8.5.1
Future Uncertainty
Factors to Uncertainty
Factors to Uncertainty
Climate change is uncertain due to a large number of factors and feedback mechanisms that may increase or stabilise the current impacts.
Natural factors
Natural factors
- How oceans will respond to the upcoming changes in climate is uncertain.
- Sea surface temperatures might rise, leading to increased likelihood and intensity of tropical storms.
- Increased glacial melt will increase sea level rise.
- Increases in atmospheric carbon will cause the ocean to become more acidic, leading to problems with coral and other organisms.
Human factors
Human factors
- The resources and energy available to us in the future depends on many factors.
- E.g. Population growth, economic development and technological developments that may support the challenges for resources we currently have.
- Economic growth is frequently linked to carbon emissions, especially in developing nations where deforestation is occurring for land-use change e.g. mining and farming.
- Emerging nations may still have high rates of fossil fuel consumption to support their secondary and tertiary industry progression.
Human factors 2
Human factors 2
- Population growth leads to many more middle-class consumers. These consumers want all the resources that are expected in affluent middle class communities.
- This can be seen in the shift to a more meat and fat-based diet in China.
- Energy consumption is likely to increase with population and economic growth. There is uncertainty over how much of this will be covered by renewable energy.
Feedback Mechanisms
Feedback Mechanisms
Feedback mechanisms are where something that happens in a system has a knock-on effect on the rest of the system. For example, if Arctic ice melts, sea temperature and levels rise. The sea being warmer feeds back and makes more Arctic ice melt.
Peat
Peat
- Peat is a soil formed from vegetation that is partly decayed.
- As a result of the low decomposition, this soil contains high amounts of carbon.
- If peat dries out, the water table drops. But the decomposition rates also increase, leading to more carbon emission release.
- The peatlands also emit methane, which contributes to the greenhouse gases.
Saddleworth Moor wildfire
Saddleworth Moor wildfire
- Dry weather in June 2018 in Manchester, UK led to wildfires on Saddleworth Moor.
- The wildfires were hard to contain because the dry bushes were on peat, which is extremely flammable.
- The wildfire resulted in 40 homes being evacuated.
Permafrost
Permafrost
- As permafrost thaws, CO2 and methane are released.
- This contributes to greenhouse gases and enhances the greenhouse effect, which results in further increases in temperature.
- Increasing temperature leads to further melting of the permafrost and emission of more greenhouse gases.
Tipping Points
Tipping Points
Tipping points in any system are points where there will be a drastic, sometimes irreversible change.
Forest dieback
Forest dieback
- If drought in rainforests causes enough trees to die, then a tipping point can be reached.
- At the tipping point, there is so much dead vegetation that any rainfall doesn't infiltrate. As there is no evapotranspiration (water evaporating off plants) happening, overall rainfall is also reduced.
- This leads to further vegetation dying because of the further reduced rainfall.
The thermohaline circulation
The thermohaline circulation
- Increased melting of northern glaciers and ice caps would result in large amounts of non-salty, less dense water entering into the oceans.
- This would disturb the conveyor belt of hot water moving from the tropics to the cold water from the poles.
- The change in the thermohaline system may result in cooling of temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere.
