of weather event
over a specified period of time (e.g. decades or
centuries etc)
NB: Climate refers to the average weather over a period
usually greater than a decade.
 The Climate Change which has been occurring
over the last century is directly linked to Global
Warming.

 This is because the average rise in the earth’s

temperature would cause weather patterns to
change. Changes in Weather patterns over time
will cause Climate Change.

 This is why currently these terms are sometimes

used interchangeably.
Climate Change can be caused by the following:
 Variations in solar radiation
 Deviations in the Earth's orbit
 Mountain-building and 
 Continental drift
 Changes in greenhouse gas concentrations.
 The Stern Review 2006 one of the most extensive
reviews of climate change and it’s impact points
out the direct link between current Global
warming and Greenhouse gases produced by
human activity.

 However, there is dissension in the scientific

community about whether climate change
associated with global warming is natural or man
made.
 The majority of scientists point to man’s
contribution to the amount of greenhouse
gases in the earth’s atmosphere as the main
cause.

 Others believe that temperature increases and

other related weather patterns can be
attributed to fluctuations in climate over a long
period of time – inexplicable anomalies in
global weather patterns
 Green Effect is caused by greenhouse gases in
the earth’s atmosphere that trap heat close to
the earth.

 Greenhouse gases include: carbon dioxide,

methane, nitrous oxide and hydro-
fluorocarbons

 Greenhouse gases are derived largely from the

burning of fossil fuels including oil, natural gas
and coal
 The greenhouse effect is actually a naturally
occurring phenomenon that has helped to
regulate temperatures on earth for millennia.

 If there were no CO2 in the atmosphere, the

earth would not retain heat from solar
radiation, and it would not warm up through
this process.
 Before the start of the Industrial Revolution
about 55% of the radiation from the sun was
re-emitted into space while the remaining
45% was used by green plants in
photosynthesis, in warming the surface of the
planet, and indirectly in generating rain and
winds.
 The result was an equilibrium which kept the

surface temperature of the Earth fairly

constant.
 The Industrial Revolution created greater
demands on energy which was initially met by
water and wind power.

 Greater industrial proliferation placed a strain

on these resources
 Chemical energy sources were used to

considerations of storage, predictability and

the ability to transport sources of energy
 Industrialists switched to charcoal, which
caused widespread deforestation and then to
coal.

 By the 1930s oil replaced coal as a major

energy source and also significant source of
Greenhouse gases.
 The content of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere has been monitored by one of
the observatories in Hawaii ( far away from
industrial activity) for over 100 years.

 It has also been determined from gas trapped

in glaciers from about 800 CE. The content of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has
increased rapidly since the 1800s.
 The rate of emission has tripled in the last 50
years to about 6 billion US tons per year.

 Relatively recently it has been realised that

methane, CH4, is a second important
greenhouse gas.

 Methane is also produced in large quantities

in garbage dumps.
 Indications are that the average temperature
has increased by about 2ºC and could
increase by a further 6ºC.

 Note that the lowest average temperature in

the last ice age was only 6ºC below the
present average.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE
 The sea level will rise as an increase in
temperature causes the ice caps and
glaciers to melt.
◦ melting ice contributed to rising sea levels and
subsequent coral bleaching.
◦ corals are further below the sea surface the
algae which coexist with them will get
insufficient light for photosynthesis to produce
food for themselves and the coral polyps.
◦ The reefs will eventually die causing ocean
swells to be able to attack the beaches.
◦ Low-lying areas will be flooded. Remember that a
large number of the major cities of the world lie
close to the current sea level and would be flooded.

◦ Sea-level-rise has implication for the Caribbean

and low-lying countries.

◦ This fact is especially a critical concern when we

consider that tropical beaches are an integral part
of our Tourism industry and economic
sustainability
 Secondly, the temperature of the sea water will
increase and this will undoubtedly cause
changes in the weather patterns. Rainy seasons
will get longer or start later.

 The Sea becomes a less effective “Carbon

Dioxide sink.”

 The sea (aquatic phytoplankton) and the

forests, utilize atmospheric Carbon during
photosynthesis and provide a ‘sink’, effectively
lowering atmospheric carbon levels.
 Atlantic hurricanes have increasingly been a
concern to safety in the Caribbean.
 Hurricanes have increased in frequency and
severity and now affect regions as far north as
England.
 The increase prevalence of hurricanes may be
linked to elevated global temperatures
 Atlantic hurricanes originate off the coast of
Africa and are caused when hot winds from the
Sahara desert meet cold north-bound Antarctic
air
 The cold, moisture-laden air is pushed up by
the hot sahara winds and the two air masses
circulate in an ‘eddey’.
 Condensation of moisture in the air mass as
well as the energy created by thee circulating
air leads to an organised spiral which
eventually results in formation of a
hurricane.
 Upper level trough – tropical depression –
tropical storm – hurricane.
FOOD SECURITY:
 The largest indirect change of climate change
on the Caribbean will probably be the
availability of imported food.
 Already the major grain producing regions of
the world have been subjected to prolonged
drought (the Prairies of Canada and the USA,
the Steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan, the
Argentine, and Western Australia).
 Grain scarcity impacts food prices by not only
increasing the cost of major plant food-
sources, but also cattle, poultry, and eggs.
 A secondary indirect effect is more likely to
affect the temperature zones rather than the
tropics. This is the movement northward of
major pests and their vectors as the
temperature rises. One example is West Nile
virus which has now been found as far north
as Winnipeg Canada.
 The economic effects of global warming on the
economies of the region are dire particularly as
growing seasons are impacted by extreme
weather patterns or drought.

 Moreover, in islands where tourism is a major

segment of the economy, economies may be
affected by fewer tourist arrivals and a
declining tourism product due to beach
erosion, higher temperatures, shortened high
season.
 In 1997, several governments signed the
Kyoto Protocol which aimed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in
industrialized nations which contribute the
most to elevated greenhouse gas emissions
and consumption of fossil fuels.

 In 2001, the United States – under the Bush

Administration-- (the larger consumer of
fossil fuels) reneged on their commitment
to meet reduction targets.
 This signalled a crisis in the international
community. When the largest contributor to
the greenhouse effect pulled out of the
agreement, many governments also faltered
on their commitments.

 Moreover, many nations found the targets

unfair to meet their own economic
development targets.
 The United States and other countries cited
environmental and economic reasons for
their refusal to fulfil their original
commitments. Reducing greenhouse
emissions could mean a potential slow
down in the economy, which might cost
jobs. The United States has now turned its
attention to funding research in fuel/
energy-efficient technologies to combat
high fuel consumption.
 This is the first time that the US has agreed to
the goal of developing a new global accord
on climate change by 2009 to replace the
Kyoto Protocol.
 The Global accord on Climate Change was

signed in Copenhagen, Denmark in December

2009.
 It is neither comprehensive or legally binding.

Therefore, dashing hopes of seriously

mitigating global warming.
 Climate Change should be distinguished
from Acid Rain. Acid rain is caused when
sulphur, and nitrogen oxides react with
water in the atmosphere after being emitted
by factories.

 Man made ozone depletion is caused by

fluorocarbons (Chloro and Bromo) in the
upper atmosphere (stratosphere). This
permits the entry of too much ultraviolet
light (UV).
Image of the largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded
(September 2006).