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:fire: Impacts of global warming :fire: - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Heat waves
        
        35,000 Europeans died in a 2003 heat wave
        
        "Germany braces for sweltering temperatures in Europe-wide heat wave. Damaged roads and devastated crops, with higher temperatures still to come."
      - Hotter weather, especially nights
        
        Infectious diseases
        
        Infectious diseases are spreading more, 30 new diseases in 25 years (like SARS)
        
        Milder weather allows birds to fly further up north
        
        Avian flu spread further
        
        Mosquitoes are no longer killed off by consecutive cold nights
        
        Spread diseases (e.g. Malaria)
        
        People getting sick, dying
        
        "Globally, temperature increases of 2-3ºC would increase the number of people who, in climatic terms, are at risk of malaria by around 3- 5%, i.e. several hundred million."
        
        Are spreading further north and to higher elevations (e.g. Nairobi Kenya)
        
        People might have to move
        
        Permafrost bringing back ancient frozen diseases
        
        "A recent outbreak of anthrax disease, severely affecting reindeer herds in Siberia, has been reportedly associated to the presence of infected carcasses or spores released from the active layer over permafrost, which is thawing and thickening at increasing rates, thus underlying the re-emerging nature of this pathogen in the Arctic region because of warming temperatures"
        
        One person died
        
        Lack of food for people living off Reindeer herds
      - Permafrost is melting
        
        Houses built on Permafrost (e.g. Alaska) are collapsing
      - Rising sea levels
        
        Cities will dissapear
        
        Some historical cities (e.g. New Orleans) can not be protected from rising sea levels and might have to be abandoned
        
        Loss of livelihood, jobs and houses
        
        In the US, between 20 and 31 million people's homes will be submerged by rising oceans, if global average temperatures rise by 6 degrees Fahrenheit (3.3 C) , according to a new study in PNAS.
        
        People will have to move, leave things behind, etc.
      - Glaciers are melting
        
        40% of people get their drinking water from mountain water from glaciers, when glaciers run out of water people will face immense water shortages
        
        The Little Almaty in Kazakhstan and several other glacier-fed rivers supply some of the drinking water for the region’s two million people and irrigation water for fields of corn and other crops outside the city. With rapid glacier melting, the river may soon not be there anymore
      - Increase in natural disasters
        
        Hurricanes destroy cities
        
        Poorer countries do not have the luxury to escape from and prepare for Hurricanes.
        
        "Hurricane Katrina destroyed or damaged more than 850,000 homes. Between 300,000 to 350,000 vehicles were also destroyed, as well as 2,400 ships and vessels."
        
        Hurricanes kill people
        
        1,833 people died in Hurricane Katrina alone
        
        Typhoon Yolanda in the Phillipines affected more than 14 million people across 44 provinces, displacing 4.1 million people, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving 1,800 missing. In addition, Typhoon Haiyan damaged 1.1 million houses, destroyed 33 million coconut trees (a major source of livelihoods), and disrupted the livelihoods of 5.9 million workers. Overall damage is estimated at $5.8 billion.
        
        Droughts
        
        " A 5°F to 9°F rise in global average temperature could reduce grain yields by 30% to 50%, and global food supplies even more. The combination of decreasing food production in the face of increasing food demand would likely lead to widespread social unrest and hunger—even catastrophic global famine."
        
        Floods
        
        UK: "As affected communities drain, dredge, dry out and count the cost of lost belongings, ruined homes and businesses, as people live with lingering damp, and new fears of future storms, it appears that much needs to be done to prepare ourselves to face our future reality."
      - Droughts due to hotter temperatures and less water
        
        Hunger/famine
        
        Northern Kenya is becoming drier and hotter. According to recent research, the region dried faster in the 20th century than at any time over the last 2,000 years. Four severe droughts in the last two decades.
        
