2
around for years to come, regardless of the levels
of progress achieved internationally to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. It has the potential to
produce substantial impact across temporal and
spatial scales (Nurse et al. 2014; IPCC 2014a, b;
Clemencon 2016) with significant adverse consequences on local economies and livelihoods.
Climate change is defined as a change of climate
which is attributed directly or indirectly to human
activity that alters the composition of the global
atmosphere and which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over a comparable
time (UNFCCC 2011 in IPCC p. 5).
The global mean temperature is projected to
rise over the twenty-first century if greenhouse
gas emissions continue unabated. The increase
in temperature resulting from the accumulation
of energy in the climatic system due to past and
present greenhouse gas emission and other
anthropogenic climate forces is causing continuous warming at a rate of 0.2 ± 0.1 °C per decade.
However, according to the IPCC (Abram et al.
2019), warming higher than global average is
being experienced in many regions of the world.
It is also believed that such warming has occurred
across seasons with the average warmings higher
over land surfaces than over the oceans. It is said
that if emissions continue at current rates over
the next decades, the present rate of humaninduced global warming per decade will
continue.
The research (IPCC 2014a, b; Abram et al.
2019) shows that the risk for natural human
systems is lower if global warming gradually stabilises at 1.5 °C in comparison with overshooting
1.5 °C. It is important to note that warming at
over 1 °C would have severe impacts on the fragile ecosystem of small island developing states
(SIDS), including coral reefs, mangroves swamps
and seagrass bed of which many livelihoods
depend. The poor and vulnerable are severely
affected by the impacts of global warming as
well as the challenges of staying below the 1.5 °C
range.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore
associated mitigation options as strategies to
accrue benefits and reverse the effects of the
impact of climate change on the poor and marginalised sectors of the population, specifically
young people. The population of most nations,
who are disadvantaged and vulnerable, will be
severely affected by increases in global warming
over 1.5 °C and beyond. The IPCC report (Abram
et al. 2019) states that this will mainly affect
indigenous people and systems in the Arctic, a
population dependent on agriculture production
for livelihoods and sustenance, and coastal livelihoods, specifically those located in SIDS. Many
of these populations are already facing severe
limits to adaptation.
Research also shows that the impact of global
warming on human health will be severe in
warming above 2 °C and lower in warming of
below 1.5 °C, specifically for health-related
deaths and sicknesses (IPCC 2007). Health risks
will increase in urban centres due to the urban
heat island effects. It is important to note that
there is evidence of increases in vector diseases
such as malaria. It is observed that the global
mean sea level (GMSL) is rising and accelerating
gradually in such circumstances. Melting glaciers and ice sheets are the main contributors to
this problem. GMSL increases from 1.4 mm yr
−1
over the period 1901–1990 to 2.1 mm yr
−1
over
the period 2006–2015 to 3.2 mm yr
−1
. It is with
high confidence that the IPCC (Abram et al.
2019) states that the leading cause of GMSL
since 1970 is anthropogenic forcing. It is critical
to note that climate change-induced GMSL rise
is caused by thermal expansion of ocean water
and ocean mass gains, of which the latter is primarily due to decreases inland ice caps. According
to an article in the New York Times, rising sea
levels could affect three times more people by
2060 than previously anticipated, erasing some
of the world’s great coastal cities. There are currently 150 million people now living on land that
will be below the high tide line by mid-century.
The last decade was plagued by superstorms,
wildfires, disease outbreaks and terrible earthquakes. Over the past decade, countries bear the
brunt of climate change in different ways. These
weather events have had a profound impact on
the rest of the world, changing people’s understanding of what disaster can be, the extent and
intensity of damages it can wreak on countries
and what people can do to respond to these
weather events. UK charity Christian Aid pub1 The Global Overview of Climate Change
around for years to come, regardless of the levels
of progress achieved internationally to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. It has the potential to
produce substantial impact across temporal and
spatial scales (Nurse et al. 2014; IPCC 2014a, b;
Clemencon 2016) with significant adverse consequences on local economies and livelihoods.
Climate change is defined as a change of climate
which is attributed directly or indirectly to human
activity that alters the composition of the global
atmosphere and which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over a comparable
time (UNFCCC 2011 in IPCC p. 5).
The global mean temperature is projected to
rise over the twenty-first century if greenhouse
gas emissions continue unabated. The increase
in temperature resulting from the accumulation
of energy in the climatic system due to past and
present greenhouse gas emission and other
anthropogenic climate forces is causing continuous warming at a rate of 0.2 ± 0.1 °C per decade.
However, according to the IPCC (Abram et al.
2019), warming higher than global average is
being experienced in many regions of the world.
It is also believed that such warming has occurred
across seasons with the average warmings higher
over land surfaces than over the oceans. It is said
that if emissions continue at current rates over
the next decades, the present rate of humaninduced global warming per decade will
continue.
The research (IPCC 2014a, b; Abram et al.
2019) shows that the risk for natural human
systems is lower if global warming gradually stabilises at 1.5 °C in comparison with overshooting
1.5 °C. It is important to note that warming at
over 1 °C would have severe impacts on the fragile ecosystem of small island developing states
(SIDS), including coral reefs, mangroves swamps
and seagrass bed of which many livelihoods
depend. The poor and vulnerable are severely
affected by the impacts of global warming as
well as the challenges of staying below the 1.5 °C
range.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore
associated mitigation options as strategies to
accrue benefits and reverse the effects of the
impact of climate change on the poor and marginalised sectors of the population, specifically
young people. The population of most nations,
who are disadvantaged and vulnerable, will be
severely affected by increases in global warming
over 1.5 °C and beyond. The IPCC report (Abram
et al. 2019) states that this will mainly affect
indigenous people and systems in the Arctic, a
population dependent on agriculture production
for livelihoods and sustenance, and coastal livelihoods, specifically those located in SIDS. Many
of these populations are already facing severe
limits to adaptation.
Research also shows that the impact of global
warming on human health will be severe in
warming above 2 °C and lower in warming of
below 1.5 °C, specifically for health-related
deaths and sicknesses (IPCC 2007). Health risks
will increase in urban centres due to the urban
heat island effects. It is important to note that
there is evidence of increases in vector diseases
such as malaria. It is observed that the global
mean sea level (GMSL) is rising and accelerating
gradually in such circumstances. Melting glaciers and ice sheets are the main contributors to
this problem. GMSL increases from 1.4 mm yr
−1
over the period 1901–1990 to 2.1 mm yr
−1
over
the period 2006–2015 to 3.2 mm yr
−1
. It is with
high confidence that the IPCC (Abram et al.
2019) states that the leading cause of GMSL
since 1970 is anthropogenic forcing. It is critical
to note that climate change-induced GMSL rise
is caused by thermal expansion of ocean water
and ocean mass gains, of which the latter is primarily due to decreases inland ice caps. According
to an article in the New York Times, rising sea
levels could affect three times more people by
2060 than previously anticipated, erasing some
of the world’s great coastal cities. There are currently 150 million people now living on land that
will be below the high tide line by mid-century.
The last decade was plagued by superstorms,
wildfires, disease outbreaks and terrible earthquakes. Over the past decade, countries bear the
brunt of climate change in different ways. These
weather events have had a profound impact on
the rest of the world, changing people’s understanding of what disaster can be, the extent and
intensity of damages it can wreak on countries
and what people can do to respond to these
weather events. UK charity Christian Aid pub1 The Global Overview of Climate Change