Causes of Climate Change
The change in climate has resulted to predominant environmental risks that are disturbing the comfort of the world in the 21st century. In the last decade, climate change has been the most contentious environmental issue in the ecology of politics. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been responsible for climate change which has in turn influenced water balance due to changes in temperature, rainfall and evapotranspiration rates (Bodnar and De Graaff, 2013). The changes of climate change can have detrimental effects on water resource availability.
Previously, climate varied naturally and scientists identified natural causes to be the prime cause of short as well as long-term variability. The changes in the energy output from the sun, the earth surface reflectivity, volcanic eruptions occurrence and the distribution of land and ocean due to tectonic plate movement are the natural causes of climate (Bodnar and De Graaff, 2013). Initially, CO2 concentration changes and other greenhouses in the atmosphere have been associated with the increase in climate change. Human activities are primary cause of greenhouse gases accelerated through the burning of fossil fuel. Presently, the concentration of carbon dioxide is likely to rise faster than the previous 20,000 years (Douglas et al., 2008). It is projected climate change will rely on the number of greenhouse gases emitted in future.
In most cases, climate change is governed by the influence of nature but human activities also have an impact on it. The key impacts on climate are exerted through greenhouse gas emission by humans. Another activity that influences climate is deforestation. Forests safeguard the earth by absorbing a large amount of CO2 which contribute immensely to greenhouse gas that causes climate change. Unfortunately, forests are currently destroyed at an alarming rate. Logging and land clearing emit a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. Clearing of land diminishes the ability of those areas to absorb carbon dioxide. Actions should be shifted towards mitigation of climate change to curb global warming increase (Drechsel et al., 2010). The increase in temperature will cause devastating consequences on the surface of the earth. Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, intense drought which is threatening crops, freshwater supplies and wildlife (Bodnar and De Graaff, 2013). Climate change poses a fundamental impact on the ecosystem, species and the livelihood of people.
Green carbon dioxide accumulation has been the main source of global warming. According to Eriksson (2009), the recent warming and global warming that has brought alteration on the earth surface has been contributed by human activities. The undeniable contribution of human activities to global warming has been identified by the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in the climate change definition. The UNFCC define climate change as a variation of climate contributed by human activities that change the atmosphere composition (UNFCC, 2007). Ngigi et al., (2012) support this analysis by further claiming that the observed changes in biological, physical systems and warming across the world cannot be expressed wholly by other non-climate or factors natural variability.
Impact of Human Activities
The increased climate change has produced severe influences in numerous sectors that range from human health to agriculture. Along the same line, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also highlights that recent effects of climate change occur on natural as well as systems with adverse changes experienced in coastal areas (Pandey Gupta and Anderson, 2013). The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) of 2007 further explain that future changes in climate change will be evident in variables of climate such as precipitation, temperature, sea level changes as well as increased atmospheric CO2 concentration (Bates at al., 2008). These impacts have been felt mainly on the coastal systems, health, ecosystems, settlement and society, freshwater resources and their management as well as food. Revi (2008) further indicate that the rise in the greenhouse gases levels attributed by human activities.
Several agreements on climate change have been established to form action plans for the greenhouse emissions voluntary reduction at set levels. The Kyoto protocol was formed to legally bind and minimizes emissions in the 38 developed countries in the protocol (Drechsel et al., 2010). The developed countries that ratified to the Kyoto protocol had to execute measures to minimize emissions of greenhouse gas alongside the three interventions of the Kyoto protocol such as international Emissions Trading, Clean Development Mechanism as well as the Joint Implementation (Drechsel et al., 2010).
Climate change is closely linked with the hydrological cycle. There are extensive scientific records that have shown an elevated climate change risk on water resources with considerable effects. According to Sachs (2015), droughts and floods that affect water pollution, as well as increased water quality, are some of the negative climate change effects. Water is an important human need and is used for growing food, health, industry and irrigation. The changes in climate change have started to decrease the availability of freshwater. The rising temperature has led to a change in hydrological cycles which consequently have an impact on weather. This has necessitated an increase in floods and drought. The changes have impacted on the availability and quality of water. Some countries have already started experiencing water stress because of the increased industrial pollution and population growth (Drechsel et al., 2010). Adverse climate change has added problems to the water quality and in some part of the world it has reduced rainfall due to temperature increase. It is projected that by 2025, water quality levels will increase to approximately 34 per cent to 63 per cent (Drechsel et al., 2010).
