Fourth Nation Climate Assessment
The climatic change affects communities by creating new risks and vulnerabilities, and it also has economic impacts leading to growing losses to the people. It has interconnected consequences impacting natural built and social systems. The adverse effects of climatic change cuts across essential things that human beings rely on and value, such as energy, agriculture, water, ecosystem, wildlife, and human health. The significant impacts of climatic change include a rise in both minimum and maximum temperatures, an increase in sea levels, heavy precipitation, and an increase in droughts and heatwaves and reduced agricultural production.
Based on the report, the above five impacts are the essential effects that sine they have a direct influence on human life and the environment. For example, reduced agricultural production results in food shortage, thus rising food insecurity. Lack of right quantity and quality of food may be fatal; hence impacts of climatic change in agriculture cannot be understated. In another way, there is a danger when the atmospheric minimum and maximum temperature increase (Fourth National Climate Assessment, 2020). A rise in minimum temperature results in a reduction in crop yields. Extremely low temperature is harmful to human health and other animals. Further, a change in minimum temperature interferes with the ecosystem and the general environmental conditions. It may cause migration of animals from one place to another, thus interrupting the environment’s normal relationship. Increased temperatures above the normal levels have a significant impact on both humans and the environment. High temperatures scorch crops that do not thrill well in hot conditions. Temperature rise above the stipulated increases the rate of senescence that hinders the ability of crops to the grain.
On the other hand, increased temperatures affect people’s health. Extremely hot conditions subject to individuals to skin diseases and scorching effects. It also reduces people’s ability to work in the fields or open air.
The rise in sea levels is noted as an essential effect of climatic change that needs to be addressed. It is estimated that the sea level will rise from one to eight feet come 2100. This is due to the increased melting of ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms. From the climatic assessment report, an increase in sea levels has an adverse influence on the environment and human beings. First, an increase in the sea level displaces those living along the seashores due to the overflowing of waters. Aquatic life is also interfered with when the sea level increases as some are forced to migrate to more shallow water bodies. An increase in sea levels is addressed since, in the next decades, it is predicted that lands near the seas may experience severe flooding. Another highlighted problem associated with heavy droughts that has severe adverse effects on human, animal, and environment. Climatic changes are associated with droughts in various places, which may be fatal to both people and other animals.
From the report, it highlighted that mitigating climatic changes requires combined efforts from communities, governments, and businesses to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It is noted that the government needs to formulate and implement adaption strategies such as minimum carbon footprint. Despite such solution strategies, the risks of climatic change depend on the decisions made today. Even though mitigation efforts have been made in the past few years, there is still more to be done to avoid substantial damages that climatic change causes to human health, environment, and economy.
References
FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT, F. (2020). Fourth National Climate Assessment: Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States. Nca2018.globalchange.gov. https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/.