C- The negative effects that climate change is having on the environment and people
i. Impact on food production (food is getting scarce)
ii. Natural disasters such as droughts and floods cause a decrease in crop yield
iii. Climate change means that some countries may need to change the type of crop they plant.
· Tanzania and Mozambique have longer drought periods and a shortened growing season
i. Threat to areas at low sea levels
· Small islands like the Philippines, or Indonesia
· Tuvalu (group of islands in the Pacific)
ii. Rise in coastal waters
· 1m rise will cause a loss of 17.5% of Bangladesh’s land (predicted)
i. Patagonia, South America àRAPID retreat!
· San Rafael, Chile
· Natural reserve
· World heritage site
· Fastest movie glacier in the world – flows 17m daily
· Late 1800s and now à10km difference
ii. National Glacier Park, Montana (HANNAH MONTANA!), USA àreduction from original 150 glaciers (in 1910) to 30
i. EVACUATION - Rising sea levels have caused an evacuation of 75 people annually from the islands of Tuvalu to New Zealand -> the land of sheep! Now they can make friends with sheep J
ii. A decrease in food supply can cause starvation in LICs
iii. Financial losses due to natural disasters
· Storms and floods in UK will damage more homes and factories in floodplain areas
i. Threat to marine environments (coral reefs)
· The bleaching of coral reefs due to a change in salinity levels and water temperature
· The Great Barrier Reef, Australia is predicted to be DEAD in 30 years due to rise in water temperature
ii. Living environment will no longer be suitable for certain living organisms
· Organisms are adapted to certain environments and their temperatures
· Cactus lives in desert and will not be able to live in the arctic where the temperatures are significantly lower
iii. As natural environments are being destroyed and damaged, living conditions may no longer suit humans and we may become extinct