8. Arctic sea ice is rapidly declining
Arctic temperatures are rising faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. From 2011 to 2020, annual Arctic sea ice reached its lowest level since at least 1850, and late summer Arctic sea ice was the lowest at any time in at least 1,000 years. By 2022, Arctic sea ice extent is decreasing at a rate of 12.6 percent per decade compared to the average extent over the period 1981-2010.
Based on all future emissions scenarios in the latest IPCC report, the minimum amount of Arctic sea ice will fall below 1 million square kilometers at least once by 2050, making the region practically free of Shanghai ice. will be
9. The world is getting hungrier and thirstier
For the first time in decades, world hunger is increasing— and climate change is a big driver of this. Extreme weather events, from droughts to heat waves, can affect crop yields and their nutritional value, making some crops unviable in certain areas. Under heat stress, animals are less productive and more susceptible to pests and diseases, which can occur more frequently and spread.
Agricultural productivity is declining across Africa, where many countries are suffering from food insecurity. 34 percent decrease because of climate change. By 2050, the risk of hunger and malnutrition could rise further 20 percent It is spreading all over the world due to the effects of climate change.
Crops, animals, ecosystems and people also depend on water, and already the United Nations estimates that about half of the world’s population experiences water scarcity for part of the year. Over the past two decades, climate change has reduced the water reserves on land, exacerbating this scarcity.
Climate change is also deteriorating water quality, accelerating urban migration and further polluting water sources. It can also cause flooding, drought and warmer waters, increasing the amount of sediments, pathogens and pesticides in water.
10. Average wildlife populations have declined by 60 percent in just over 40 years
The average population of vertebrates (mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles) declined by 69 percent between 1970 and 2018, according to the Biennial Annual Report. living planet report Published by the London Animal Society and WWF. However, as the report compares the relative declines of different animals, it does not mean that the total animal population has decreased by 69%. Imagine there are 10 rhinos and 9 of them are dead. That means the population has decreased by 90%. Add this to a population of 1,000 sparrows, and 100 of them will die, a 10% reduction. The average population decline for these two groups is 50 percent, even though the population loss is only 10.08 percent. And between 1 and 2.5 percent of animal species are already extinct.
No matter how you stack the numbers, climate change is a factor.Ann international panel of scientists With the support of the United Nations, it argues that climate change is playing an increasing role in driving species to extinction. This is considered to be her third largest driver of biodiversity loss, after changes in land and sea use and overexploitation of resources. Even under a warming scenario of 2 degrees Celsius, 5% of plant and animal species are at risk of extinction. Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to extreme warming events. If temperatures rise by 2 degrees, that coverage could drop to just 1% of its current level.
