Adaptation

The impacts of a changing climate have already been felt in many parts of the world. Most noticeable have been an increase in extreme weather events. It will therefore be necessary for people to adapt to a changing climate in addition to initiating actions to limit further emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Extreme weather events

The predictions of all climate models are an increasing number of extreme weather events on a worldwide basis. These are being reported with increasing frequency and are of three types –

• Climatological events including extreme temperatures (low and high), droughts and forest fires
• Hydrological events including flooding
• Meteorological events like storms – tropical, convective and local

Increasing incidence of extreme weather events (National Geographic Magazine November 2015)

While not all these events can be attributed to a changing climate, their impacts on the affected regions and people have been severe including loss of life, homes and livelihoods. Future impacts that will impact even more people include –

• Rising sea levels making seaside communities more vulnerable to storm surges
• Changes in salinity of the seas due to melting ice caps
• Possible changes in global circulation of ocean currents

? Which extreme weather event do you think is most likely in your region and what can your community do to minimise its impact?