1 MET 12 Global Warming: Lecture 10 Solutions: Adaptation Shaun Tanner Outline:   Issues   Impacts   Adaptation methods

2 Action When confronted with reports from scientists that global warming is happening and will intensify, there are various choices of action 1.Deny the science or simply choose to do nothing. 2.Mitigate – reduce causes of global warming. (reduce radiative forcing) 3.Adapt – develop strategies to deal with impacts. 4.Do Nothing – Understand science but choose not to act.

3 Key Findings (US Global Change Research Program ) 1. Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human- induced. 2. Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow. 3. Widespread climate-related impacts are occurring now and are expected to increase. 10. Future climate change and its impacts depend on choices made today.

What are likely impacts in the future?

5 Climate Change Impacts  What impacts are most expected from a warmer world? – – – –

6 Climate change impacts in the US  What impacts have been observed? –Higher nighttime and daytime temperatures –More heavy downpours –Rising sea level –Rapidly retreating glaciers and thawing permafros –Earlier snowmelt and alternations in river flows –Lengthening growing seasons  These changes are projected to grow.

7  Crop and livestock production  Threats to human health – Heat stress, waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents.  Periodic coastal flooding  Drought  Forest fires  Fresh water resources – Western state most at risk – Sierra snowpack  Plant and animal range shifts and population changes Ongoing and future risks

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9 More adverse than beneficial impacts on biological and socioeconomic systems are projected

10 Adaptation strategies  Identify communities at highest risk  Build infrastructure to best cope – for example  Sea walls (Netherlands)  Larger reservoirs  Alternative irrigation networks  Modify building codes  Modify health management

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Which of the following would be an adaptation strategy 1.Reducing emissions of CO2 2.Improving flood protection 3.Energy efficient autos 4.Designing heat tolerant crops 5.1 and and and and 4 9.1, 2, 3 and 4

14 As a result of warming, plant species would be expected to migrate 1.North in the Southern Hemisphere 2.North in the Northern Hemisphere 3.South in the Northern Hemisphere 4.South in the Southern Hemisphere 5.To higher altitudes 6.To lower altitudes 7.1 and and 5

If ice melt was to stop even though average temperatures continue to warm, how would sea level respond 1.Sea level would continue to rise 2.Sea level would immediately reach an equilibrium 3.Sea level would decrease