The Simple Understanding of Climate Change - II (Impact)

Impacts on Earth, Understanding of Mitigation and Adaptation

?

Effects of climate change has already been witnessed in many parts of the globe. Significant increase in wildfire events in Australia, USA; cloud bursts and excessive floods in northern India, Nepal; long spell of severe drought in East Africa and Central America; extreme cold and hot conditions as reported in multiple parts of the world are some of the growing lists of climate change events that already has devastating impact on our society. Many such effects are listed below.

Continuous rise of Mean Sea Level; Drought and Flooding; Rise in Ocean heat content; Imbalance in Ecosystem (land and marine); Food Scarcity; Extreme Hot and Cold Weather; Melting of Ice sheets in Polar region; Loss of livelihood; Increase in Infectious Disease; Submergence of many Island nations; Threat to Economy

Many more….

The effects have potential to wipe out 18% of world’s GDP by 2050 if no action is taken. Even with strict adherence to Paris accord, restricting global temperature increase below 2 degree centigrade, Swiss Re has estimated a loss of 4% to global GDP by 2050.

(Source: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2865/a-degree-of-concern-why-global-temperatures-matter/; https://www.swissre.com/media/news-releases/nr-20210422-economics-of-climate-change-risks.html)

Mitigation and Adaptation

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s flagship event called Climate Change Conference (COP) 26 is just concluded at Glasgow (Oct-Nov’21). Flashback to COP21 at Paris where landmark agreement was signed to limit the overall increase in global temperature under 2 degree Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degree Celsius. ?

Mitigation is about reducing GHG concentration from the atmosphere through reduction in GHG emissions, sequestering carbon (absorption), and capturing, reusing carbon & methane; gradually reaching to net zero or even carbon negative over a period. While mitigation has taken the center stage in terms of awareness, policies, innovation, practices, processes, and investment; adaptation is the key to survival and re-adjustment. The world has already started to witness drastic outcome from climate change. Adaptation will provide a way to understand the nuances of climate change in very granular level and take immediate steps in global scale and make us a resilient society. Granularity and contextualization are the two keys for effectiveness of all mitigation and adaptation measures.

Previous - Introduction

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/drkundu_climaterisk-climatechange-sustainabilty-activity-6901247481880145920-AHyx

Next - Collaboration

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/drkundu_climaterisk-climatechange-sustainabilty-activity-6901261895660359680-WdfZ