Climate change affects all aspects of life on Earth. It contributes to, for example, higher temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, water shortages, increased demand for energy, food shortages, damage to ecosystems and biodiversity and changing seasonal cycles. Climate-related disasters are increasing across the globe, causing loss of life and environmental and economic losses and displacing communities. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, is threatening food security everywhere.

Retreating glaciers and melting snow caps

Glaciers are sensitive to the impacts of climate change and have been receding over the years.

Melting glaciers are one of the most obvious signs of the climate crisis and one of its most direct consequences. In the Himalayan region of Pakistan, India and Nepal, glacial lake outbursts and flooding in the rivers have become more frequent because glaciers are melting. This is having a catastrophic impact on the people who live in the area.

Rising sea temperatures and levels

Coastal areas have unique ecosystems and biodiversity, both of which are closely connected to the lives and livelihoods of the people who live in coastal areas. Higher ocean temperatures are causing more and worse flooding in coastal areas, which is leading to a loss of land mass and having devastating effects on people’s lives. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Every year, around 3.5 million people are affected by river flooding because of rising sea levels and increasingly intense monsoon seasons. More than one-eighth of the population of Bangladesh will be displaced and need to be relocated if the present rate of global warming continues.

Ocean acidification

Oceans are the largest carbon sink on Earth and absorb excess heat and CO2 from the atmosphere. They become acidic when they absorb higher amounts of CO2 than they can handle. When this happens, they corrode or eat away at the minerals on coral reefs that oysters, clams, lobsters, shrimp and other marine life need to build their shells and skeletons. This causes a condition that can be compared to osteoporosis in humans.

Impact on agriculture and food security

Climate change can affect agriculture and food security in several ways.

• Lower crop yields due to higher temperatures: Higher temperatures have a negative impact on crop yields and eventually lead to low crop production. In countries that are dependent on a dominant variety of crop, the impact can be severe. For example, Malawi and Mozambique are dependent on maize, which is sensitive to temperature variations. When a crop fails or production drops, it has a high economic impact and causes food shortages.
• Reduced soil quality: Climate change alters rainfall patterns, which causes more severe floods and longer droughts. The high temperatures and low moisture levels associated with severe and recurring droughts can change the nature of soil. Salinity ingress in coastal areas is made worse by the impacts of climate change, which also affects the soil quality. Agricultural practices that depend on the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides weaken the soil’s ability to withstand stresses.
• Flooding and soil erosion: More frequent cyclones and other extreme weather events can destroy standing crops. Flooding caused by heavy rainfall can reduce soil’s ability to hold water, which causes soil erosion and damages the quality of the soil.
• Increase in pests: Changes in seasonal weather patterns bring in new pests that can thrive in particular conditions. This causes economic damage and puts an additional burden on farmers. An increase in temperature can expand the geographical range of some migratory pests, which increases the risk of their invading new areas. Plants’ defence mechanisms can be weakened by high temperatures, making them more susceptible to pest attacks.
• Difficulties for small farmers: Farmers find it more and more challenging to plan their cropping cycles, and they face significant economic losses when their crops fail. Small farmers are more vulnerable to these impacts and are likely to get further trapped into poverty, as they lack the resources to access support systems. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because so much of their economies are linked to agriculture.

As climate change continues to affect agricultural systems, the food supply may decline further, causing food shortages. Poorer families will be particularly affected, as they lack access to resources and choices for where to get food.

