effects of climate change on environment

• What was the purpose of the Paris Agreement of 2015?

  To limit the impact of climate change
• What is the expected temperature increase by 2100 under current policies?

  1. 8-3.2°C of warming
• What is considered a worst-case scenario for temperature increase by 2100?

  1. 8°C of warming
• What are potential impacts of climate change mentioned in the material?

  • Reduction of biodiversity
  • Changing distribution of species
  • Changing precipitation patterns
  • Melting ice
  • Sea surface temperature increase
• Why is rapid adaptation key to avoiding extinction?

  Because climate is changing rapidly
• What does evolution typically take place over?

  Thousands or millions of years
• Which species are at risk of extinction due to climate change?

  Species specially adapted to damaged habitats
• How might climate change affect malaria-carrying mosquitoes?

  They may inhabit more countries worldwide
• What could be a consequence of malaria-carrying mosquitoes expanding their range?

  Malaria may become common in the UK
• How is global warming affecting precipitation patterns?

  It changes the amount and timing of rain
• What is a consequence of melting ice due to climate change?

  Sea levels rise, flooding coastal habitats
• Where is most ice stored?

  In ice sheets at the Arctic and Antarctic
• How does melting ice affect animal survival at the poles?

  It changes sea ice patterns affecting survival
• What is the effect of rising sea surface temperatures on corals?

  It causes bleaching of sensitive corals
• How do higher sea surface temperatures affect cyclones?

  They lead to more severe cyclones
• What damage did Hurricane Katrina cause?

  Estimated $125 billion of damage
• What could happen to extreme weather events in a hotter Earth?

  They would become more common