Climate change

and
Water resources
Changes are being seen around
the world
Upsala glacier, Patagonia
1928

2004

Source: Greenpeace
Pederson Glacier (Alaska)
Larsen B ice shelf, West Antarctica
3250 square km of ice 220 m thick broke off

Source: NASA
Sea levels are rising

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/go_greener_oz/3047060508/
Drought in Amazon river, 2005

Source: Greenpeace
All is not well
Why is this happening?
 Gases like carbon dioxide are
essential for life on Earth.

Source: Vital Climate Graphics, Grid Arendal / UNEP

They trap some of the heat (infra-red radiations)
leaving the Earth. Without them, Earth’s average
temperature would be -200 C
 They are called

Green House Gases

(GHGs)
Source: IPCC (2007)
Some are
natural
some
man-
made
The Earth has natural systems that heat it and other
natural systems that act as cooling factors. Thus an
equilibrium is maintained.

But there is an imbalance being created and the factors

that heat the Earth are becoming more prominent.
Atmospheric CO2 has increased from a pre-industrial concentration of
about 280 ppmv to about 367 ppmv at present
Methane and nitrous oxide fare no better
To learn more about the concentration of GHGs in the
atmosphere before the era of instruments and measurements,
scientists are analyzing gases trapped in ice

And we find that…….

The concentrations of greenhouse gases that we are
seeing now, has not been witnessed in the past
600000 years

Source: IPCC (2007)

 Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/perryham/3577638548/

We’re blanketing the Earth with more and more

of these gases and the ‘ball is going warm’
 14.8

14

13.2

Eleven of the last twelve years were the warmest

since thermometer records began in 1850
A hot
future
awaits
us

Global mean surface

temperature could rise
between 1 - 4.5 0C by
2100
What is increasing GHGs?
Forests are becoming
croplands to feed our
growing millions.
Fewer trees, more carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere
Intensification of agriculture
to feed the growing millions
Global fertilizer consumption

More nitrous oxide

released

Source: IGBP
 Changing lifestyles

More methane
generated by
anaerobic
decomposition
of wastes in
landfills

Source: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/the-richer-we-get-the-more-we-discard-human-consumption-waste-and-living-standards

Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Changing lifestyles

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lingaraj/2415084235/
Increasing industrialization to meet
our growing demands
Increased demand for electricity

From domestic consumers

From industries
From the agriculture sector
 Electricity generation

Source: International Energy Agency

0.82 kg of CO2 produced for every unit of electricity generated from coal.
That’s approx. 1 kg of CO2 produced for every unit of electricity we use.
Energy use

Source: CDIAC
What changes do scientists
predict?
 By the end of the century…

• Global mean surface temperature could

increase by 1.0 to 4.5 0 C (best
estimates)

• Global mean sea level could rise by

0.18 – 0.59 m
How will this affect our
water resources
 Precipitation patterns will change

There may be more and more dry days in a

intense rainfall on year, causing drought
rainy days, resulting
in floods
Damages due to floods has cost India
over Rs 800 crore every
year
350 million Indians have been
affected badly due to drought in past
ten years
 Groundwater – it’s finite!

78% of assessed groundwater

units in Delhi are over-exploited
(extraction > recharge)
India will reach a state of
water stress before 2025
Sea level will be a minimum of 40 cm higher than today by
the end of 21st century

Source: TERI 1996

11 % of Bangladesh's coastal land is likely go underwater,

creating 7 to 10 million climate refugees
 What is the impact of a rise in sea
levels?

Entire ecosystems,
Islands at low levels, such as such as the
mangroves, can be
Lakshadweep, can be flooded. wiped out.
This image shows the
change in pH of the
oceans over the past
300 years. The brighter
the color, the more the
decrease in pH.
The solution is in our hands
 We can do many things
• Electricity
• Water
• Green buildings
• Transport
• Renewable energy
• Afforestation
• Spread awareness
Acknowledgements

Ms Ulka Kelkar
Ms Neha Rathi