Climate Change Impacts on Different Sectors

Presenters

Parbati Phuyal

Prakash Pokhrel

Pratistha thapa

Rabina Sipai

Ramchandra Dhami

Introduction

• Climate change is a phenomenon due to emissions of greenhouse gases from fuel combustion, deforestation, urbanization and industrialization resulting variations in solar energy, temperature and precipitation

Climate Change situation in Nepal

• Nepal is one of the most vulnerable (4th) countries in terms of climate change

• Globally Nepal emits only 0.025 percent of total GHG emissions

• CC impacts both on upland and lowland ecosystem systems, especially threatening the vital biodiversity, water, energy and food security

Impacts on different Sectors• Agriculture and food security• Water resources and energy• Biodiversity• Gender and Livelihood• Human health• Settlement and infrastructure• Disasters• Tourism• Transport• Indigenous communities• Economy

Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Security

Agroclimatic Conditions

• Decreased precipitation in an already spring/summer moisture deficit region.

• Increased need for irrigation with reduced water availability.

• Overwintering of insects and diseases which have previously been killed due to harsh climate.

• Introduction of new insects and diseases with a warmer climate.

• Some insecticides become less effective as temperature rises.

Crop Yields

• Yield loss in some areas.• Yield gain in other areas with good soil

moisture.• Increased variability in world production due to

changing climate leading to increased variability in prices and income.

• Increased production of crops currently grown in small quantities such as winter wheat, sunflowers and corn.

Livestock Production

• Reduced winter cold stress on livestock.• Increased heat stress in summer.• Increased adequate feed supplies.• Increased reliance on good quality water.

Economic Impact

• Increased diversification of production.• Reduced economic activity due to less output

and reduced crop income.• Other sectors could increase because of

diversification.• Effect of fewer purchased inputs by the

agricultural sector on the economy of the province.

Food Security• Production of rice, corn and wheat has declined.• According to Action Aid 2000, Bangladesh and

India–among ten most vulnerable countries to food crisis and hunger induced by climate change.

• “There are 265.7million food- insecure people living in agriculture intensive areas that are highly exposed to a potential five percent decrease in the length of the growing period”.

• Reduce loss and waste in food systems, particularly from infrastructure, farming practices, processing, distribution and household habits.

Climate change impact on water resources and energy

• Cryosphere Earth's surface where water is in solid form. •Increased length of the melt season of glaciers, leads to increased river runoff and discharge peaks•longer time-frame , glacier runoff is expected to decrease•Formation of lakes is occurring as glaciers retreat from prominent Little Ice Age .• Thawing of buried ice also threatens to destabilise the Little

Ice Age moraines.• Potential for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF.

Hydrology and Water Resources

• Trends in temperature or precipitation.• Changes in surface and groundwater system.• Groundwater flow in shallow aquifers affected by climate

variability and change through recharge processes.• Water quality • Climate-related warming of lakes and rivers has been

observed over recent decades. , freshwater ecosystems changes in species composition, organism abundance, productivity and phenological shifts.

• Warming, many lakes have exhibited prolonged stratification with decreases in surface layer nutrient concentration and prolonged depletion of oxygen in deeper layers.

flood

• flood processes, resulting in river floods, flash floods, urban floods, sewer floods, glacial lake outburst flood

• Include intense and/or long-lasting precipitation, snowmelt, dam break reduced conveyance due to ice jams or landslides, or by storm.

• Floods depend on precipitation intensity, volume, timing, phase (rain or snow), and their drainage basins .

Droughts• Meteorological drought (precipitation well below average),

hydrological drought (low river flows and low water levels in rivers, lakes and groundwater), agricultural drought (low soil moisture), and environmental drought (a combination of the above).

• Droughts affect rain-fed agricultural production as well as water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.

Snow and ice

• Northern Hemisphere snow cover and sea-ice extent are projected to decrease further.

• Glaciers and ice caps are projected to continue their widespread retreat during the 21st century.

• The Antarctic ice sheet , gain mass because of greater precipitation, while the Greenland ice sheet , lose mass because the increase in runoff will exceed the precipitation increase.

• Concerns have been expressed about the stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet because it is grounded below sea level.

Energy

• Changes in precipitation changes in the intensity and pattern of extreme weather events, and sea level rise.

• Warming can be expected to increase energy requirements for cooling and reduce energy requirements for warming.

• Changes in precipitation in mountain and hill affect micro hydro power.

• Increase in number of cloudy days and changes in precipitation adversely affect solar power potential in mountain.

• Climate change could affect water supplies for hydropower.

• Decreases the thermoelectric efficiencies.

