Chapter 6 Mitigating climate change

Abstract

The proportion of long-distance migrant birds at the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland decreased between 1980 and 1992 because winter temperature increased. Deterioration in the Amazon, observed in the Xingu National Park, has become more serious during the past few years. The melting of Glazier in many places, especially in the European Alps and in the United States, is another classic example of changing ecosystem caused by the climate change. One prediction indicates that the glaciers in Mount Kilimanjaro will be gone by 2020. Natural disasters, also associated with climate change, are predicted to increase not only in terms of the frequency but also in the size of damages they can cause. From Bangladesh to Vietnam, from Pacific Islands to Latin America, scientists predict that hectares and hectares of mangroves will be flooded due to the rise of the sea level. People in some countries suffered from undrinkable water because of the saltwater intrusion caused by climate change–related hurricanes. In the other extreme, some places experienced drought that caused serious water shortages and loss of biodiversity and agricultural products (e.g., Australia, in 2002, and India, in 2003). Disappearance of habitats and ecosystems caused by climate change are serious, but a short-term challenge in terms of declining productivity in many farm areas are equally serious, if not more so.

Citation

Azis, I.J. (2009), "Chapter 6 Mitigating climate change", Azis, I.J. (Ed.) Crisis, Complexity and Conflict (Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 155-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-8323(2009)0000009009