Climate Change
Climate change refers to significant changes in global temperatures and weather patterns over time that alter the Earth’s climate system. These shifts can result from natural factors such as volcanic activity or variations in solar radiation, but currently, anthropogenic activities (primarily greenhouse gas emissions) are driving rapid and unprecedented changes.
Key Concepts
- Greenhouse Effect: The process by which certain gases trap heat within the atmosphere.
- Global Warming: A gradual increase in Earth’s temperature over time due to higher levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
- Weather Extremes: Increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, droughts, floods, and wildfires.
Health Risks
- Heat-related illnesses and mortality, particularly among vulnerable-populations.
- Expansion of vector-borne diseases due to shifting climatic zones.
- Mental health impacts associated with eco anxiety and displacement.
Infrastructure and Systemic Risks
- Critical networks (power, water, transport) face escalating failure rates due to extreme weather events URL Ingest Summary.
- Cascading failures in interdependent systems can amplify economic and social disruption.
- Need for resilient infrastructure design to withstand projected climate scenarios.