Climate Change Impacts on Gender and Livelihood

• Climate change affects all people, but not everyone has the same capacity to adapt.

• Women suffer more: Wage disparities, on average, women earn 30–50 percent less than men; Health disparities, in Bangladesh, the nutritional intake of women is 88% that of men, in Nepal, 28.7% of rural women have a body mass index below the cut-off point and 60% of women suffer from anemia (IFAD 2000)

• Climate change would place additional burdens on women by altering roles and tasks they perform. As crop yields decline and natural resources become scarce, women’s workloads increase; in times of drought, they will have to spend more time in carrying, purifying and supplying the family’s water.

Food Insecurity and Increased Burden on Women in Humla: A Case Study

• Location: Dandaphaya in Humla• Settlement: about 20HHs with 5-10 people in each• Occupation: Agriculture• However agricultural production only cover the HHs needs

for about 4 months.• Most of the people relies on food distributed by

Government and other agencies.• Coping strategy: trading of forest products contributing

deforestation.• Women reported that snowfall significantly decreased in

last 6 years contributing longer dry season.

• Crop production: low• Men: staying away for longer period, working as laborers. • Women: have to take over work that men used to perform in

addition to their own responsibilities related to household.• Moreover, the trading of forest resources for income has

severely reduced the availability of the resources: there are no more trees near the village.

• Women now have to walk much farther to get the necessary fuel wood, a task that takes about six hours every three days. Not only is this work time-consuming and grueling, it is dangerous as well, since the trees left are mostly located on steep slopes, and the women are always at risk of falling.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY

• Climate change has had documented impacts on ecological systems,

• Ecosystems, biodiversity and services they support, are intrinsically dependent on climate

• Impacts are expected to increase as climate change continues and perhaps even accelerates

INTRODUCTION

• Species at risk: There is significant concern for species at risk that are already threatened by small population size, loss of unique habitats and low reproduction/dispersal rates , climate

change could greatly increase the risk of extinction. • Aquatic habitat: In rainfall driven streams, extended summer

low flow periods are expected. This will further increase water temperature, favoring warm water species, and altering community structure and functioning. Conversely, in snowmelt driven and glacier fed streams, the magnitude and duration of summer floods is expected to increase. In either case, significant

impacts on aquatic habitats should be expected.

CLIMATE CHANGE THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

• Wetlands: Wetlands are particularly vulnerable to climate change. As physiographically limited systems they are unable to migrate, and hence, vulnerable to changes in hydrology, nutrient inputs, etc.

• Coastal ecosystems : The sea is rising. Coastal ecosystems – including tidal zones, estuaries and coastal wetlands – and the species that utilize them will all experience impacts. Specific challenges to be faced include: salt water intrusion causing changes in local soil chemistry and subsequent extirpation of freshwater plants; habitat loss for migrating shorebirds; the destructive force of storm surges; and alteration of foodweb dynamics for seabirds and other animals.

• Alpine ecosystems: Given their restricted geographic area and narrow elevation range, alpine ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate and vegetation change rapidly with altitude over relatively short distances in mountainous terrain. As a result, alpine ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to encroachment by lower elevation ecosystems

• Forest and grassland ecosystems: Ongoing concerns are the increased potential for major widespread wildfires, and the subsequent potential for transformations in disturbed ecosystems, such as colonization by invasive species and resultant new species assemblages. Grassland ecosystems may expand in range, yet face threats in terms of lost species diversity.

• Invasive species: Climate change may expedite the colonization of some areas by invasive species in both the terrestrial and freshwater realms . These species may out-compete or predate on native species.

Golden ToadBufo periglenes

Once abundant in the cloud-shrouded rainforests of Monteverde in Costa Rica, no one has seen one since 1989.

• provide breeding habitat for 50-80% of N.A. ducks, the most productive area in the world—a ‘duck factory’

• model based on – doubling of CO2 by 2060– 2.5 ºC increase in temperature– no increase in precipitation

• results– number of ponds decreases by 67%– duck numbers reduced by 72%

Case Study: Prairie PotholesDr. Jerry Skinner

• specialists (vs generalist)– habitat– food– nesting requirements– restricted range

• important to humans• predators, diseases, etc.• As species move they may have to deal with changes in – prey– predators– competitors– parasites– diseases– habitats that are less than ideal

What makes a species extinction prone?

Two hundred years from now, people will not remember Iraq.

They will laugh at our distress over $4.00 gas prices.

What they will remember is that

• this President

• this Congress

• this Generation…

…was in charge when something needed to be done.

when something could have been done.

Will they be proud of us?

THANK YOU