        In Madagascar, more than a million people went hungry as corn, cassava and rice fields withered under drought and severe El Niño conditions.
      - “Not only are the people who live in the world’s poorest countries most vulnerable to climate change, but they are also the least equipped to address its increasing impacts." - The Guardian
      - Fire damage
        
        More than 2,000 homes were destroyed in the Australian Bushfires
    - - Pro
        
        People witness global warming first hand (floods, hurricanes, melting ice)
        
        Scientists want things to change in order to save the earth
      - Contra
        
        People are in denial about global warming because they can't comprehend Earth's size
        
        People are ignorant of hurricanes because they are common and end up dying → loss of life
        
        Companies do not want to admit to being damaging
  - - - Cold places are getting warmer and more habitable, people can move further up north
        
        Large parts of Asian Russia could become habitable by the late 21st century due to climate change, new research has found
      - Melting ice and snow will make transport easier
        
        Arctic sea ice now is melting so rapidly each summer due to global warming, however, that ships without ice-breaking hulls will be able to cross previously inaccessible parts of the Arctic Ocean by 2050. And light-weight ships equipped to cut through one meter of ice will be able to travel over the North Pole regularly in late summer, according to a new study published March 4 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Plus.
      - Increased CO2
        
        Increased CO2 could increase food production by aiding plant growth - Rep. Lamar Smith
        
        Growing population sustained
      - Milder winters
        
        At risk groups (e.g. homeless people) suffer / die less
- - - - Occasionally, increased rainfall and more CO2 makes some plants grow better
      - Tropical species feeling better and moving upwards
        
        More biodiversity
        
        “A higher concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere would aid photosynthesis, which in turn contributes to increased plant growth,” Rep. Lamar Smith (R–Texas) wrote in an op-ed last year. “This correlates to a greater volume of food production and better quality food.”
    - - Mosquitos and other bugs can survive longer due to milder weather
      - Species used to cold weather can increase territories and find more prey by moving upwards due to warmer temperatures
  - - - Increased temperature in water and air makes hurricanes stronger
        
        Stronger storms and hurricanes
        
        Hurricane Yolanda in Philippines was the strongest ever
      - Increased typhoons and tornadoes, in new places
        
        First hurricane ever in Brazil
      - Flooding due to rising sea levels
        
        Flooding increases in Mumbai, China
      - Soil evaporation increases with temperature and increases droughts
        
        Increased drought, sometimes at the same time as others have floods
        
        An example is the drought that hit central India in 2008 when the north-south pattern of precipitation was disrupted by unusual weather driven by abnormally high sea surface temperatures.
      - Forest fires increase due to higher temperatures and drier vegetation
        
        The fires in Australia have burned over 12.35 million acres of land
      - Lakes are drying out
        
        "The primary effect of the Aral Sea desiccation has been the significant loss of water in the sea. The water level has dropped approximately 23 meters since the onset of its primary sources of water being diverted (Zavialov 2005). Although the water level has fluctuated up to a few meters in the past due to natural variability in the water flow from the rivers, by 1970, the water loss exceeded the limit of natural water level variation that has occurred in the past."
      - Landslides due to increased downpour
        
        "The study team found that warming temperatures will cause more intense rainfall in some areas, and this could lead to increased landslide activity in the border region of China and Nepal."
      - Rising sea levels create coastal erosion
        
        "Global warming causes sea-level rise as oceans expand, and makes storm patterns more energetic. Consequently it will affect most of the world’s coastlines through inundation and increased erosion."
    - - Melting glaciers (Kilimanjaro, Peru, Argentina, Italian Alps), Glacier National Park Glaciers melting
        
        Swiss Cheese Ice
      - Melting permafrost
      - Rising sea levels due to south pole ice being on land and leaking into the ocean
      - Ice shelves are breaking in Antarctica
      - Melting ice on north pole and greenland does not raise sea levels but reduces ice reflection, letting more heat be absorbed by the water and warming the water up
        
