Why Climate Change Matters - The Impacts of Climate Change · Shah Fahad et Al., Plant Sci., 29...
Transcript of Why Climate Change Matters - The Impacts of Climate Change · Shah Fahad et Al., Plant Sci., 29...
Why Climate Change Matters - The Impacts of Climate Change
Wilmette Institute, May 5, 2020
May 5: Impacts of Climate ChangeMay 12: Causes and “Solutions”
Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of God.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah XCIII
Pont du Guard
Wikimedia: Creative Commons License
More than 1°C (1.8°F) warmer since the Industrial
Revolution
A Warming Planet● 2016 was the hottest year on record● 2019 was the second warmest year● 2010-2019 was the warmest decade● Since the 1980s, each successive decade has
been warmer than any preceding decade since 1850
Disruption of Ecosystems Blue Tit
Flycatcher
The total flying insect biomass decreased by more than 75 percent over 27 years.
Coral Bleaching
● Warmer Water Temperatures
● Ocean Acidification
● Water Pollution
Global warming of 1.5ºC (2.7°F): Coral reefs would decline by 70-90%.
Global warming of 2ºC (3.6°F):Virtually all coral reefs would be lost.
Loss of Biodiversity
“More than one million species could become extinct by 2050 if the Earth continues to warm at the rate it is now.”
IPBES 2019 Report
Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator.
Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment.
Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.
9. Lawḥ-i-Ḥikmat, Tablets of Bahau'llah
“The rate of global change in nature during the past 50 years is unprecedented in human history.”
IPBES
1. Changes in land and sea use – loss of habitat 2. Direct exploitation of organisms - over-fishing etc.3. Climate change 4. Pollution 5. Invasive alien species
Where does all the heat energy go?
The warming is not evenly distributed.
Credit: NASA
Jakobshavn Ice Stream in Greenland
1941 Muir Glacier 2004
Image Credit: Kathmandupost
The Andes
By Jorge Morales Piderit - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3454029
Two Main Reasons forSea Level Rise
● Melting ice● Thermal expansion
The Greenland ice sheet holds enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by 7m (23 feet).
Photograph: Sarah Das/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/PA
(Pic: NASA/Flickr)
Sea Level Rise
Global warming and storms
Since 1980, ● storms with winds stronger than 124mph
(200 km) per hour have doubled, and ● storms with winds stronger than 155mph
(250 km) per hour have tripled.
Why are storms becoming stronger and more devastating?
Why are storms becoming stronger and more devastating?
● Winds pick up energy from warmer ocean waters
● More heavy precipitation (rain and snowfall) because of more water vapor in the atmosphere
● Storm surges are more destructive because of higher sea-levels
● Slow down of polar vortex (jet stream) makes storm linger longer in one area
The polar jet stream can be several miles deep and more than 100 miles wide, with the strongest winds typically 5 to 10 miles above the ground. The fastest
winds are in red; slower winds are in blue. Credit: NASA
Cyclone Idai, March 14, 2019
Cyclone Idai
Tacloban City, PhilippinesNovember 10, 2013
Image Credit: Reuters/Erik De Castro
Vanuatu, Cyclone Harold, April 10, 2020
Photograph: Dan McGarry, the Guardian
Heat Waves
Karachi, Pakistan, June 2015, temperatures reached 113°F (45°C)
Bangkok, Thailand, April 27, 2016
Some 2019 Temperature Records
● January: Australia's hottest month ever recorded
● April: Vietnam highest all-time temperature of 110.1 F (43.4)
● July: Israel recorded 121.8 F (49.9 C)
● July: Alaska's warmest July on record
Drought and Water Scarcity
Crop Production under Drought and Heat Stress: Plant Responses and Management Options, Shah Fahad et al, Plant Sci. 29 June, 2017
Shah Fahad et Al., Plant Sci., 29 June 2017
Malnutrition and Hunger
“Following years of steady decline, hunger is again on the rise, driven by a changing climate and extreme weather events: over 820 million people were affected by hunger in 2018.”
The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019
Jialing River, Chongqing, China
Lake Chad
Lake Urúmíyyih
Fires in Russia detected by a NASA satellite
September 28, 2016
California 2019 Wildfires
Burned bush land on the outskirts of Bredbo, AustraliaNew York Times, February 15, 2020
The smoke from the Australian wildfires seriously affected people's health.
Why is the chance for heavy precipitation higher on a warmer Earth?
Why is the chance for heavy precipitation higher on a warmer Earth?
● Warmer air can hold more moisture.● There is more evaporation with warmer
temperature (unless the air is already saturated with moisture).
Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, EnglandDecember 5, 2015
China, Anhui Province, July 7, 2006
Floods in Pakistan, 2010
Flooding In ShirazMarch 2019
Land Slides
Rio De Janeiro November 2018
Bondo, SwitzerlandAugust 2017
Climate Change - Risks for Human Health
Extreme Heat
Air Pollution
Image Credit: Chris Jordan-Bloch, EarthJustice
Spread of Malariaand other vector born diseases
WHO/Acland Cover photo from the Global Task Force on Cholera control (GTFCC) report "Ending Cholera - A Global Roadmap to 2030."
Coronavirus
Coronavirus and Biodiversity
Climate Refugees
Families being relocated due to flooding and landslides in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. UN WOMEN/ALLISON JOYCE
European Refugee Crisis
“The Earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.”
Baha’u’llah
“However difficult matters are at present, and however close to the limits of their endurance some sections of societies are brought, humanity will ultimately pass through this ordeal, and it will emerge on the other side with greater insight and with a deeper appreciation of its inherent oneness and interdependence.”
Universal House of Justice, Naw-Ruz 2020 Message