2.4 Impact of climate change on human systems

Front

Why are the impacts of climate change on human systems uneven?
(Why are the impacts of climate change felt differently?)

Back

1. Varying climate variables of the place (Different places experience different types of climates and natural hazards)

eg. Central Australia is more prone to droughts, India is more prone to floods.

2. Different local social and economic factors

• - Developing countries will take a longer time to recover as compared to developed countries

Front

State the 5 extreme weather events caused by climate change.

Back

1. Heat waves

2. Droughts

3. Floods
4. Wildfires
5. Cyclones

Front

How does climate change influence the severity and frequency of extreme weather events?

Back

The severity and frequency of extreme weather events is increased

Front

Describe how heat waves impact humans directly.

Back

1. People suffer from heat stroke, difficulty breathing & death

2. High temperatures deplete soil moisture which causes crop failures and affecting food supply

eg. 2003 heat wave in Europe
- 70,000 deaths
- Wheat harvests decreased

Front

Describe how droughts impact humans directly.

Back

1. Shortage of clean water can lead to dehydration and death

2. Lack of water can cause crop failure & people may die from hunger or malnourishment

3. Displacement of communities

eg. 2018-2019 drought in Afghanistan
- over 10 million people were affected due to lack of food and may were discplaced

Front

Describe how wildfires impact humans directly.

Back

1. Suffocation, injuries and burns

2. Large amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released which leads to air pollution that can cause respiratory illness & death

3. Destruction of buildings and property that can cause homelessness & economic losses

eg. 2019-2020 wildfires in Australia

- Air quality in Sydney was at a hazardous level
- 34 died & thousands of buildings burned
- Many were left homeless

Front

Describe how floods impact humans directly.

Back

1. Deaths due to drowning and injuries

2. Destruction of buildings and property that can cause homelessness & economic losses

3. Destruction to food & water supplies

4. Waterborne diseases like Cholera when floodwaters enter drinking water sources

eg. 2020 Bangladesh floods

- 260 people died
- 1.3 billion homes destroyed
- Millions of dollars worth of agricultural crops were damaged

Front

Describe how tropical cyclones impact humans directly.

Back

1. Loss of lives caused by flooding, landslides and collapsed buildings

2. Destruction of infrastructure

3. Strong winds can damage crops which threatens food security



eg. 2020 cyclones in The Philippines

- 1 million people evacuated
- Loss of lives and massive destruction of property
- Damages to crops was around $36 million
- Power supplies were cut

Front

How does climate change impact humans indirectly? (Think about the 3 ecosystem services)

Back

`1. Provisioning ecosystem services

2. Regulating ecosystem services

3. Cultural ecosystem services

Front

How does climate change affect provisioning ecosystem services?

Back

- Affect economic livelihood of people who depend on fisheries & agriculture
- Affect food security

1. Impact on fish production:
eg. Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia:
Increased temperature and low rainfall has caused water levels to decline, reducing the availability of fishes

2. Impacts on crop yield
eg. 2020 Drought in Thailand:
Lack of rain resulted in the drying up of reservoirs and barren land. Economic livelihoods of farmers were greatly affected as they were unable to grow any crops