        Greenland would raise sea level by almost 7 meters if it melts
      - Arctic ice caps have diminished by 40% in 40 years, are melting more and more
      - Warmer water
    - - 1000 times faster species loss than natural
        
        U.N. report: 1 million species of animals and plants face extinction due to climate change and human activity
      - Birds
        
        Caterpillars arrive too early for bird chicks, now birds are dying out
      - Polar bears
        
        Do not have enough ice, drown
        
        "A study projected that continued decline in sea ice would reduce the global population of bears by two thirds, to less than 10,000 by 2050."
      - Animals killed in forest fires
        
        Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia's devastating wildfires in 2019 and 2020, according to a new report, with experts calling it “one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history”.
      - Animals killed by hurricanes, etc
      - Species from warmer climates invade new areas, may not have natural predator which could harm the resident species
      - Habitats destroyed decrease / eradicate populations
        
        Tufted Puffins are threatened by sea level rise and storm surges which destroy habitats and breeding areas.
        
        "The Bramble Cay Melomys was the first species to be declared extinct because of climate change. Sea level rise and storm surges washed away its habitat, food and the last of the population. In 2014 scientists went searching in the hopes of starting a breeding program but were unable to find a pair."
      - Certain species are dying out while others are overpopulating, destroying food chains.
      - Coral reefs
        
        Tropical storms and heavier rainfall may increase and so too would the consequent physical damage to coral reefs
        
        Increased CO2 raises ocean acidity, which means that coral reefs are bleaching, dependant fish, sponge, plant species in danger
        
        A study has shown that fish in the North Sea have moved further north or into deeper water in response to rising sea temperatures.
      - Reindeer
        
        Anthrax bacteria in Siberia from thawed out permafrost killed 2000 reindeer in 2016
        
        Over animals could be affected too
      - Hibernation cycles disrupted due to unusual warmth
        
        Experts say as soon as amphibians emerge from hibernation, they migrate to nearby ponds or streams to breed. “Thus, global warming creates a trend towards early breeding as average temperatures are increasing.
        
        “Changes in ambient temperature on a global scale could disrupt timing of breeding, periods of hibernation, and ability to find food. Because amphibians are key components of many ecosystems, changes in their populations could affect other species within their communities, such as their predators and prey, even if these species were unaffected directly by global warming,” says Andrew R Blaustein, who heads the department of zoology in Oregon State Uni-versity, USA.
      - Migratory animals
        
        "In some areas of North America warming seas are causing the fish that Puffins feed on to migrate farther north, making it difficult for them to find adequate food."
        
        Millions of Birds Are Migrating Earlier Because of Warming
        
        "In winter, the sun doesn't rise south of the Antarctic Circle. If Antarctic sea ice decreases and does not extend far enough to the north, Adélie Penguins, during their winter migration, may not be able to reach the sunlight needed to navigate, hunt and avoid predators—they won't dive in the dark."
    - - Forest fires burning down more and more often
      - Invasive species due to milder weather, can not be killed by cold winters anymore
        
        Beetles that are no longer killed by long cold winters → forests in trouble
      - Places are getting warmer: tropical species are moving upwards
        
        Unnatural competition
      - ‘Drunken trees’ are growing on permafrost and its melting, they are losing foundations
      - Alpine plants' habitats are being destroyed
    - - Weather patterns are starting to become more erratic
        
        "Global warming can contribute to the intensity of heat waves by increasing the chances of very hot days and nights. Warming air also boosts evaporation, which can worsen drought. More drought creates dry fields and forests that are prone to catching fire, and increasing temperatures mean a longer wildfire season. Global warming also increases water vapor in the atmosphere, which can lead to more frequent heavy rain and snowstorms.
        A warmer and more moist atmosphere over the oceans makes it likely that the strongest hurricanes will be more intense, produce more rainfall, and possibly be larger. In addition, global warming causes sea level to rise, which increases the amount of seawater, along with more rainfall, that is pushed on to shore during coastal storms. That seawater, along with more rainfall, can result in destructive flooding. While global warming is likely making hurricanes more intense, scientists don’t know yet if global warming is increasing the number of hurricanes each year. The effect of global warming on the frequency, intensity, size, and speed of hurricanes remains a subject of scientific research."
      - Global warming increases and relocates precipitation
      - Increase in weather disasters (e.g. storms and hurricanes)
      - Cold places are getting warmer
      - Weather patterns are changing
        
