Climate Change and its impacts

ART AND SCIENCE
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Climate Change and its impacts
The changes in the statistical properties or variations in the patterns of weather which persist
several decades or longer are referred to as the climate change. The change of climate, therefore,
begins as soon as the patterns of weather shift. The significant changes in climate can be dated
to the year 1880s when then industrialization began in various parts of the world. Prior to this
date i.e. pre-industrial period, there was very little impact or changes in the weather pattern. This
basically implies that the pre-industrial period was characterized by a stable climate. After this
period the world has been slowly warming up with industrial revolution setting a pace of
1°C above the pre-industrial levels.
The main causes of climate change
The changes in climate in the world are attributed to various human activities. When such
changes occur, there is a dramatic increase in temperatures. The human activities like the burning
of fossil fuels from the industrial plants which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
These are gases that trap heat from the ground instead of allowing it to escape into the
atmosphere. The ground below this blanket which is formed by these gases results into
temperature increase. The most commonly known greenhouse gases are (CO2) and methane
(CH4).
The research work by scientists has linked human activities directly to climate change. This was
confirmed after the famous experiment by a British scientist called Guy S. Callendar that
involved around the impacts of the greenhouse gas to the surrounding (Fleming 2013). Although
the experiment has singled out two gases as the key contributor to the changes in climate, there
are that are yet to be discovered(Hawkins & Jones 2013). These gases are produced from the

burning of fossil fuels including oil, natural gas, and coal. The idea is the ever increasing
quantity of carbon in the atmosphere. The changes in the use of land like deforestation by human
beings have lowered the rate of absorption of these gases from the atmosphere. This implies that
there exists a natural system of balance of these gases through natural carbon sinks like sea, soil,
and trees. By definition, carbon sink refers to the technological or natural process which aids in
the absorption of carbon which is in the atmosphere. This kind of equilibrium is what has been
disrupted by human activities.
Impacts of the climate changes
The rise in the global temperature is again associated with several consequences including more
floods, intense rain, drought as well as more frequent heat waves. The slow but steady increase
in the global temperatures of the earth as a result of the greenhouse gases is called global
warming. The oceans and glaciers have also undergone through these changes with some of them
warming up and turning to be acidic. There is melting of the glaciers as a result of the rise in
temperature which has subsequently led to the rise in the sea level. These are some of the
evidence that this is something wrong with our environment.
Although scientists have predicted an increase in the global temperature to almost 4°C by 2100
with half of this value being experienced by 2050, more consequences should be expected. This
is because the projection model is just but indicators that may not give the exact occurrence.
While the expected drought in Alberta can be pointed out as one of the best examples to illustrate
the effects of climate change, there are several parts of the world that are probably suffering in
silence. The rise in temperature has led to the melting of the glacier-like in the case of Western
Canada as well as prolonged rainfall that has resulted in the rise in sea level (Mitsch et al.2013).