Impacts of Climate Change on Rural and Urban Areas
Climate change could be described as the periodic modification of global or regional climate. This modification occurs as a result of atmospheric changes as well as the interaction between the atmosphere and other geographical, biological, chemical, and geological factors within the earth system. Climate change has emerged to be a severe threat to both urban and rural areas. The typical climate change in different regions and cities significantly influences the lives of the inhabitants and the environment. The trend of urbanization has increased globally in the recent past. As a result of the detrimental and adverse effects of climatic changes, cities are suffering in various ways (Hunt and Watkiss, 2011, p.27). This is evident since research has shown that more than half of the global population lives in urban centers or cities and predicted that 2050, seventy percent of the world’s population would be living in cities. This essay aims to establish the negative impacts of climate change on rural and urban areas and the methods that can be used to mitigate the problems arising from climate change.
Climate changes such as the rise of sea level, extreme events that include droughts, heat extremes, heavy precipitation, floods, storm surges, and wind storms result in various harsh and extensive issues that account for a wide range of cons or disadvantages that include pollution, energy use complications and problems, and the rise of the water table in seas that affects coastal cities and other regions (Hunt and Watkiss, 2011, p.28). In addition, climate changes have negative impacts on the health of both city and local area inhabitants since they lead to cold and heat-related morbidity and mortality, the emergence of vector-borne diseases, as well as water and foodborne diseases. They may also affect resources and water availability in cities as well as local areas. All these impacts significantly affect both the economy and humanity.
Mostly, problems such as pollution and poor control of energy use that lead to many emissions of hazardous gases result in global warming or the greenhouse effect, which could be described as the warming of the climate system. The climatic changes have led to extensive impacts and increased economic costs in different regions and cities.
For instance, metropolis such as East and South Asia urban centers or cities situated along coastal areas portray a higher probability of encountering catastrophes, including wind storms, storm surges, and flooding. An example of these cities is Mumbai, in which research shows that the informal settlements in the city could be damaged or the inhabitants endangered if the sea level rises for more than 50cm. This is evidence that the impact of climatic change can lead to homelessness, which is among the major disadvantages the cities are experiencing.
Moreover, climatic changes have led to a significant shift in energy demands in cities and local areas. This is because the phenomenon causes temperatures to vary, which increases the demand for electricity. These changes create a need for warming in winter since temperatures are very low and cooling in summer since heat extremes are very high. This means that the amount of energy needed for air conditioning in summer goes up sharply as well as the amount of energy needed for heating during winter. Therefore, enormous capital costs are incurred to carter for the increasing demand for energy in these areas and cities.
In addition, urbanization and industrialization are key influencers of climate change. A large percentage of air, water, and soil pollutants are released by industries, cars, and households in the cities (Vidal, 2013, p.4). For instance, the congestion of industries and motor vehicles in the cities leads to the emission of carbon dioxide and other detrimental substances that eventually cause climate change. These harmful components, in turn, harm the citizens in those areas, pollute the air leading to acid rains, and pollute water bodies if the waste is wrongly disposed of in water masses.
In order to curb the impact of climate change, mitigation strategies have to be adopted to address the problems of pollution and diseases that occur as a result of the change. One mitigation strategy is advocating for the installation of air filters in smokestacks of companies and exhaust pipes of vehicles to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. Governments can formulate a policy to control companies and vehicle congestion, thus ensuring system efficiency. Cyclic utilization is also a better method of dealing with these waste gases. However, for such strategies to work, citizen-government cooperation is highly required.
Furthermore, adaptation measures may be fundamental mitigation approaches to minimize the intensity of flooding risk that is exposed to the poor and unfortunate city dwellers (UNDP, 2012, p.55). Relocation to the inland zones can be a mitigation approach when coastal cities and other areas near the sea begin to submerge progressively. The government and citizens may also embark on improving city drainage systems and constructing infrastructure that will help mitigate the risk of catastrophes. They should also endeavor to build greener cities and local areas (UNDP, 2012, p.58).
Mitigation strategies should also be aimed at educating people, enhancing the cognition of their obligation in ensuring energy efficiency, and also in the creation of a friendly environment through the reduction of greenhouse gases (Lin-heng et al., 2017, p2). These mitigation strategies are a series of integrated actions that assist people with the skills and knowledge needed in the preservation of the globe and the reduction of greenhouse gases.
To conclude, climate change poses a significant influence on both the rural and urban areas. It has negative impacts on these areas, including population problems, health complications, sea-level increase, energy, water, and sanitation issues. However, various mitigation strategies have been established to retard and solve the problems that arise as a result of climate change. Both mitigation and adaption strategies merged with financial and technological availability lead to a reduction of the extreme risk that climate change poses.
References
Hunt, A., and Watkiss, P., 2011. Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a review of the literature. Climatic change, 104(1), pp.13-49.
Lin-heng, L.I., Narayana, K.S., Harvey, N., Shan, Y.W., and Khim, J.S.G. eds., 2017. Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in the Anthropocene. World Scientific.
UNDP, 2012. ‘Building Greener Cities,’ How Cities Can Lead Efforts To Tackle Climate Change, Professor Tommy Koh, p58
UNDP, 2012. ‘Building Greener Cities’, PROTECTING THE POOREST RESIDENTS, p55.
Vidal, J., 2013. UK air pollution: why are we only now waking up to this public health crisis?. The Guardian.