5.6 - Climate change

• Maladaptation


  Failure to adjust adequately to the environment or situation
• Types of climate change

  Natural and anthropogenic
• Natural climate change

  Natural influences on the climate include volcanic eruptions, changes in the orbit of the Earth, and shifts in the Earth's crust (plate tectonics)
• Anthropogenic/enhanced climate change

  The theory that humand are causing most of the current changes to climate by burning fossil fuels etc
• Climate in the future

  • As the air warms, its water-holding capacity increases, particularly over the oceans
  • According to the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, the air can generally hold 7% more moisture for 1 degree of temperature rise
  • A world that is around 4 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial era (worst case) would have around 28% more water vapour in the atmosphere
  • It will not fall evenly across the globe
  • Models suggest most of the world will have a 16-24% increase in heavy precipitation intensity by 2100