EVS ASSIGNMENT

Climate change

 Climate change is the catch-all term for the shift in

worldwide weather phenomena associated with an
increase in global average temperatures.
 CAUSES

 Variations in the sun's energy reaching Earth

 Changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and
surface
 Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the
amount of heat retained by Earth’s atmosphere
 Pollution
The effects of climate change

 Ice melting
 Sea level rise
 Ocean acidification
 Desertification
 Biodiversity loss
 Ice melting

 One of the most evident consequences is melting ice

– the melting of the cryosphere, those portions of
Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including
ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost (those areas where
soil is permanently frozen).
 Sea level rise

 Melting ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland have

most likely led sea level to rise by 3.1 millimetres per
year between 1993 and 2003, according to IPCC. The
rise is expected to reach 15 to 95 centimetres by 2100.
 Ocean acidification

 Increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will also

lead to ocean acidification, causing irreparable
damage to marine ecosystems – like the Great Barrier
Reef that is a UNESCO heritage site as it is home to
more than “400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish
and 4,000 types of mollusc.
 Desertification

 Desertification (and, thus, heat waves) will expand to

areas that currently boast a temperate climate such
as the areas north and south of the Sahara desert,
including the Mediterranean countries, causing
severe damage to agriculture.
 Biodiversity loss

 It’s not only due to climate change, but also because

of humanity, that the Earth is facing a relentless mass
extinction, the sixth, resulting in a significant drop in
our Planet’s biodiversity. Species extinction rate is
extremely high and half the living species could
become extinct by the end of the century.