Study Guide: Climate Impact

To-Do Date: Nov 27 at 11:59am

This is going to be a difficult week since we have to learn about the impact that climate change is having and will have on our human societies,  the natural world and all the complex interactions between the two.   We will talk about climate solutions, but we also need to get a realistic grasp of the situation and the urgency of the problem.  Please keep in mind that, yes, these impacts are devastating, but that we have the solutions ready to deploy to stop the climate crisis. 

In this cartoon two bears are looking at each other with disbelief and maybe a little irritation. One bear is in a sweltering, bone-dry , sun beaten desolate landscape and the other is sloshing through such heavy rainfalls that a snorkel seems like a good idea.  Explain how this cartoon expresses the impacts of climate change globally. 

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Study Guide Questions

1. How are wild plants and animals impacted by changes in climate?

• • • What is phenology? 
    • Why does climate change cause problems for plants and animals? 
    • What are some examples of changing species interactions due to climate change?
    • What are factors that would prevent a species from migrating to avoid climate change?
    • What are factors that would prevent a species from adapting to compensate for climate change? 

2. What impacts are there from rising sea levels?

• • • What are two reasons that climate change cause sea levels to rise?
    • How much could sea level rise in coming decades? By the end of the century? ( There are different numbers in different videos. This is due to the fact that it will rise different amounts in different  locations, so they often use average).
    • What are the different options that are being taken to react to sea level rise? In large wealthy cities, poorer communities, and the most marginalized? 

3. How does climate change affect the risks of hurricanes, floods, and drought

• • • Why is there more rainfall in some areas and less in other areas when climate warms? 
    • Why are there more intense storms, including hurricanes?
    • California impacts
      • What can we expect to happen to the rainfall patterns in California?
      • What is the problem with using average rainfall to describe California's changing ppt? 
      • What is climate whiplash 

4. How is climate change impacting agriculture both worldwide and in California?

• • • What are the 5 key climatic changes that are affecting California's agriculture?
    • What are the impacts of each of these changes? 
    • What are potential solutions?
    • What are the impacts of climate change on Guatemala and its coffee production? 

5. What are the health impacts of global warming and climate change?

• • • What are the impacts of  Air Pollution, Allergens and Pollen, Diseases Carried by Vectors, Food and Waterborne Diarrheal Disease, Food Security, Mental Health Disorders, Floods, Temperature Extremes, Wildfires
    • What are the greatest links for our region? 
    • Which populations are most vulnerable to either these impacts and why? 

6. How does climate change impact violence, both on an individual level and militarily?

• • • What is the connection between extreme heat and interpersonal (crime) violence?
    • What is the impact of climate change on military infrastructure? 
    • What is the connection between climate change and international conflicts, including refugee crises, civil wars, and other acts of war? 
    • What is a threat multiplier?