Climate Change - Abrupt and Irreversible Changes Expected in Future

Humaninducedclimatechangeandglobalwarmingareahuge,highlytopicaland rapidly changing environmental issue that humanity is facing today. The IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)reportpublishedinyear2007 stronglyconfirmedthatclimatechangeduetohumanactivitiesishappeningand thatitsconsequencesarelikelytobeserious.Inthisarticlewewilltrytofigure outtheabruptandirreversibleclimatechangesthatmayhappeninfuture. Ourclimateisaverycomplexsystemofnaturalcyclesandsubcyclesthatinteract witheachothertocreatealifesupportingenvironment,aplacewheredifferent lifeformscansustainandgrow.Thesecomplexsystemsdonotvaryinasmooth and unique manner so its impacts are difficult to extrapolate. Such is the case withclimatechange. Outlinedbelowaretheclimatechangesthatmayhappenincomingdecadesdue tohumaninducedglobalwarming:

Rapid disappearance of polar ice sheets and melting of glaciers due toglobalwarming. Slowdown or Cessation of the Atlantic Meridional Circulation or MOC (ThermoHalineCirculationorTHC). Increasingburdenonnaturalresourcesassociatedwithrapidurbanization, industrializationandeconomicdevelopment. Significantlossofbiodiversityinecologicallyrichregions. Changes in wind patterns, affecting extratropical storm tracks and temperaturepatterns. Increasing burden from malnutrition, diarrhea, cardiorespiratory and infectiousdiseases.

Large scale changes in vegetation such as desertification of fertile land, reducedfertilityofsoil. Abrupt and irreversible trends in atmosphere and ocean circulation patterns. IncreasedmeltingofGreenlandIceSheet,WestAntarcticIceSheet. Changedfrequenciesandintensitiesofextremeweathereventse.ggreater heat stress, droughts, floods in low lying areas, tropical cyclones or hurricanes. Hundredsofmillionsofpeoplewillbeexposedtoincreasedwaterstress. Upto30%ofspeciesatincreasingriskofextinction. Reductioninqualityoflifeduetoincreasedhotdaysandreducedcolddays followedbyincreasedinsectoutbreaks. Increased salinization of fresh water resources leading to scarcity of fresh water.

These findings strongly suggests that climate change is happening, and is projectedtoincreaseduetotheongoingandincreasingrateofgreenhousegases emission into the atmosphere. Climate change and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached to a stage where consequences can not be avoided evenifwestopemittinggreenhousegasesintotheatmosphere(zeroemission). Weareleftwithonlytwochoices,eitherpreparetolivewiththechangedclimate ortrytocontrolemissionofgreenhousegasesintoatmosphere.

AuthorProfile:
Keshav Saini is an Engineer turned Environmentalist and is actively involved in Environment Protection activities. He started Environment About to spread awarenessaboutenvironmentalissuesandtoeducatepeopleaboutgreenliving andhowpeoplecancontributeinenvironmentprotectionactivities.

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