8 the effect of climate change on world food production and water

1- definition
Climate change is the long-term shift in weather patterns in a

specific region or globally.

Unlike global warming, which refers to just one aspect of climate

change - a rise in the surface temperature of the earths surface.

climate change refers to changes in a regions overall weather
patterns, including precipitation, temperatures, cloud cover, and
so on.

Leading scientists believe that climate change on this scale could

produce results such as the following:

Increased surface temperatures

Rises in sea levels
Retreat of glaciers and melting of sea ice
Changes in precipitation
Increases in intensity of extreme weather events such as heat waves,

tornadoes, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall

Longer, more severe droughts
Expansion of subtropical deserts
Species endangerment and extinction and loss of biodiversity
Melting of permafrost (which speeds global warming)
Drops in agricultural yields
Spread of vector-borne diseases because of increased range of insects
Acidification of oceans creating drops in fishing yields and death of coral
reefs

2- Main causes of climate change

There are some natural causes of climatic change. However, most of the
climatic change is caused global warming that is mainly caused by human
activities.

Global warming

A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's

atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by

increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

There are some natural causes of climatic change. However, most of
the climatic change is caused global warming that is mainly caused by
human activities.

a- burning of fossil fuels ( coal, oil, natural gas )

Our planet is wrapped in a layer of greenhouse gases.
This layer keeps the globe warm like a blanket, shielding it from the

cold universe commonly referred to as the greenhouse effect.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main driver for the greenhouse effect. And

this is where we have a problem.

The cause of climate change is the unlimited burning of fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas releasing CO2 in the atmosphere at an ever

increasing rate.
Because of this the layer of greenhouse gas gets thicker, which in turn
makes the Earth warmer.

Why coal causes so much environmental damage

Coal is the most carbon-rich of all fossil fuels. Burning coal generates
70% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than natural gas for every unit of

energy produced.
More than a third of all global electricity is generated from coal - it is
the power sector's single biggest source of energy.

b- Mining coal and oil

Mining coal and oil allows methane to escape.
How does it escape?
Methane is naturally in the ground.
When coal or oil is mined you have to dig up the earth a little.

When you dig up the fossil fuels you dig up the methane as well

c- ozone depletion
Chlorofluorocarbons which are used in refrigerators, air conditioners,
aresol sprays and other industrial gases which deplete the Earth's

protective ozone layer

They are being phased out, but in some cases are being substituted by
fluorinated gases which can be even more powerful greenhouse gases.

d- Destroying Biodiversity
Biodiversity, the huge variety of other animals and plants on our

planet, together with the places where found.

Why are we losing so many species and land every single second?
Biodiversity has declined by more than a quarter in the last 35 years.
The Living Planet Index (LPI), which tracks nearly 4,000
populations of wildlife, shows an overall fall in population

trends of 27% between 1970 and 2005.

That's not good news. In general terms, population growth and our
consumption are the reasons for this enormous loss. Specifically,
habitat destruction and wildlife trade are the major causes of
population decline in species.

We have...

logged,

plucked and

hunted
The

animals,

trees,

flowers and

fish
For

medicine,

status symbols,

building materials and

Food.

Forests also help protect the planet from climate change by absorbing
massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), a major source of pollution

that causes climate change.

Unfortunately, forests are being destroyed or damaged at an alarming
rate by logging and burning to clear land for agriculture or livestock.
These activities release huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other
harmful

greenhouse

gases

into

the

atmosphere.

Aquatic life is being destroyed by oil spills, this also result in more CO2
release (this is my own assumption that CO2 raises by oil spills:P is it
right?)

e- more population

Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population. More

people means more food, and more methods of transportation

That means more methane and CO2 because there will be more
burning of fossil fuels, and more agriculture.

3- Natural causes
There contribution is very minimal
a. Volcanic eruptions
o When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur
dioxide (SO2), water vapour, dust, and ash into the atmosphere.
o The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is also produced however
the CO2 produced is insignificant when compared to emissions
created by humans.
b- ocean current
Changes in ocean circulation may affect the climate through
the movement of CO2 into or out of the atmosphere.
c- solar variation

4- Affect on food and water

The change in nature has serious implications for people and our
economic system. The insurance industry puts potential economic
damage caused by global warming impacts at hundreds of billions of
dollars each year.

a- Affects biodiversity on which the humans are dependent

climate change is affecting the distributions of tropical insects, the
most numerous group of animals on Earth, thus representing a major

threat to global biodiversity

Biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are crucial to
human well-being at present and in the future.

Climate is an integral part of ecosystem functioning and human health

is impacted directly and indirectly by results of climatic conditions

upon terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Marine biodiversity is affected by ocean acidification related to levels

of carbon in the atmosphere.

Terrestrial biodiversity is influenced by climate variability, such as
extreme weather events (ie drought, flooding) that directly influence
ecosystem health and the productivity and availability of ecosystem

goods and services for human use.

Longer term changes in climate affect the viability and health of
ecosystems, influencing shifts in the distribution of plants, pathogens,

animals, and even human settlements.

Some of the species are likely to die out

b- Climate change impacts on water

Rivers and lakes supply drinking water for people and animals, as well
as being vital for agriculture and industry. Oceans and seas provide

food for billions of people.

Climate is having and will have major and unpredictable effects on the

world's water systems, including more floods and droughts.

Extremes of drought and flooding will become more common, causing
displacement and conflict and less fresh water means less agriculture,
food and income.

c- Climate change impacts on forests

Forests do so much: they purify our air, improve water quality, keep
soils intact, provide us with food, wood products and medicines, and

are home to many of the worlds most endangered wildlife.

In fact, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide rely on forests for
their livelihoods, including 60 million indigenous people who depend on
forests for their subsistence.

Scientists estimate up to 20 percent of global carbon emissions come

from deforestation greater than emissions from every car, truck and

plane on the planet combined.

So instead of forests helping us to solve the climate crisis,
deforestation is making the situation even worse.

d- Climate change impacts on food security

Climate change is having and will have a significant impact on food
availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food systems

stability in many parts of the world.

Climate change poses a significant risk of increased crop failure, loss of

livestock and impact on local food security.

In some areas drier and warmer conditions are predicted, elsewhere
wetter conditions are expected and will affect agriculture practices. It
is and will affect human health and livelihoods, as well as peoples
purchasing power, food markets and food security on a household
level.

e- Climate change impacts on agriculture

Many people through the world rely on rain-fed agriculture.
As a result, it is highly vulnerable to changes in climate variability,

seasonal shifts, and precipitation patterns.

Any amount of warming will result in increased water stress.

5- recommendations
a- Mitigating
Reducing the amount of future climate change is called

mitigation of climate change.

The IPCC defines mitigation as activities that reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, or enhance the capacity

of carbon sinks to absorb GHGs from the atmosphere

b- Adaption

Adaptation to climate change may be planned, e.g., by

local or national government, or spontaneous, i.e., done

privately without government intervention.

c- Geo engineering
Geoengineering encompasses a range of techniques to
remove CO2 from the atmosphere or to reflect incoming

sunlight.
Little is known about the effectiveness, costs or potential

side effects of geoengineering options

As most geoengineering techniques would affect the entire
globe, deployment would likely require global public
acceptance and an adequate global legal and regulatory
framework, as well as significant further scientific research.

6- conclusion
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ (maximum data taken from here )