1Tectonic Processes & Hazards
1.1Tectonic Processes & Hazards
1.2Natural Disasters
1.3Natural Disaster Case Studies
1.4Trends & Patterns
2Option 2A: Glaciated Landscapes & Change
2.1Glaciated Landscapes Over Time
2.2Periglacial Landscapes
2.3Glacial Processes
2.4Glacial Landforms
3Option 2B: Coastal Landscapes & Change
3.1Coastal Landscapes
3.2Coastal Erosion & Deposition
3.3Coastal Risks
4Globalisation
4.1Globalisation
4.2Negatives of Globalisation
4.3Global Shift
4.5Culture
4.6Measuring Development
5Option 4A: Regenerating Places
5.1Types of Economies
5.2Function of Places
5.3Regeneration
5.4Regeneration Case Studies
6Option 4B: Diverse Places
6.1Population Structure
6.2Past & Present Connections
6.3Urban & Rural Spaces
6.4Diversity
6.5Urban & Rural Case Studies
6.6Case Study - Tower Hamlets
6.7Case Study - Sturton-le-Steeple
7The Water Cycle & Water Insecurity (A2 only)
7.1Hydrological Processes Global to Local
7.2Influences on the Water Cycle
7.3Water Insecurity
8The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security (A2 only)
8.1The Carbon Cycle
8.2Energy Consumption
8.3Alternative Energy
8.4Growing Demand for Resources
9Superpowers (A2 only)
9.1Superpowers
9.2Hard & Soft Power
9.2.1Hard & Soft Power
9.2.2Emerging Powers - China Rivalry
9.2.3Emerging Powers - Chinese Sources of Power
9.2.4Emerging Powers - Brazil
9.2.5Emerging Powers - Russia
9.2.6Emerging Powers - India
9.2.7Theories of Development
9.2.8Power Case Studies: Chinese One Belt One Road
9.2.9Power Case Studies: Pakistan Nuclear Arms
9.2.10Power Case Studies: OPEC
9.3IGOs, TNCs & Alliances
10Option 8A: Health & Human Rights (A2 only)
10.1Human Development
10.2Role of Governments & IGOs
10.3Human Rights
10.4Interventions
11Option 8B: Migration & Identity (A2 only)
11.1Globalisation & Migration
11.2Consequences of Migration
11.3Nation States
11.4Responses to Global Migration
Jump to other topics
1Tectonic Processes & Hazards
1.1Tectonic Processes & Hazards
1.2Natural Disasters
1.3Natural Disaster Case Studies
1.4Trends & Patterns
2Option 2A: Glaciated Landscapes & Change
2.1Glaciated Landscapes Over Time
2.2Periglacial Landscapes
2.3Glacial Processes
2.4Glacial Landforms
3Option 2B: Coastal Landscapes & Change
3.1Coastal Landscapes
3.2Coastal Erosion & Deposition
3.3Coastal Risks
4Globalisation
4.1Globalisation
4.2Negatives of Globalisation
4.3Global Shift
4.5Culture
4.6Measuring Development
5Option 4A: Regenerating Places
5.1Types of Economies
5.2Function of Places
5.3Regeneration
5.4Regeneration Case Studies
6Option 4B: Diverse Places
6.1Population Structure
6.2Past & Present Connections
6.3Urban & Rural Spaces
6.4Diversity
6.5Urban & Rural Case Studies
6.6Case Study - Tower Hamlets
6.7Case Study - Sturton-le-Steeple
7The Water Cycle & Water Insecurity (A2 only)
7.1Hydrological Processes Global to Local
7.2Influences on the Water Cycle
7.3Water Insecurity
8The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security (A2 only)
8.1The Carbon Cycle
8.2Energy Consumption
8.3Alternative Energy
8.4Growing Demand for Resources
9Superpowers (A2 only)
9.1Superpowers
9.2Hard & Soft Power
9.2.1Hard & Soft Power
9.2.2Emerging Powers - China Rivalry
9.2.3Emerging Powers - Chinese Sources of Power
9.2.4Emerging Powers - Brazil
9.2.5Emerging Powers - Russia
9.2.6Emerging Powers - India
9.2.7Theories of Development
9.2.8Power Case Studies: Chinese One Belt One Road
9.2.9Power Case Studies: Pakistan Nuclear Arms
9.2.10Power Case Studies: OPEC
9.3IGOs, TNCs & Alliances
10Option 8A: Health & Human Rights (A2 only)
10.1Human Development
10.2Role of Governments & IGOs
10.3Human Rights
10.4Interventions
11Option 8B: Migration & Identity (A2 only)
11.1Globalisation & Migration
11.2Consequences of Migration
11.3Nation States
11.4Responses to Global Migration
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