Climate Change
Drastic environmental change in the past decade has made the world a very different place. As the world begins to feel the impact of climate change (or global warming) through more extreme weather conditions, people around the world are awaking to a new economic sensibility in which environmental sustainability is an integral component.
| |
Effects of Climate Change
On the regional scale, climate change has taken place drastically:-
- According to NASA, satellite images show 8.7% decrease in Arctic sea ice per decade
- Global sea level is projected to rise almost 9 times from 0.09 to 0.88m
- Increased precipitation observed in North and South America
- Decreased precipitation observed in Mediterranean, Southern Africa and Southern Asia
- Increased cyclone activities in North Atlantic region since 1970s
|
| |
On the local scale, climate change has set many meteorological records:
- Parts of Europe (France, Italy, Portugal, UK) experienced a severe heat wave in 2003, leaving more than 35,000 dead
- In USA, the number of tornadoes in a month hit a record 562 in May 2005, 163 more than previous record
- In Australia, 2006 was the driest year for many parts that were hard hit by severe droughts
- In Singapore, December 2006 was the wettest month in more than 100 years
- In Moscow, record heat wave temperature of 17 C recorded in March 2007, right in the middle of winter!
|
| |
Causes of Climate Change
- Most of the energy we use to heat our homes for electricity and transport comes from fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal
- When fossil fuels are burned, they release CO2 which is the main greenhouse gas
- Greenhouse gases cause the earth to heat up by trapping the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere - acting like a greenhouse
- Trees take in CO2 for photosynthesis, serving as the earth's lungs
- As we cut down trees (deforestation) for timber and development, amount of CO2 absorbed is reduced, causing more CO2 to be trapped in the atmosphere
|
|
