The Implications of the UK's Climate Change Policy on Biodiversity
The Implications of the UK's Climate Change Policy on Biodiversity Ecology & Wildlife Conservation The Implications of the UK's Climate Change Policy on Biodiversity Introduction Biodiversity is the unpredictability among living creatures and their environments. Biodiversity is necessary for human well-being because it give services, like food, medicines, clean water and soil stabilization. There is already a threat for biodiversity from the loss and disintegration of environment, pollution and persistent non-native species (Stuart, Donald, 2008). Variations in the climate pose a new challenge as it often intensifies the impacts of other forces. A recent report by G8 on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity assesses the failure of biodiversity internationally could be worth 7% of world GDP in 2050 (Stuart, Donald, 2008). Discussion The natural atmosphere is an essential part of the weather system, it is both affected by and affects weather internationally and locally. A significant body of speculation on climate change implication in the UK has been developed and is on-going. The idea is to put into practice developing theories and ideas, and to build on lessons learnt from these actions, and to also show that it is essential to point out the dangers and chances for biodiversity conservation, from improvement of climate change over a short and long period. The
Global warming and the basic mechanisms of climate change.
Since the first warnings of global warming and the possibility of climate changes in 1885 by various scientists, researched has gathered insight into both the basic mechanisms of climate change and the potential impacts that can be expected in the future. In response to these findings, 160 countries gathered at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro, where they agreed to adopt the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)1. The Convention aimed to stabilise greenhouse gases "at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system"2, and provided guidelines and obligations for so-called "Developed Countries"3. All countries were to develop a national database of the "anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks" and to devise a solution which will reduce the climate change4; however, developed countries also had other commitments under the convention5. Within the Convention, it provided that "[t]he Conference of the Parties shall, at its first session, review the adequacy of"6 the commitments of the parties in order to asses whether the objectives of the Convention were being met. At there first session in Bonn7, the Berlin Mandate: a "mechanism by which binding reduction and limitation obligations would be negotiated"8; was adopted, as it became apparent that the 'obligations' of the Convention were not adequate; the large
Desertification – Climate Change or Human Influences?
Christopher Allan geographical issues Candidate No.- 972853488 rural Land degradation Centre No. - 8636128 Desertification - Climate Change or Human Influences? The Sahara is the largest of the deserts on the planet and expands from the west to east coast of northern Africa. Inhabitants have evolved to survive the harsh climate of the desert, however they now have to cope with the sprawl of the Sahara into the Sahel - Desertification. There are contrasting opinions on the overall cause of the land degradation; some believe it is due mostly to the influence of humans and others consider changes in the climate to be primarily responsible for the spread of the desert. There are four main human interactions that are said to lead to desertification: overcultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation. These are influenced by population change and changes in social and economic conditions. Alan Grainger, author of 'Desertification: How people make deserts, how people can stop, and why they don't ', is a strong believer in the irresponsibility of mans actions in the spread of the desert. He states... "Drought triggers off a crisis, but does not itself cause desertification" In northern Africa, there is a high population growth (Mali NI=3%). With an escalating population there will be more need to intensify demand on farmland for various
Effects of Climate Change on monsoon in Bangladesh
Climate Variability and Change in Bangladesh The global climate is changing and it is likely to change further over coming decades due to increasing concentrations of 'greenhouse gases' in the earth's atmosphere caused largely by human activities. This will result in greater variations in weather patterns, a greater frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and tropical storms, and gradual rises in average temperatures and sea-levels. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts because of its geographical location, high population density, high levels of poverty, and the reliance of many livelihoods on climate-sensitive sectors, particularly rural agriculture andfisheries. These impacts will be falling more heavily on the women and girls of Bangladesh. Climate change therefore threatens both previous achievements and future efforts to reduce poverty in Bangladesh to date, particularly by reducing water and food security and damage to essential infrastructure during more frequent disaster events. Bangladesh has always been vulnerable to climate variability. This is due to its geographical features and location, high influence of monsoon and regional flow patterns, too much water in monsoon and too little water in the dry season, etc. These have significant effects on the socio-economic realities, i.e. population density, inequity
The Human and Physical Causes of Climate Change
The Human and Physical causes of Climate Change There are several different occurrences that cause climate to change, whether they are enforced by humans or the natural environment. These causes can be divided into having a long term or short term effect on the climate. An example of a long term physical cause is the Milankovitch cycles which can take place within a period of 20,000 to 1 million years, involving the earth altering on its axis or its orbit around the sun. This consists of how much solar power different parts of the earth receive. This corresponds with the number of ice ages throughout the earth's history and has had effects on seasonality and the distribution of energy over the earth's surface. Extracting ice cores from either Greenland or Antarctica allows scientists to research further into the Milankovitch theory. Plate tectonics also play a role in causing climate to change as they move different areas of land into separate climatic regions. The Pangaea theory suggests that when the world first evolved, it was one big land mass and over a period of millions of years, plate tectonics divided it into different continents spread all over the world where climatic conditions vary. As opposed to land moving apart, there is now evidence that continents are moving together but at millimetres per year. The constant change in plate tectonics could result in more
Is climate change an inevitable consequence on economic development.
