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The Impacts of Global Warming & Climate Change
Although many people are familiar with the terms 'global warming' and 'climate change,' the distinction between the two concepts is often less well-known.
According to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) global warming refers to an “increase in Earth’s average surface temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse gases,” whereas climate change refers to “a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth” (reference 1).
Thus, climate change is a broader conceptualization than global warming because it “includes global warming and [all of the associated climate- and weather-related phenomenon] that increasing greenhouse gas amounts will affect [such as tsunamis, floods, mudslides, earthquakes/volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes/cyclones, storms, hailstorms, heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires]” (reference 1).
The term greenhouse gasses refers to various "atmospheric gases primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect...includ[ing] water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The most prevalent greenhouse gas is CO2" (reference 3). Accordingly, the greenhouse effect refers to "Human-caused global warming occurs when human activity introduces too much of certain types of gas into the atmosphere" (reference 3). See the image below for a visual represenation fo the greenhouse gas / global warming process.
Photo Credit: Live Science. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html
According to NASA (reference 4):
"Ancient air bubbles trapped in ice enable us to step back in time and see what Earth's atmosphere, and climate, were like in the distant past. They tell us that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are higher than they have been at any time in the past 400,000 years. During ice ages, CO2 levels were around 200 parts per million (ppm), and during the warmer interglacial periods, they hovered around 280 ppm (see fluctuations in the graph). In 2013, CO2 levels surpassed 400 ppm for the first time in recorded history. This recent relentless rise in CO2 shows a remarkably constant relationship with fossil-fuel burning, and can be well accounted for based on the simple premise that about 60 percent of fossil-fuel emissions stay in the air.
Today, we stand on the threshold of a new geologic era, which some term the "Anthropocene", one where the climate is very different to the one our ancestors knew.
If fossil-fuel burning continues at a business-as-usual rate, such that humanity exhausts the reserves over the next few centuries, CO2 will continue to rise to levels of order of 1500 ppm. The atmosphere would then not return to pre-industrial levels even tens of thousands of years into the future. This graph not only conveys the scientific measurements, but it also underscores the fact that humans have a great capacity to change the climate and planet."
You can view a visual representation of increases in human-initiated global warming over the past two centuries in the video (reference 5) below:
Text Accompanying Video (Reference 5): Earth’s 2015 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Globally-averaged temperatures in 2015 shattered the previous mark set in 2014 by 0.23 degrees Fahrenheit (0.13 Celsius).
Only once before, in 1998, has the new record been greater than the old record by this much.This color-coded map displays a progression of changing global surface temperature anomalies from 1880 through 2015. Higher than normal temperatures are shown in red and lower then normal termperatures are shown in blue. The final frame represents the global temperatures 5-year averaged from 2011 through 2015. Scale in degree Celsius.
Photo Credit: NASA. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
Increasingly high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to historically high temperatures and CO2 trapped within Earth's atmosphere; currently, NASA estimates there our atmosphere contains 400 ppm (parts per million) of CO2 (reference 6)luci, something all humans should be worried about considering Bill McKibben and many other scientists have estimated that 350 ppm of carbon is the threshold limit we must maintain in order to prevent global climate change:
To learn more about the danger of greenhouse gases, the impact of climate change, and how to become involved in prevention please watch the video below (reference 7):
Photo Credit: Kolbert, E. (2014). The sixth extinction: An unnatural history. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Summary of Global Climate Change Impacts by Geographical Region:
North America:
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Wildfire-induced loss of ecosystem integrity, property loss, human morbidity, and mortality as a result of increased drying trend and temperature trend. Under a high-emission pathway, the long-term risk is very high with not much potential for adaptation.
Africa:
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Reduced crop productivity associated with heat and drought stress, with strong adverse effects on regional, national, and household livelihood and food security, also given increased pest and disease damage and flood impacts on food system infrastructure. Under a high-emission pathway, the long-term risk is very high with little potential for adaptation.
Europe:
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Increased water restrictions. Significant reduction in water availability from river abstraction and from groundwater resources, combined with increased water demand and with reduced water drainage and runoff as a result of increased evaporative demand, particularly in southern Europe. Risk is medium-to-high with some potential for adaptation.
Asia:
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Increased risk of heat-related mortality. Under a high-emission pathway, the long-term risk is very high with little potential for adaptation.
Australasia / Oceania:
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Increased frequency and intensity of flood damage to infrastructure and settlements in Australia and New Zealand. The long-term risk is medium with potential for adaptation.
Central and South America:
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Spread of vector-borne diseases in altitude and latitude. In the medium-term this carries medium risk with potential for adaptation. No long-term risk information.
Polar regions:
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Risks for the health and well-being of Arctic residents, resulting from injuries and illness from the changing physical environment, food insecurity, lack of reliable and safe drinking water, and damage to infrastructure, including infrastructure in permafrost regions. Long-term risk is high, but with potential for adaptation
Small Islands:
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Loss of livelihoods, coastal settlements, infrastructure, ecosystem services, and economic stability. Under a high-emission pathway, the long-term risk is very high, but with some potential for adaptation.
Oceans:
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Reduced biodiversity, fisheries abundance, and coastal protection by coral reefs due to heat-induced mass coral bleaching and mortality increases, exacerbated by ocean acidification, e.g., in coastal boundary systems and sub-tropical gyres. Under a high-emission pathway, the long-term risk is very high with no potential for adaptation
Source: Skeptical Science: Getting Skeptical About Global Warming Skepticism (March 9, 2015). Retrieved from http://www.skepticalscience.com/summary-climate-change-impacts.html
References:
1. Conway, E. (2008, December 5). What’s in a name? Global warming vs. climate change. Retrieved from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/climate_by_any_other_name.html
2. Lallanila, M. (2015, January 28). What is the greenhouse effect? Retrieved from the Live Science website: http://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html
3. Bradford, A. (2014, December 15). What is global warming? Retrieved from the Live Science website: http://www.livescience.com/37003-global-warming.html
4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]. Graphic: The relentless rise of carbon dioxide. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/
5. National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]. Graphic: Global warming from 1880 to 2015. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Data provided by Robert B. Schmunk (NASA/GSFC GISS). Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/139/
6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]. NASA scientists react to 400 ppm carbon milestone. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/400ppmquotes/
7. 350.org. Do the math - the movie [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuCGVwJIRd0