Impacts on Places & People (DP IB Geography)

Effects on People & Places

• Employment

  • Loss of job opportunities due to changes in tourism and agriculture

  • Tourism may decline in some areas for example ski resorts may close due to the lack of reliable snow

  • Coastal resorts may be at risk of flooding leading to the closure

  • Decline in fishing in some areas due to changing ocean temperatures

  • Farmers either change the crop they grow or livestock they raise or face having to leave farming

• Homes 

  • Increased flooding due to sea level rise and increased frequency and severity of storms will lead to displacement of large numbers of people

  • Homes in low-lying areas may have to be abandoned or need additional defences against sea level rise

  • Moving settlements or improving flood defences will be costly

• Social 

  • Global warming is leading to increased human migration, particularly from low-lying islands

    • Some residents of Kiribati, South Pacific, have already abandoned their homes and claiming environmental refugee status 

    • The UN’s refugee agency, estimates that 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by 2050 due to climate change and natural disasters

  • Problems such as hunger and conflict will increase as resources decline or change, which will also drive economic, social and cultural changes

    • LICs are more likely to be affected by changes as they are economically and technologically held back

    • 65% of workers in Bangladesh are involved in agriculture, however, this industry is threatened by floods and sea level rise

Health Hazards

• Climate change can impact human health in various ways

• Heatwaves, extreme weather events, changes in disease vectors (e.g. mosquitos), and reduced air quality can all have negative health consequences, including heat-related illnesses, respiratory problems, and the spread of infectious diseases

  • Just a 2°C rise in temperature would allow mosquitos to breed in previously cooler regions

  • Italy has experienced cases of malaria since 2017 when it was previously a malaria-free area

  • An additional 280 million people may be affected by malaria

  • Water-borne diseases are more likely to spread

• Heat waves may lead to:

  • Heat stroke, dehydration and sunburn increase during heat waves

  • Stagnant air during heat waves increases air pollution levels:

  • Respiratory diseases increase and those suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma may be more affected 

• Increased temperatures negatively affect people with cardiopulmonary diseases

• Diets may be restricted by food shortages leading to malnutrition and famine

• Milder winters may lead to fewer winter-related deaths

Tourism & Ocean Transport Routes

• Ocean transport routes account for 90% of global trade

• New sea routes will open up as sea ice melts, although this will also cause geo-political issues in deciding on which country has sovereignty claims over the waters 

• The new routes will reduce the time taken between ports 

  • Until 2009, the Arctic ice pack stopped shipping between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean throughout most of the year

  • Global warming has made the Northwest Passage (NWP) more navigable through the ice, making the distance travelled up to 40% shorter than previously

  • Although, emissions from ships will impact the pristine Arctic environment

• However, existing routes will see a reduction in trade

  • Egypt could lose 60% of its trade through the Suez Canal from use of the Arctic NWP

• Ports will have to adjust to rising sea levels, some will be able to dock larger ships as they become deeper, whilst others will be engulfed

• Trade routes are threatened by intensifying storms through increased wind speeds, wave heights and precipitation

• Tourism will also change as:

  • Summer seasons are extended

  • Tourist resorts will have to move as sea levels rise

  • Extreme weather will damage infrastructure, erode and submerge beaches

  • Ocean acidification threatens natural attractions such as coral reefs

  • Winter sports decline as snow and ice disappear 

  • Climate change leads to changes in biodiversity, affecting eco-tourism