Welcome to the first guide in a series of four that has been written and produced by theblueplanetpost. These guides will lay out the things you should consider as you enter the world of climate change and carbon emissions – including what’s happening to our climate, why it’s important, what the impacts are and, importantly, where do we need to be.
We’ll kick things off by explaining what climate change means, how it works, what all the hype is about, and whether there is any hope for us to fix it.
1. What does climate change mean?
Let’s ease in gently, shall we? We’ll start by exploring the difference between weather and climate first. The key difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. In simple terms, the weather describes short-term changes in the atmosphere, whereas, climate describes the long-term average weather changes, usually over decades. For example, weather can change in a short period of time, like minutes, hours, days, and seasons. And when we speak about the weather, we are referring to rain, wind, sun, snow and temperature. Climate on the other hand is the average of the weather over time and space.
Global warming vs climate change
When it comes to climate change, we are talking specifically about weather changes since the 1800s following the Industrial Revolution. But why? Because of global warming. Global warming refers to the rapid increase of global average temperatures that began in the 1900s. Scientists have recorded evidence which shows that global temperature has increased by approx a range of 1°C to 1.3°C since pre-industrial levels (i.e.1850 - 1900s). So is climate change just global warming? Not quite. Global warming is just one aspect of climate change. The term climate change refers to global warming and all the broader weather changes, such as melting mountain glaciers, rising sea levels, shrinking of polar ice caps, heat waves, shifts in flower blooming times, stronger hurricanes etc… Think of it like this, global warming is just the overall rise in temperature but climate change refers to both global warming and all the other domino impacts of global warming.
Why should I care?
After this introduction, you’ll naturally ask yourself if climate change affects you, your business and your lifestyle. The short answer is, yes it does. We’re already seeing the effects of climate change in everyday life. For those residing in the UK, it’s worth recalling that daffodils are blooming in February and the wildfires that came from dry grass during the summer heat waves. We’ll explore all the other impacts of climate change later in the guide.
2. How is the world warming?
Scientists have gathered evidence that the planet is warming globally at a rate never seen before. But how is the world warming? Because of the greenhouse effect. The Earth’s surface or atmosphere is an open system that has a natural blanket of gases surrounding the planet. Normally this blanket of gases is composed of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% trace of other gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour. However, since the industrial revolution, human activities have increased these trace gases, mainly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour. Since the 1920s, other man-made fluorinated gases (F-gases) such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfurhexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride have also been introduced. Together these gases are called ‘Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)’ because they trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet.
These GHGs work exactly like an actual greenhouse, which is a building with glass walls and roof. A greenhouse is used to grow tropical plants and vegetables, even during the winter because the glass traps the sunlight that comes in during the day and retains the heat during cold nights. Similarly, GHGs trap the sun’s heat within the Earth’s atmosphere. Normally, most of the heat bounces back out into space, however, GHGs trap about 50% of heat. As more and more heat is trapped, Earth’s temperature increases and thus the planet gets warmer.
In case you are wondering, oxygen and nitrogen do not trap heat, because they don’t interfere with sun’s infrared waves, whereas carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, F-gases, and water vapour or GHGs do trap heat in the atmosphere.
Source: World101, https://world101.cfr.org/global-era-issues/climate-change/greenhouse-effect
Linking global temperature and carbon emissions
Rising temperatures correlate almost exactly to the release of GHGs. Scientists have been able to directly link carbon dioxide to previous warming periods of the planet by looking at ice cores, so we know for sure that GHGs are increasing global temperatures.
Carbon dioxide and the other GHGs are considered a leverage point, in that such a small concentration can hugely influence global temperature. Leverage points are like acupuncture points, they are points of power - a small tweak in this point can produce big changes everywhere.
3. Why is temperature rising so quickly? / What is causing climate change?
We, humans, are causing climate change. How? By burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. The industrial revolution is the period in history where the world moved from agriculture towards manufacturing, powered by innovation. This rapid growth period in history was fuelled by the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon stored in the ground for millions of years, in the form of coal, oil and gas has been recovered, burnt and released into the atmosphere to power homes, industry, and paved the way for railways. The economic growth of the industrial revolution, also led to a rapid growth in animal-based agriculture which releases methane and nitrous oxide further causing the rise of GHGs.
Since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide has increased by more than 50%. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is measured in parts per million or ppm and we know that pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide were about 278 - 280ppm. In 2022, carbon levels peaked at 420ppm. That’s a huge increase in levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and thus GHGs. Even though carbon dioxide and other GHGs account for just 0.041% of the atmosphere now, they still increase global temperature.