Impact on natural resources

• Water crises: Erratic changes in seasonal weather patterns cause severe water crises in areas where water is already a vulnerable resource. Despite major efforts across the world, water security remains a big concern and climate change threatens to make it worse. Women and young girls bear the brunt of this particular impact of climate change. For example, they have to walk long distances to fetch water for their families. Young girls already lose critical years of school because they have to help their mothers or look after their younger siblings. As water becomes less available, the impact on these vulnerable groups becomes more severe.
• Ecosystems lose their capacity for resilience: When climate change affects ecosystems and biodiversity, it also reduces the resilience of the natural systems and people who live in those particular ecosystems. Ecosystems are changing because of the impacts of climate change and are becoming increasingly vulnerable. For example, rising temperatures are turning snow-capped mountain areas into warmer ones, bringing in new species and threatening the existing ones. Similarly, desert ecosystems are either getting drier or receiving excessive rainfall, which is challenging their resilience.
• Change in species’ habitats: Many species of plants and animals are already under threat because of the way we have extracted and used natural resources, cut down forests, introduced non-native and invasive species and changed the nature of land use, especially grasslands. Habitats and the species that live in them have an interconnected and interdependent relationship. Any change in a habitat has an impact on the species that live in it — for example, some species might find it difficult to find food, migrate or breed, all of which are crucial to survival.

Case Study

Climate change threatens Pakistan’s elusive snow leopard

“Snow leopards face an emerging and serious threat as the common leopard, a stronger animal, intrudes into their natural habitat due to the impact of climate change and habitat loss” (Abubakar, 2020).

Click the link and read about the current threat to snow leopards in Pakistan: https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/climate-change-threatens-pakistans-elusive-snow-leopard/

Abubakar, S. M. (2020, 16 January). Climate change threatens Pakistan’s elusive snow leopard. The Third Pole.
https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/climate-change-threatens-pakistans-elusive-snow-leopard/
Licence: This article was originally published on The Third Pole under the CC BY-NC-ND licence.

• Biodiversity and species loss: According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, around 11,000 species face extinction because of the impacts of climate change. The changes are happening faster than some species can adapt. Those that are already threatened because of changes in land and ocean use, overfishing and wildlife trade are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change and are at greater risk of extinction (IUCN, 2021).

Adapted from: IUCN. (2021, October). Species and climate change [Issues brief]. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/species-and-climate-change#:~:text=Climate%20change%20currently%20affects%20at,the%20likelihood%20of%20their%20extinction

Impact on human lives

• Health: Climate change causes an increase in heat-related illnesses, respiratory diseases and the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Flooding from excessive rainfall creates ideal conditions for water-borne diseases to thrive. People who are consistently at risk of experiencing extreme climate events have significant mental stress.
• Livelihoods: Climate change poses a significant threat to the economic growth and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable populations, many of whom are dependent on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods. When food production drops, farmers’ incomes also drop. Cutting down forests affects people who depend on them for their income — for example, people who sell honey or medicinal herbs. When ocean temperatures increase, fish migrate to deeper waters, making it harder for the fishing community to catch enough fish.
• Extreme weather events: Ecologically fragile areas such as coasts, mountains and deserts have been experiencing an increase in extreme weather events. Hurricanes and typhoons in coastal areas cause a loss of land mass and severe damage to life and property. Heavy rainfall causes landslides and flooding in rivers and lakes in mountainous regions, and severe droughts lead to extreme heat and loss of agriculture and livestock. Human activities have also made these fragile areas increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Extreme weather events cause large-scale displacement of people, who become climate refugees when they lose their homes and livelihoods. While climate change affects everyone, people who already lack the resources to adapt are often disproportionately affected and face the brunt of the impact — for example, internally displaced people and people who migrate to find work often live in poor conditions in areas most at risk of natural disaster.

Now that we understand more about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change, let us reflect on how they affect us.

Assessment

Formative assessment: 1.1

Think about the following questions:

1. Have you observed any changes in the rainfall or temperature in your area over the last 10 years?
2. If you have noticed changes, has the rainfall increased or decreased?
3. What about the temperature? Has it become hotter or colder compared to 10 years ago?
4. Have there been any disasters such as flooding, drought or excessive rainfall in your area? Have these events become more frequent?
5. What do you think may have caused these disasters?
6. Who is affected the most by climate disasters?

Write your thoughts in your journal.

Assessment

Formative assessment: 1.2

Think about the following scenarios and try to make connections between what is happening and why it is happening.

Scenario 1: A family of small farmers living on the coast finds their land and their home are slowly sinking into the sea. They stand to lose both their livelihood and their home.

Scenario 2: Farms are failing because of a lack of water.