News headlines this year paint a frightening picture, almost making it seem like we are in the midst of a climate apocalypse. As cataclysmic events grip the entire planet, it is evident that no region is safe from the devastating impacts of climate change. Encapsulated below are just a few of these extreme calamities tormenting that tormented the world this year:
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Extremely dry weather conditions have parched lands across Europe, causing the worst drought in the continent in the last 500 years. The crisis is speculated to be getting worse, with the Global Drought Observatory stating that the water stress could further potentially result in famines.
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Droughts have also struck other parts of the world, as China is facing the worst drought on its record, and East Africa is facing the longest and most severe drought in 40 years.
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Wildfires have consumed vast swaths of land in Europe this summer, having burned areas twice the size of Luxembourg.
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Meanwhile, floods have wreaked havoc in South Asia, with Pakistan declaring a state of emergency as floods inundate one-third of the country and displace millions of people. Likewise, Belize and Mexico were struck by a hurricane that flooded districts and damaged properties.
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Unrelenting heat waves have set record temperatures across cities in Asia and Europe. The scorching heat has impacted the poor and the vulnerable sector, who are forced to work in inhumane weather conditions. The World Health Organization states that heatwaves have caused over 1,700 deaths on the Iberian peninsula alone.
Often confused with, and sadly even more often referring to the terms interchangeably - the terms “climate change”, “global warming” and “environmental degradation” are frequently misused. While these phenomena are closely interconnected, they are quite distinct from each other.
Understanding These Concepts
Climate change is the long-term alteration of Earth’s climate patterns, driven by human activities that release greenhouse gases, such as burning fossil fuels, into the atmosphere. This leads to an increase in global temperature and rising sea levels, both of which can have catastrophic impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods around the world. The recent Pakistan flood is a prime example of a climate catastrophe resulting in an economic loss of $3.3 Trillion.
Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the earth’s average temperature. This increase in temperature is caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the planet to warm. Record-breaking glacier melt was witnessed in Europe this year, between 3 to 4 metres measured throughout the Alps. Global warming thereby is disturbing various planetary dynamics and is leading to Climate Change.
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment caused by human activities, such as deforestation and pollution. It can have serious consequences, including the destruction of habitats, the extinction of species, and the contamination of air, water, and soil. • In fact, global CO2 concentrations set a new record of 417.2 parts per million (ppm), up 2.5 ppm from 2021 levels. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are now 51% above pre-industrial levels.
Decoding the Relationship
Climate change, global warming, and environmental degradation are all interconnected and have a severe impact on our planetary system.
Global warming is driving climate change, which in turn is causing environmental degradation. In addition, environmental degradation can have a direct impact on global temperature, as deforestation, for example, removes trees that would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
Climate change is leading to more extreme weather events, such as heat waves, floods, and droughts, causing crop failures, water shortages, and other significant impacts on human lives. Global warming is causing sea levels to rise, which can lead to the flooding of coastal areas and the displacement of people. Environmental degradation can lead to water and air pollution, which can have serious health impacts.
A few examples of the interconnectedness between climate change, global warming and environmental degradation include:
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The melting of Arctic sea ice due to global warming, which is leading to the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the thawing permafrost.
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The destruction of tropical rainforests due to deforestation, which is releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.
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The acidification of oceans, caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide, which is damaging delicate coral reefs, disrupting marine ecosystems, and threatening coastal communities.
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The decrease in snowpack, caused by global warming, which is leading to water shortages in areas that rely on melting snow for their water supply.
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The increase in air pollution, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which is leading to respiratory illnesses and other health problems in people and animals.
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The spread of disease, caused by rising temperatures, which is leading to an increase in vector-borne illnesses, such as malaria and dengue fever.
The Need of the Hour
The effects of climate change, global warming, and environmental degradation are wide-reaching and will only become more severe if we do not take immediate action.
One of the important tools to do this is climate modelling. However, several studies have found that the recent extreme climatic events have surpassed predictions made by experts. While climate projections are imprecise by nature and require constant revisions, scientists are worried that these climate models significantly underestimate the risks. One of the major factors responsible for this is the lack of credible data, which is the cornerstone of a reliable climate model, as a climate model is only as good as its inputs.
In this regard, some of the key data characteristics for effective climate modelling are:
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High-frequency data: Climate modelling without high-frequency data has a very limited utility. For instance, data gathered a few times a year cannot paint a clear picture of climate risks. High-frequency data is essential to gain better insights and enables higher statistical precision in climate modelling.
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High resolution: High-resolution data is vital for better mapping and monitoring of climate systems. It also helps in better quantification of vital factors such as the change in land cover. Currently, most climate models are of a global scale and have to be scaled down significantly to get regional insights, which compromises the resolution.
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Near real-time data: Near real-time data allows continuous monitoring, which helps identify trends, establish parameters, trigger levels and accurate quantification of risks and probabilities. Moreover, it is an important factor in developing prediction sets. Currently, climate models draw vast insights from historical data that no longer suffice . As climate change drives new weather patterns, relying only on historical data reduces the model's accuracy. In addition, the efficacy of historical models is also limited by their shortcomings. For example, documentation has been poor in many parts of the world, and government agencies in most countries began collecting data only towards the end of the last century.
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Wide-scope: Climate models must have a broad scope that looks at the earth as one system. Monitoring a single variable does not provide an overall understanding of the climate crisis, as most climate phenomena are interlinked. All the essential variables need to be assessed for a holistic understanding of our planetary systems.
These features can increase the accuracy of climate models, which can further help in building resilience and minimizing the impact of such crises.
Way forward
Since planetary systems are interconnected, we at Blue Sky Analytics, monitor the pulse of the planet extensively - both for environmental degradation like pollution in lakes, air quality, industrial emissions, landfill sites, and deforestation; and for the various parameters related to climate change like GHG emissions from key sources, primary physical climate risk like wildfires, floods, droughts, and extreme heat.
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Disclaimer - This blog was written with the help of ChatGPT.