4. What are the impacts of climate change?
The impacts of climate change are global, widespread and unevenly distributed. This means that everyone will feel the effects of climate change - individuals, communities, countries and companies, however, some countries, owing to their geographical area will experience greater impacts than others. Climate change will universally disrupt the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Let’s explore how each system will be impacted.
Impacts on the natural system
The most obvious impact will be on our natural system, such as the weather, ecosystems and oceans, all of which we can physically see and experience. Here are some impacts:
- Biodiversity loss - climate change can disrupt the timing of flowering (known as phenology), due to changes in temperature, weather patterns and sea level rise. This will then alter the natural environment or habitats for animals - some species will adapt and the ones that don’t will decline in population or face extinction.
- Disruption of ecosystem services - biodiversity plays a crucial role in providing ecosystem services, like pollination, clean water and air. So when biodiversity is impacted by climate change, then this leads to negative impacts on things like agriculture and human health.
- Ocean acidification - the ocean becomes more acidic due to absorbing a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the air. This affects marine life, for example, marine creatures with shells like corals, clams, and mussels find it difficult to build and maintain their structures, leading to damage and reduced availability and survival. This in turn affects other marine animals that depend on these organisms as food.
- Sea level rise - rising global temperatures are causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt at a rapid rate, leading to sea level rise. This results in the loss of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and salt marshes; and increased coastal flooding and storm surges, leaving coastal communities and infrastructure exposed to the elements of nature.
Impacts on the social system
The medium to long-term climate impact happens in society over time and generally is less visible at a quick glance. However, when you connect all the events together, a much larger trend emerges, as below:
- Food security and nutrition - changes in temperature and rainfall can impact crop yields, livestock production and fisheries. This can lead to changes in the availability, affordability, nutrition, and quality of food which will ultimately affect human health.
- Human health - With the increasingly extreme weather events, we will see an increase in many illnesses such as 1) heat-related illness (such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion) caused by intense heatwaves; 2) respiratory illness (such as asthma) due to increased air pollution; 3) insect-borne disease (such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease) due to changing weather patterns; 4) water-related illness (such as cholera, diarrhoea) caused by changes in water quality and availability due to flooding events; and 5) mental health impacts (such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires which in turn causes trauma and loss of livelihoods.
- Involuntary migration - extreme weather events such as sea level rise, droughts, and flooding will result in many people leaving their hometowns (often unwillingly) and moving to locations where they can access safe food, shelter, and healthcare.
- Increased inequity and injustice - many countries and populations who have not historically contributed to climate change, unfortunately, will face the worst impacts of climate change. In particular, low-income populations, developing countries, and communities of colour are disadvantaged due to systemic or structural factors, such as policies, laws, economic systems, social hierarchies or power dynamics.
Impacts the economic system
Climate change's impact on the economy (and thus businesses!) can be significant and wide-ranging. Let’s explore some of the impacts:
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- Increased costs to adapt and mitigate - refer to costs that help businesses, households and governments address climate change. There are two types of costs associated with climate change called adaptation and mitigation. Adaptation costs refer to expenses associated with adapting to impacts of climate change - for example, building sea walls or upgrading infrastructure by retrofitting them to withstand climate impacts like flooding, storms or extreme temperatures. Purchasing climate-related insurance is another example of adaptation costs. Mitigation costs relate to expenses that reduce or prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency measures, low-carbon transportation, and forest and land management. Mitigation costs are usually higher than adaptation costs.
- Economic losses - direct impacts of climate change like extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires can cause physical damage to infrastructure, buildings, and crops which are costly to repair or replace. Further disruptions to agriculture, fisheries and forestry will add to income loss for those depending on these sectors. Indirect costs related to supply chain disruptions, and rising energy and fuel costs can also result in economic losses for businesses.
- Market disruptions - in order to address climate change, there will be increased regulations, a shift in investment patterns and changes in consumer preferences towards environmentally-friendly products and services. All of these actions will disrupt and shift the market, leaving behind some stranded assets or investments that lose their economic value due to these market changes. In the context of climate change, these stranded assets refer to fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas and related products and services.
- Business risks - businesses will face increased physical risks such as damage to assets and infrastructure; financial risks as discussed above and regulatory risks related to new regulations and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. All businesses should plan to be prepared for these risks, otherwise, they may face financial losses, reputation harm, and lose competitiveness in the long run.