Art, obsession, and identity
We often dismiss climate change as an almost abstract problem, a remote issue that won't directly affect us or impact our daily lives. In our minds, a degree or so increase in global temperature, or the melting of the ice caps, is a concern for overcautious environmentalists. And rising sea levels or prolonged drought? Well that's a problem for somebody else, right? Except that it isn't. The impact of climate change and global warming is hitting humanity hard. It's also having grave implications for the natural world, not least Earth's already fragile ecosystems. But if asked, how would you describe the consequences of climate change on everyday life?
Stuck for answers? Click through for a real lesson.
Climate change has a direct impact on food systems, and food security. It depresses global agricultural production, which, in turn, drives up food prices.
Lower and unstable yields of major crops can adversely affect the welfare of livestock. Ultimately, climate change can affect the way food is produced and the quality of our diets.
Inevitably, rising food costs have a major impact on vulnerable households. But we are all affected. According to a joint report published by the European Central Bank and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, continued global warming is projected to increase food prices between 0.6 and 3.2 percentage points by 2060.
It's a fact that higher temperatures are more frequent. Intense heat waves lead to heat-related disorders such as heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps, and rashes.
A worrying development is the threat of major mosquito-borne infectious diseases in areas previously free of such perils. For example, a mosquito species, Aedes albopictus (pictured), capable of spreading diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus, was detected in Lisbon, Portugal, for the first time, according to a September 2023 report.
In fact, a warming and unstable climate is playing an ever-increasing role in driving the global emergence, resurgence, and redistribution of infectious diseases, warns the World Health Organization.
The cost of climate change is alarming. From hurricanes to wildfires and flooding, more homes than ever are at risk from extreme weather events.
The combination of more frequent and more extreme disasters can create situations where insurance policies become prohibitively expensive for homeowners and businesses.
And the spate of devastating climate-driven hurricanes and wildfires in the United States in recent years risks a home insurance meltdown. Indeed, homes in parts of the US are "essentially uninsurable" due to rising climate change risks, reported CBS News in a September 2023 television broadcast.
Climate change has an adverse effect on mental health. There's even a word for it: "eco-anxiety."
Eco-anxiety is defined as a chronic sense of hopelessness and fear of environmental doom. And it's a very real phenomenon.
A study undertaken by the UK's Bath University in 2021 examined data from 10,000 young people, aged 16 to 25, living in 10 different countries, after they'd been asked their thoughts about climate change. About half of those who took part in the survey reported feeling sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, or guilty.
All of the cumulative effects caused by climate change are potential sources of instability and conflict. The most obvious consequence is the forced displacement and migration of people.
Climate change-induced sea-level rise is a direct threat to millions around the world, reminded the United Nations in a February 2023 report. For many Pacific nations, rising sea levels quite literally pose an existential threat. Atoll islands such as Kiribati (pictured) are in danger of disappearing over the coming decades.
More widely, climate change will cause population movements by making certain parts of the world much less viable places to live. The fear is this vast displacement of people from islands and rural areas to urban centers will also make life in cities untenable.
The consequences of climate change on the global economy are predictably dire. Many key economic sectors are already being affected by long-term changes in weather patterns, not least the tourism industry.
In July 2023, temperatures in some parts of Greece reached a record 46.4°C (115.52°F). In Athens, the Parthenon temple was closed to the public due to fierce heat, as were other popular visitor attractions.
And back in late 2019, the Zambezi River feeding Victoria Falls was reduced to a trickle due to severe drought. As one of the region's biggest attractions for tourists, Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, is a valuable source of income for Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The world's ecosystems have taken a huge hit from climate change. It's causing geographical redistribution of plant and animal species globally.
As species' ranges shift, ecosystems will be altered and may change how they function. And in our own daily lives, directly or indirectly, we rely on benefits gained from the ecosystem, things such as food, water, clean air, building materials, and recreation.
Indigenous communities have a unique relationship with the environment. Ecosystems knocked out of kilter can harm native peoples' ability to preserve and sustain their cultural heritage.
A subject previously touched upon, water scarcity due to climate change is already having a profound effect on certain areas of the world.
Of course, water can be scarce for many reasons: demand for water may be exceeding supply, water infrastructure may be inadequate, or institutions may be failing to balance everyone's needs.
But it's water scarcity as a direct result of climate change and global warming that's the issue. As rising temperatures disrupt precipitation, we can expect prolonged periods of drought coupled with less predictable rainfall patterns.
Extreme hot or cold events can play havoc with the power grid.
As the climate warms, world populations are expected to use more energy, mostly electricity, for cooling.
Conversely, extreme cold can have similar effects on the grid, with people turning up the thermostat regularly as the mercury drops. And climate change will impact residential energy demand as much as it will commercial supply.
In many areas of the world, climate change is expected to worsen harmful ground-level ozone. This, in turn, affects ecosystem health because air pollutants such as nitrogen, sulfur, and ozone itself are absorbed by plants.
The negative effects of ground-level ozone are compounded by increased industrial air pollution and that caused by wildfires.
Surface ozone pollution episodes fed by fine particle pollution resulting from wildfires and industrial exhaust are recipes for serious ill health, increasing people's exposure to allergens and helping promote respiratory disorders.
Sources: (Global Panel) (WHO) (CBS News) (BBC) (United Nations) (Natural Resources Defense Council) (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
How climate change already impacts our daily lives
How do you think it's affecting you?
LIFESTYLE Environment
We often dismiss climate change as an almost abstract problem, a remote issue that won't directly affect us or impact our daily lives. In our minds, a degree or so increase in global temperature, or the melting of the ice caps, is a concern for overcautious environmentalists. And rising sea levels or prolonged drought? Well that's a problem for somebody else, right? Except that it isn't. The impact of climate change and global warming is hitting humanity hard. It's also having grave implications for the natural world, not least Earth's already fragile ecosystems. But if asked, how would you describe the consequences of climate change on everyday life?
Stuck for answers? Click through for a real lesson.