Effects of Climate Change
It is likely that the environmental change expenses have exceeded the advantages of water supply worldwide in future. This is because variation in rainfall is likely to increase droughts, as well as floods which is anticipated. Drought risks will increase snowmelt-sustained basins in the low-stream season (Bates et al., 2008). However, floods and droughts can be tempered by the use of suitable infrastructure investments, water and land-use management changes as much as implementation of these measures requires costs (Bates et al., 2008). The developments of institutions, water infrastructure as well as usage patterns have been formed in the current conditions context. The significant change in the occurrence of droughts and floods require a few changes that might be expensive in fiscal terms as well as societal and environmental effects, for example, the need to control potential conflict between the interested gatherings.
The changes in the hydrological cycle may have positive impacts on some aspects and negative impacts on other aspects. For instance, increased annual runoff may create benefits for both out-of-stream and in stream water clients by expanding feasible water but also expanding flood impact. In the past decade, wetter conditions have been evident in the southern part of South America which has expanded a region immersed by floods (Bates et al., 2008). Besides, enhanced crop yields in the Pampas region in Argentina, a chance for new commercial fishing have been provided (Sachs, 2015). The areas with shallow water table have been damaged by the increased runoff. In such regions, the rise in water table will distract agriculture as well as destroy urban buildings.
They yearly damage caused on shallow water table was evaluated to cost approximately 6 billion and it is likely to rise in future in Russia (Stern, 2011). On the other hand, the annual runoff increase will cause the period of turbidity, pathogen and nutrient loadings in the surface water resources. Higher temperatures and expanded fluctuation of precipitation will prompt an increase in irrigation water demand, regardless of whether the aggregate precipitation amid growing season continues as before (Bates et al., 2008). Climate change effect on ideal growing periods has been demonstrated assuming no change in either inundated region or climate changeability (Tabor, 2008).
The main reason for mitigating climate change is to establish and enact measures that minimize climate change extent. Climate change mitigation has a significant change on the earth surface. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has exceeded 1000 ppm which is beyond 450 ppm proposed by mitigation action scenario in Kyoto protocol (Tompkins and Adger, 2014). The increasing CO2 will increase the global temperature to 6oC which will exceed the proposed temperature of 2o C (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). Climate mitigation as well as climate adaptation faces similar barriers. A balanced approach between climate adaptation and climate mitigation should be reached to best deal with climate change situation. Some comprehensive studies have pointed out the need to introduce climate mitigation measures to reduce the greenhouse emissions by combating the key drivers of climate change (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015).
Climate Change and Hydrological Cycle
The destruction of forests, burning of fossil fuel and gas has been identified as the main greenhouse gas emission source. However, reduction of the billion tons of atmospheric CO2 produced by mobile sources and stationery has been a difficult task that involves both high social and financial costs. Therefore, there is a need to minimize greenhouse gases emissions by decreasing the demand for fossil fuel while adopting clean energy (Howden Soussana and Tubiello, 2012). The association between climate change mitigation and water is challenging. Mitigation measures can have a greater influence on water resources when the options of mitigation are not evaluated. This means that the policies of water management can have a significant effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
The effects of Climate change are affecting both livelihoods as well economy of many citizens in the world. The natural infrastructures that need adaptation are the floodplain, coasts and river basins where water is managed. Individuals should be encouraged, permitted and supported to enhance their ecosystem in a manner that ddgsupports both their livelihoods. They should also be encouraged to adopt versatile limits, for example, securing wetlands for hydrological administrations and food provision(Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). Adequate health and financial promotion, food security, water resources and ecosystem will enable various individual to adapt to stressors of climate change.
Water managers have tried to deal with the changing demand of the water resource. According to studies carried out by Kumar and Kandpal (2013), the natural resources base has been consistent over the medium-term as well as the previous hydrological encounter give a decent manual for future conditions. However, climate change challenges have affected water management system reliability (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). Some of the reactions to manage climate change involve new approaches development to assess the system design as well as incorporating non-structural methods.
The water managers in Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Bangladesh as well as the USA are addressing climate change implications as part of water supply and practices of flood management (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). They have tried to alter the methods and procedures such as designing standards as well as calculating climate change allowances. For instance, UK and Netherland have applied such adaptation for flood preparedness, for water distribution in the UK and for water planning by and large in Bangladesh (Matthews and Le Quesne, 2009). The UK and Netherland have done this in preparation of climate change which influences the procedures, investment designs and also prepares for uncertainties in the projections of future hydrological changes (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). As much as adaptation minimizes vulnerability, particularly in the short term, it should be linked to both economic and social development.