(b) Is climate change an inevitable consequence on economic development (15 marks) The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for industrial activities. These industries created jobs and over the years, people moved from rural areas to the cities. This trend is continuing even today. More and more land that was covered with vegetation has been cleared to make way for houses. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption. Consumerism (our increasing want for material things) has increased by leaps and bounds, creating mountains of waste. Also, our population has increased to an incredible extent. All this has contributed to a rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles generate electricity for industries, households, etc. The energy sector is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. It also produces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) which are not greenhouse gases but do have an influence on the chemical cycles in the atmosphere that produce or destroy greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land
Discuss the Possible Mechanisms for Short-term Climate Change within the Quaternary.
Discuss the Possible Mechanisms for Short-term Climate Change within the Quaternary Introduction The Quaternary period is distinctive for its cyclical nature of climate change in relation to previous geological periods. Long term changes govern the glacial-interglacial transitions, but these also feature shorter term changes involving a variety of different causal mechanisms, the roles of different mechanisms being a source of detailed debate and intensive research. Lowe and Walker (1997, p. 361) make the distinction between 'external' and 'internal' mechanisms, where external means change driven (or forced) by external variables, and internal refers to processes that operate within the terrestrial-ocean-atmosphere system. The mechanisms to be considered are oceanographic changes, ice sheet/glacier fluctuations, volcanic forcing, solar forcing and atmospheric gas content which will then lead to a discussion of the current debate over the relative roles of the greenhouse effect and solar forcing. Geomagnetism and geodynamic factors will also be discussed in brief. Oceanographic Changes The climate of western Europe contrasts markedly with the much colder climate of eastern Canada, at a similar latitude. This is almost entirely due to Gulf Stream warming of the UK. Cores from the North Atlantic Ocean show repeated excursions of polar waters with meltwater influxes from
Global Environmental System - The Global Climate Change Affects on UK
Module Title: Global Environmental System The Global Climate Change Affects on UK Table of Content The Global Climate Change Affects on UK 1 Table of Content 1 Introduction 1 The climate on the Earth 2 The effects on climate and human life 2 Climate change over UK 4 Climate history of UK 5 Conclusion 6 Bibliography 7 Introduction Since now, the global warming, the so caused global climate change and consequent effects on the global eco-system are getting worse increasingly. Human beings begin to pay more and more attention on the series of problems, which were directly or indirectly caused by human activities. The lake are filled by sands, trees are losing away, air is full of dust, all of those phenomenon are happening at every corner of the world, also including Britain. Before looking onto this part, we should be aware of the global general climate trend first. The climate on the Earth The climate is different with the weather. Usually the climate is described as the average weather condition over a relatively long period. However, it is not the only definition of the climate, there are over 50 definitions are accepted in the worldwide. Also the climate is always defined as in a local area; because the local climate is formed by many factors, and the factors are not always the same in vary areas. There are mainly three determinations of the local climate,
The UK government has failed to meet the challenge of climate change Discuss
'The UK government has failed to meet the challenge of climate change' Discuss Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that there have been changes in the global climate since the early 1900s, and that these climate changes, and future climate change predicted over the next century, are largely due to human activities and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, which are warming up the Earth. This is climate change is also known as global warming. This is a highly politically relevant issue because it has sparked interest of the public globally and therefore interest of the politicians all over the world. In the UK most environmental targets are set by the EU, due to the fact that 27 countries can make more of an impact than one country can in terms of climate change. However many people argue that The UK government have failed to meet the challenge of climate change because it tends to put the economic needs at the expense of the environment, this is reflected by the current environmental secretary who said money cannot be spent on environmental policies when the nation is at a risk of economical crisis. It could be argued that the government has not failed to meet the challenge of climate change because the previous Labour government introduced the climate change bill in 2008. This included targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. This policy made the
Climate changes in Canada. What consequences derive from the climate change in Canada and what actions are taken part as a result?
Climate changes in Canada: What consequences derive from the climate change in Canada and what actions are taken part as a result? (Essay needs proper foot noting) Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................2 Introduction.........................................................................................3 I. Impacts due to climate change..........................................4 a) Greenhouse gas emissions b) Arctic Ecosystems c) Fisheries d) Polar bears e) Health Issues II. Changes in regions due to climate change...........10 a) Pacific coast b) Prairie provinces c) Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin d) Atlantic coast e) The North f) Wetlands g) Permafrost III. Canada's approach on climate change.................15 Conclusion......................................................................................17 Appendix.........................................................................................18 References......................................................................................22 Abstract It is quite evident that climate change is happening around the world. This issue is called global warming. Because of the effect worldwide, Canada is due to be influenced. The increase of greenhouse gas emissions is apparent, as further urbanizations and burning
