Question: how does the climate change affect us

Kate Salmon answered on 10 Mar 2014:

Hi @stringer6, this is a good question!

Climate change is affecting us in many ways and will continue to do so far into the future… there are almost too many ways to answer this question but I will do my best to cover the important areas…

1. Climate change is warming the global temperature. This is affecting a lot of things including our weather. You may have noticed we have had a very wet summer in the UK because of all the flooding. Some scientists think this linked to climate change. As the earth is warming, our weather is becoming more extreme because certain weather gets ‘stuck’. So before, our weather would vary quite a lot over a few months but now we seem to get one type of weather staying put for a few weeks e.g. mild, wet weather this winter, or a hot, dry summer last summer. This is happening all over the world, including Australia who suffered from floods last year to North America who has just had an extremely cold winter.

2. The changing weather affects us a lot because we rely on farmers to feed us and if their crops are failing because of drought or flooding then food prices will rise and we will not be able to afford to buy certain foods. Very poor countries will struggle more with failing crops as the people cannot afford to pay more for food.

3. People living in countries or continents which already have extreme weather (e.g. Africa) will suffer the worst and politicians are getting ready for a lot of people to move north because it will become too hot to live in these places.

4. Climate change is also affecting lots of animals which live in cooler climates. These animals are gradually migrating further north to keep up with the changing temperatures but some animals e.g. the polar bear are so far north that they have no where else to go. So a lot of animals will become extinct with climate change. Other animals on the other hand, will do better such as jellyfish which like warmer waters.

5. Climate change is also affecting the oceans and as more CO2 gas (from burning fuels) dissolves into the ocean then it becomes more acidic and this is damaging to fish and shelled creatures. We’re not really sure yet how much of an effect this will have but that is what part of my research does- to monitor how the oceans are changing because of this.