Mitigating Climate Change
Climate change adaptation comprises of procedures that consider climate change and its fluctuation. The self-ruling adjustment is the most commonly utilized adjustment in developing nations on the grounds that their day by day needs is an intense and future climate change in these nations is an inaccessible concern(Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015). A portion of the self-ruling adjustment utilized incorporate; re-establishing old or inadequately kept up water system offices to enhance water productivity and value of access, restoring enthusiasm for customary water harvesting frameworks to enhance family water supply and water system hones and also keeping up and shaping wetlands to trap supplements and give nourishment and grub to individuals and domesticated animals (Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015).
Some of the measures to be put into consideration to increase water supply as well as ecosystem services are the expansion of rainwater harvesting to increase groundwater recharge as well as rained cultivation. More so, adoption of water transfer schemes, increased storage by the building of reservoirs and aquatic habitats and ecosystem services restoration are some of the measures to increase ecosystem services as well as water supply(Dyurgerov and Meier, 2015).
The reduction of water request and expanded proficiency in water utilization is another versatile proportion of climate change. Expulsion of intrusive non-obtrusive vegetation from the riparian zones, utilization of dry season safe harvests and the improvement of water utilization by water recycling are some of the steps to taken to minimize water demand. Improving the management of irrigated agriculture, increase the utilization of monetary motivators to empower water protection and urban and sanitation foundation change will diminish the interest for water (Barnett, Adam and Lettenmaier, 2011). Enhanced flood insurance by the development of surge assurance framework, riparian territories augmentation, upstream capacity, and wetland reclamation and support and flood prediction improves water protection(Barnett, Adam and Lettenmaier, 2011). It is worth noting that there are several limitations that limit adaptation measure with regard to climate change.
The limitations that limit adaptive measure are physical, ecological, technical, social, economic, cultural, and institutional, cognitive and informational limitations. With respect to physical or ecological limitations, it is sometimes impossible to keep the impacts of climate change through either specialized or institutional changes. For instance, it is very difficult to adapt to where the river has dried completely(Barnett, Adam and Lettenmaier, 2011). Sometimes the technical, political and social limitations make it difficult to find an acceptable site to build a new reservoir or encouraging water user to consume less. Some of the adaptation strategies may also be expensive in connection to the advantages accomplished by implementing it.
The institutional limitations include the inadequate priority to the management of water, little coordination between agencies, ineffective governance and the future uncertainties over climate change (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2010). On information limitation, the water managers may not recognize climate water challenges and may give less priority as compared to other challenges. Absence of access to techniques to adapt to environmental change is another informational barrier.
The issue of climate change represents a calculated test to the water directors since it presents vulnerability in future hydrological conditions. The hidden pattern might be hard to recognize on the grounds that adaptation choices might be made before it is sure about how the hydrological administrations are evolving. Even with climate change, water administration needs to embrace a situation based methodology (Mills, 2015). Such practice is utilized in nations, for example, UK and Australia. The problems that arise from this are the large differences in the impact between scenarios and the demand for data on the probability of results happening with the end goal to settle on hazard based choices integrated water resource management
It is noted that capturing the view of the society, reshaping the planning process, perceiving water quality and amount linkages, the utilization of surface water and groundwater by putting into consideration climate change are among the strategies that contribute to the success of integrated water resources management (IWRM)(Barnett, Adam and Lettenmaier, 2011). The IWRM strategies also address barriers to information flow. It is not necessary to implement a fully integrated approach but a suitable scale for integration depending on the degree it encourages activity because of particular needs. Specifically, integrated approaches applied to watermanagement resolve the conflicts that arise between the water users. The water managers in the western USA have been trying different things with this strategy to advance integrated- based basic leadership (Ayers, 2009). The managers have incorporated local watershed initiatives to involve stakeholder in the planning processes. The initiatives always encourage transactions between contending vested parties to take care of a commonly tasteful issue that thinks about an expansive scope of elements.
The governments of different countries in the world are encouraged to play a role in tackling climate change crisis. Countries should implement policies that minimize carbon pollution, support clean energy technologies, control deforestation as well as be prepared for climate change effects. Countries should also play roles in developing worldwide climate agreements that combat forest destruction and protect wildlife, transition developing countries to clean energy like solar and wind. In addition, the developed countries should also provide financial support to developing countries to enable them successfully minimize carbon pollution to reduce the worst climate change consequence.
Conclusion
Conclusively, severe climate change effects can be dramatically reduced if global carbon emissions are minimized. The burning of coal and natural gas should be minimized because they have been attributed to pose significant amounts of atmospheric CO2. Clean energy use and reforestation should be encouraged to increase carbon dioxide absorption. However, people should be prepared for significant and unavoidable carbon emissions consequences such as the shifting precipitation pattern, acidification of the ocean, sea level rise as well as the increased intensity of extreme weather events.
References
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