Question: How does climate change affect the lives of people ?

Asked by 6fkabrea to Anna, Daniel, Denise, Jesse, Rehemat on 17 Jun 2014.

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  1. Photo: Jesse DavenportJesse Davenport
    answered on 17 Jun 2014:

    A very relevant question 6fkabrea! Climate change effects people in many different ways! In places like India and China where many people live the pollution from automobiles and industry is horrendous and causes a lot of health problems. A consequence of climate change is more erratic and extreme weather. For example, the unusually harsh winter that North America experienced last year and the pretty mild winter that Europe had. Or also the enhanced effects of the tornado season that the midwest of the U.S. experienced.

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  2. Photo: Rehemat BhatiaRehemat Bhatia
    answered on 18 Jun 2014:

    Good question and one that’s really important to society right now!

    All countries will feel the brunt of any climate change induced problems, and it has been suggested that lesser economically developed countries will feel it more. Here’s a case study about how communities are being helped by a charity to reduce the effects of extreme weather.

    For the past 50 years one charity called the Aga Khan Development Network, has been helping to develop sustainable solutions to challenges such as drought and soil degradation. It has implemented many schemes into communities to help them to cope with changes in weather patterns. Some examples include:
    • “Building and Construction Improvement Centre”: This has helped villagers in Pakistan to build smoke free stoves and use 50% less firewood
    • Millions of trees planted to combat deforestation and create biodiversity
    • Urban renewal schemes to build parks e.g. Al Azhar Park in Cairo and a National Park in Mali
    • Small scale hydroelectric schemes to improve water supplies
    • To alleviate with problems with saline aquifer waters, the Aga Khan Regional Support Programme helped to build recharge wells in areas with geological formations resistant to saline water advance in Gujarat. They also introduced villagers to crops which can grow in saline environments.
    • Helping people at risk of heavy monsoon rain to build roofs which transfer water to nearby covered cisterns, and those at risk from cyclones to build roofs with resistant mechanisms.

    Hope that helps 🙂

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  3. Photo: Daniel Lao DavilaDaniel Lao Davila
    answered on 18 Jun 2014:

    Climate change can change the way people live. As the temperature rises, glaciers melt and increase sea level. People that live in the coast (most of humans!) will be affected by higher sea level where they live. Buildings and infrastructure would be in more danger to rising tides and storm surges. Some low lying islands (Micronesia for example) may be flooded by the rising sea.

    In the continents, climate change would mean a change in rain, drought patterns, and ecosystem for plants and animals. So a farmer would have to change methods or plants in the farm. Weather events may be more extreme as more energy is circulated around the globe. That would mean that hurricanes and storms may be more powerful.

    The changes will affect the way humans live and the economy of many countries.

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  4. Photo: Anna RabittiAnna Rabitti
    answered on 18 Jun 2014:

    Besides all the effects listed by the others, I think one of the biggest (and soon to become true, if not already happening) effects will be also the migration of people from the most affected areas (from nearby the coasts, from nearby the deserts, from areas that start to be dangerous because of frequent droughts or floods or hurricanes, from areas that become extremely poor because there is less fish to be caught in the sea, or less corn crop) to “safer” countries.
    As you probably know, immigrants and immigration are already a big issue in many countries, and climate change will most likely and unfortunately add social tension between people from different areas of the world.

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  5. Photo: Denise De GaetanoDenise De Gaetano
    answered on 22 Jun 2014:

    Hi 6fkabrea,

    A very current concern! Just a few thoughts:

    Food prices are rising as climate change makes it trickier to maintain the specific conditions crops need to thrive.

    Fresh water is becoming scarcer in some regions. Many mountainous states rely on snowmelt to replenish their water sources, and snowpack is declining as well as melting earlier in the season.

    Rising ocean levels will cover some of the coastline used for recreation and human habitation.

    More wildfires are breaking out as droughts become increasingly common.

    Hope it helps! 🙂

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