CLIMATE CHANGE: CAUSES, IMPACTS, AND ISSUES
INTRODUCTION
Extreme weather events have taken its toll on the past decades by taking more lives
and devastating infrastructures. According to a study conducted by Katrin Burkart and
colleagues, 1.7 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were linked to extreme heat and cold
([Link], August 2021). Based on [Link] (2022) there is growing evidence,
and almost a 100%consensus for peer reviewed and high impact journal in the veracity of
climate change.
Academic societies recognized that there will always be uncertainty in fullyunderstan
ding the complexity of the Earth’s climate, however, evidence suggests that significant global
warming is occurring. One-hundred ninety-eight (198) worldwide scientific organizations have
already expressed its position that human action have significant impact to climate change.
The scientific community have reached a consensus that global temperature rising is a direct
result of greenhouse emission from human-made sources ([Link], 2022).
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson students are expected to:
1. Identify the causes of climate change
2. Assess the various impacts of climate change including economic, geopolitical,
biological, meteorological, etc.
3. Apply STS concepts to the issue of climate change.
PRE-TEST True or False.
___ 1. Climate change started in the 20th Century.
___ 2. Wasting food contribute to increase of emissions of greenhouse gases.
___3. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas.
___ 4. Greenhouse effect happens when gases in the atmosphere trap heat and block it from
escaping the planet.
___ 5. There is no consensus yet among experts about climate change
___ 6. More extreme weather like droughts, heat waves and super typhoons happen due
to climate change.
___ 7. Most scientist agree that human activities are a significant factor to climate change.
___ 8. Paris agreement in 2015 aims to limit sea level rise to 3 feet above current levels.
___ 9. Nitrogen which makes up 80 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere is a greenhouse gas.
___ 10. As temperature rises, average global precipitation increases.
DISCUSSION
What is Climate Change?
According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
climate change means “A change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human
activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over a comparable period of time. ”Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) defines it as “any change in climate over time, whether due to natural
variability or as a result of human activity.”
Climate is the combination of long-term meteorological event in each place and time.
Climate are known to have changed in the past several times based on geologic evidence.
18,000 years ago, vast areas are covered by continental glaciers. Advancing and retreating
glaciers suggest that climate has undergone slow but continuous change. In the present, less
than 10% of these glaciers are in existence. Human influence is very likely the main driver of
the global retreat of glaciers since the 1990s (IPCC, 2021). Evidence of global climatic change
comes from core samples taken from ocean floor sediments and ice from Greenland and
Antarctica. A multi-university research project known as CLIMAP (Climate: long-range
investigation mapping and prediction) studied the past million years of global climate.
Thousands of meters of sediments are drilled and analyzed for calcium carbonate
shells of organisms that once lived near the surface. Distribution, type of organisms, and
oxygen-isotope ratio provide information how the glacier advances (Ahrens,
2009). An interactive map where users can explore and download the available climatedata
over the desired area anywhere in the Philippines was conceptualized and developed
through the DOST-funded project: Development of high-resolutionobservation-
based gridded sub-daily climate data for the Philippines (ClimGridPh), which is a component
of the DOST-PAGASA’s program, Scaling Up Climate Information Services for Societal
Benefits (CLIM’ UP) being monitored by the DOST-PCIEERD. CliMap will primarily serve the
public in providing the daily and sub-daily gridded data set of surface climate variables, which
are the main outputs of the project. Currently, these datasets are under development
([Link], 2022)
Climate change can be caused by three things:
1. Change in the amount of incoming solar energy
2. Changes in the Earth’s atmosphere
3. Changes that happens in the surface of the Earth
In geologic history, Earth’s surface has undergone extensive modification due to
tectonic movement. Change in latitude and elevation due to tectonic movement may explain
climate change in the past. Due to plate tectonic, volcanic activity also increased which
released CO2 in the atmosphere. Changes in the circulation patterns of the ocean and the
atmosphere that redistribute energy also contribute to climate change (Ahrens, 2009). Due
to our large population, human activities such as emission of greenhouse gases, denudation
of forest, depletion of natural resources, pollution, and mining have a big impact on the
changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and the Earth’s surface.
Greenhouse effect due to CO2 cause global temperature rise. The greenhouse effect
happens when certain gases —known as greenhouse gases — such as water vapor, ozone,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, and fluorinated gases sometimes known as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) collect in Earth’s atmosphere ([Link],
2022).
Increase in greenhouse gases since 1750 are undeniably caused by human activities.
Based on climate model projections, global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C will be exceeded during
the 21st century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in
the coming decades. (IPCC, 2021).
In response to this threat, an agreement was adopted by 196 members of the
Conference of the Parties (COP) (countries that signed the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that came into force in 1994) in Paris, on
12December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its goal is to limit global
warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels
([Link], 2022).
Impacts of Climate Change
According to [Link] (2022), climate change would most likely impact our
water resources, forestry, agriculture, coastal resources, and health. Regions which are
projected to have decreased rainfall will experience water shortage that will also affect forestry,
agriculture, livelihood, health, and human settlement. Longer dry spells will affect amount of
water in dams that provide irrigation, drinking water, water for domestic use, and hydroelectric
energy. In areas that will experience intense rains,
flooding would likely follow as well as landslides, and mudslides. This will impact
infrastructures, and transportation.
Based on the Philippine Climate Change Assessment Report (2017), Probably more
than temperature change, climate change-induced variability of rainfall is likely to have the
greatest impacts in the country. The number of days with heavy rainfall in the latter part of the
20th century appears to be higher than the corresponding occurrence in the early part of the
20th century. Evidence shows that the intensity of extreme rainfall events is changing.
Climate change will also take its toll on survival of local flora and fauna. Extreme
drought willpush to extinction highly sensitive species. Drier periods and warmer temperatur
es may lead to frequent forest fires. Farmers and fisher folks are vulnerable sectors to climate
change. Decrease in crop yields, and fish catch are expected. Fishes may seek cooler, and
deeper waters that would force fishermen to travel further from the coast. Incidents or
outbreaks of pests and diseases would most likely happen due to increase in temperature and
change in rainfall.
Sea level rise would most likely happen due to climate change and will have a huge
impact on coastal resources. Impact to health due to climate change include spread of water-
borne diseases, heat stroke, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases specially to children and
the elderly.
ANSWER KEY
Pretest
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. F
9. F
10. T