Environmental Challenges of Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most

serious environmental threats
facing the world today. It is said
that, the main reason for climate change is
increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas
emissions. Man-made global greenhouse gas
emissions have grown markedly in the past 30
years rising to 70 percent between 1970 and
2004.

As humans emit more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. This causes the earth's climate to
change unnaturally.

Consequently, the main human influence on global climate is emissions of the key
greenhouse gases- carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The accumulation of
these gases in the atmosphere strengthens the greenhouse effect. At present, just over
7 billion tons of carbon dioxide is emitted globally each year through fossil fuel use
and an additional 1.6 billion tones are emitted by land use change, largely by
deforestation. The concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere have now reached
levels unprecedented for ten of thousands of years.

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It is necessary to examine key impacts of climatic change. Climate change is a
contributory factor to rising sea level. Sea level is expected to rise by between 20 and
60 cm by the end of the century because of thermal expansion of the oceans as
temperatures rise and because of melting of land ice. This will threaten the existence
of some small island states and put millions of people at risk.

Another problem is the poverty level in poor nations by which they lack resilience to
manage climate change impacts. The poorest countries are likely to be the most
vulnerable to the effect of climate change. 60% of the additional 80 million people
projected to be at risk of flooding are expected to be from southern Asia and 20% in
South East Asia. The U.N development programme in its latest report warned that
climate change will hit the world's poorest countries by breaking down agricultural
systems, worsening water scarcity, increasing risks of diseases and triggering mass
displacement due to recurring floods and storms. Food shortage and disease are
cankerworms affecting the developing countries. Africa is expected to experience
significance reduction in cereal yields as the Middle East and India. And an additional
290 million people could be exposed to malaria by 2080s, with China and Central
Asia likely to see the largest increase in risk. Higher temperatures as a result of
climate change may also affect the health of both livestock and people, as malaria is
likely to continue moving to higher altitudes, as is already the case in East Africa and
the Andes. In addition, there is an anticipated breakdown of agricultural systems,
especially in sub-Sahara Africa, leaving up to 600 million people facing malnutrition;
up to a third of a billion people leaving in coastal regions being displaced by tropical
storms and flooding; hundreds of millions of people at increased risk, from emerging
diseases, such as malaria.

Nigeria may be lucky to have enough water in abundant even though the citizens may
still continue to search for drinkable water. In some areas, water resources for
drinking and irrigation will be affected by reduced rainfall or as ground water in
coastal zones suffers from Salinisation as a level rise. Peoples' lives may be put at risk
from an increase frequency of droughts and floods. It is found out that an additional
three billion people could suffer increased water stress by 2080. Northern Africa, the
Middle East and the Indian subcontinent will be the worst. FAO has reported that,

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higher temperatures are affecting mountain ecosystems and their populations, as
melting glaciers increase short-term water availability but also raise the likelihood of
flooding, species migration and long-term water shortage. The organisation further
contented that, as glaciers disappears and snowlines move upwards, river flow are
likely to change and lack of water may lead to conflict and affect hydropower
generation, forestry and agricultural based livelihoods.

It is reported that is some years to come, large part of northern Brazil and Central
southern Africa could lose their tropical forests because of reduced rainfall and
increased temperature. Consequently, new prediction shows that climate change has
sped up the destructions of the Amazon forest. A vicious feedback loop of climate
change and deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60% of the
Amazon forest by 2030. The importance of the Amazon forest for the globe's climate
cannot be underplayed. It's not only essential for cooling the world's temperature but
also such a large source of fresh water that it may be enough to influence some of the
great ocean currents, and on top of that it's a massive store of carbon.

The consequences of climate change affect all of us, thus we can all be part of the
solution. Government, business and individuals all have a part to play. A recent
UNDP report contends that, though climate change is a global challenge, developing
nations face the greatest risk. Thus, developed nations have to show leadership by
cutting emissions by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 to ensure global warming
did not exceed 20C (3.60F). A mixed approach would deliver the necessary cut,
including carbon taxes; cap-and-trade schemes and funding low -carbon technology
transfer projects. The report further lamented that, rich nations also had to put climate
change adaptation at the center of international poverty reduction programmes.

In view of the foregoing, developing nations need to increase the level of awareness
campaign of the danger of climate change. The campaign needs to be centred towards
people attitudinal change to their environment. The issue of educating people of the
dangers of unfriendly activities to the environment is very critical. In addition,
incorporating the issue of climate change into poverty eradication programme in

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developing nations will give a tremendous development in curtailing the problem of
environmental degradation at the grass root level.
By Nura Abdullahi
 

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