Climate Change and Lifestyles Guidebook - UNEP
Climate Change and Lifestyles Guidebook - UNEP
Climate Change and Lifestyles Guidebook - UNEP
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4. Changing effects <strong>and</strong> impacts<br />
What are the effects of climate change on the planet <strong>and</strong> ecosystems? How<br />
does climate change impact different people around the world? Is everyone<br />
affected the same way?<br />
<strong>Climate</strong> change effects<br />
The effects of climate change are global in<br />
scope <strong>and</strong> unprecedented in scale, with some<br />
of them already being observed. They include<br />
more frequent <strong>and</strong> extreme weather patterns,<br />
changes in plant growth affecting agriculture<br />
<strong>and</strong> food production, loss of plant <strong>and</strong> animal<br />
species unable to adapt or migrate to changing<br />
conditions, changes in the spread of infectious<br />
diseases in terms of the rate <strong>and</strong> the expansion<br />
of ranges, changes in the flow of ocean currents,<br />
<strong>and</strong> changes in seasons.<br />
These effects will have severe impacts on coastal<br />
communities <strong>and</strong> cities, our food <strong>and</strong> water<br />
supplies, marine <strong>and</strong> freshwater ecosystems,<br />
forests, high mountain environments, <strong>and</strong> far<br />
more. <strong>Climate</strong> change is expected to intensify<br />
throughout this century with significant<br />
implications for people <strong>and</strong> the planet. So, to<br />
avoid the unmanageable <strong>and</strong> to manage the<br />
unavoidable, there is an urgent need to adopt<br />
more sustainable lifestyles <strong>and</strong> economies with<br />
lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.<br />
Effects on the planet<br />
The observed 0.74°C temperature increase<br />
(1906-2005) has already strong impacts on our<br />
natural environment. These changes are affecting<br />
the whole world, from low-lying isl<strong>and</strong>s to the<br />
polar regions. Local effects can be very different<br />
in different parts of the world, <strong>and</strong> these affect<br />
natural systems in different ways.<br />
For example, today, 25 per cent of GHG<br />
emissions due to human activities are absorbed<br />
by oceans that function as carbon sinks. When<br />
CO 2<br />
is absorbed by seawater, chemical changes<br />
occur in sea water, reducing both its pH <strong>and</strong> the<br />
concentration of carbonate ions, a process known<br />
as ocean acidification. This phenomenon affects<br />
corals, causing their bleaching <strong>and</strong> it could lead to<br />
the degradation of entire marine ecosystems that<br />
depend on them.<br />
© UNESCO<br />
14<br />
Y o u t h X c h a n g e - C l i m a t e c h a n g e a n d l i f e s t y l e s
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