        2015: "Most recently on June 27, Egyptians struggled to make sense of an earthquake (which followed one in March) accompanied by a sandstorm that uncharacteristically hit during the summer and exactly one month after another massive sandstorm had blanketed Cairo. It is worth noting here that under Egypt’s normal climate conditions, sandstorms occur in the spring and earthquakes do not usually strike twice in four months. Neither does it snow in Cairo, which also occurred this past winter."
- - - - Flood protection companies benefit
      - Moving & real estate in higher up cities will benefit
      - Dam building companies profit
    - - Insurance companies profit
    - - Electric car industry will profit
        
        One study found that emissions from EVs have emissions up to 43% lower than diesel vehicles. Another detailed that “in all cases examined, electric cars have lower lifetime climate impacts than those with internal combustion engines”
      - Nuclear power plants and renewable sources will be popular
    - - Higher temperatures can be beneficial for certain crops
      - Increased CO2 may benefit plant growth
      - Warmer weather provides a larger time frame to grow crops in
      - Soil no longer frozen for as long
    - - Insurance company
      - Sustainable vehicle companies
      - Building companies
      - Moving companies
  - - - Businesses, stores, other workplaces, etc destroyed
      - Having to rebuild due to hurricane damage costs billions of dollars = expensive
        
        Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated $161 billion in damage.
      - Injured people
        
        Treatment costs
        
        Missing jobs
      - Extreme heat, lack of rain, landslides, etc can kill crops and cost farmers money
      - Droughts
        
        In 2012, the central and western US was hit particularly hard when 81 percent of the country was living in abnormally dry conditions, causing $30 billion in damages.
    - - Ice truckers in trucks can not transport goods as well because they have to drive over ice but ice is melting
      - Sea level rise caused by melting ice
        
        Low lying countries (e.g. Netherlands) or states (e.g. Florida) will be flooded
        
        Poorer people will not have the same resources as the rich, could go bankrupt when moving/evacuating
        
        Very high displacement costs
        
        Infrastructure flooded
    - - American car industry struggling due to high emissions costs
      - Coal industry (or other industries with high emissions will struggle)
    - - Loss of tourists going for winter sports
      - Warm areas may become too hot for tourists
        
        “Climate change would shift patterns of tourism towards higher altitudes and latitudes,” “Tourism may double in colder countries and fall by 20 percent in warmer countries….For some countries international tourism may treble whereas for others it may be cut in half.”
        
        Canada, which they predict will experience a 220 percent increase in international arrivals by 2100, Russia (174 percent) and Mongolia (122 percent). The biggest losers: Mauritania, where international arrivals will drop by 60 percent, Mali (-59 percent) and Bahrain (-58 percent).
    - - Water carrying infrastructure in Australia is going to suffer
        
        "Increased precipitation can lead to infrastructure damage and soil run-off; decreased precipitation can lead to increased water pollution due to a drop in water flows; increased air and water temperatures lead to more rapid evaporation and asset corrosion; and a sea level rise could affect both the availability and quality of water supply due to saltwater intrusion into groundwater aquifers and distribution networks."
      - Transport infrastructure in Indonesia
        
        Deteriorating roads due to rain water inundation in Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. Furthermore, the increase in temperature will increase heat that reduce the life of asphalt and increase the stress to bridges expansion joints.
      - US infrastructure
        
        Sea level rise, storm surge, and heavy downpours, in combination with the pattern of continued development in coastal areas roads is damaging buildings, industrial facilities, increasing risks to ports and coastal military installations.