Human Impact on Climate and Biodiversity

Human Impact on Climate and Biodiversity

Activity 3. Climate change simulation

 

  1. Understand what climate change means.

Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature, precipitation and sea level caused by human activities and natural processes. These changes can have serious impacts on ecosystems. For example, rising average temperatures can lead to extreme weather events such as more violent storms, floods, hurricanes or prolonged droughts and habitat loss for many species; changes in precipitation patterns can affect plant growth, and sea level rise can flood coastal areas and destroy human settlements. All this leads to loss of biodiversity and extinction of some species. Knowing these impacts helps us understand why it is important to tackle climate change.

  1. Look at the graphs below, which illustrate how temperature, precipitation and sea level change over time.

Source: https://coastadapt.com.au/climate-change-and-sea-level-rise-based-observed-data

 

Source: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heavy-precipitation_.html

 

Source: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level

 

  1. Research how climate change affects different ecosystems using online climate change simulation tools.
  1. Visit the Climate.gov website at https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature. Work in pairs or small groups.
  1. Look for specific examples of how these changes affect species distribution and habitat loss. Keep notes on your findings to discuss later.
  1. Based on the data, draw analysis and conclusions, aiming to answer the following questions:
    • What specific impacts of climate change on ecosystems did you find?
    • What changes in species distributions (e.g. animals moving to cooler areas) did you observe?
    • Can you give examples of habitat loss (e.g. loss of coastal habitats due to sea level rise)?
    • What individual and collective mitigation strategies can you suggest?
  1. Participate in a discussion on factors contributing to mitigation of climate change.