CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECT ON AIR

• Climatic changes affect quality of air and leads to air pollution

• The cleaning capacity of the atmosphere is much lower for

some of the emitted compounds.They will remain in the air far
longer

• They affect the radiation balance of the atmosphere and thus

the temperature at the Earth’s surface.It also leads to global
warming.

• Some of the short-lived, toxic compounds traditionally

considered to be air pollutants may also affect the climate.
 EMITTED GASES AND THEIR EFFECT
COMPOUND RESIDENCE TIME TOXIC PROPERTY CLIMATE CHANGE
PROPERTY
Carbon dioxide 150 year acidification of sea climate gas, long residence
waters,affects time
photosynthesis
Nitrous oxide 110 year destruction of the climate gas, long residence
stratospheric ozone layer time
methane 10 year precursor of ground-level climate gas, intermediate
ozone residence time
ozone 1 month adverse effects on health climate gas, short residence
and time
vegetation
Sulphur dioxide 1 Week acidification, health sulphate particles
effects suppressing global warming
soot 1 week health effects soot and black particles
increase global
warming
Nitrogen oxide 1 week precursor of ground-level nitrate particles may
ozone, suppress global warming
acidification,
eutrophication
ammonia 1 week acidification, ammonium particles may
eutrophication suppress global warming
• The residence time and physical and chemical properties of a number of
important air pollutants and greenhouse gases and particles are of
particular importance in environmental risk assessment

• Ozone and particles known to have a great impact on the radiation balance
of the Earth and are consequently included in climate change assessments.

• Air pollution and climate change issues converge in the increasing

background concentrations of ozone.

• CFCs (chloroflourocarbons, known as ‘freons’), which not only deplete

the stratospheric ozone layer, but are also very powerful greenhouse gases.

• short-lived atmospheric components that have strong potential to affect the

climate, such as ozone and black carbon.
• Climate change induced by greenhouse gases not only
influences the behaviour of the atmosphere and weather
systems over land and sea.

• It also brings with it modifications of a range of physical,

chemical and biological processes within the terrestrial and
marine ecosystems.

• Climate change may also influence the effects of atmospheric

pollutants, in particular ecosystem effects. The vulnerability of
ecosystems may change.

• nitrogen can be partly converted into nitrous oxide, which is a

very potent greenhouse gas. This is another example of ways
in which air pollution can enhance climate change
• Anthropogenic emiss ions may also be influenced by climate
change. Energy consumption and thus emissions from
combustion may alter due to climate change.

• Many of the sources of air pollutants and greenhouse gases

are the same. The need for a combined strategy meeting the
challenges of both climate change and air pollution has thus
become more and more evident.

• There is also increasing evidence that abatement costs in

relation to the total benefits can be reduced significantly if
climate change and air pollution control strategies are
developed jointly
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON WATER
Climate change will lead to more precipitation - but also to
more evaporation
Precipitation will probably increase in some areas and decline
in others.
Changing precipitation patterns will affect how much water
can be captured.
The drier the climate, the more sensitive is the local
hydrology.
High-latitude regions may see more runoff due to greater
precipitation.
The effects on the tropics are harder to predict.
 New patterns of runoff and evaporation will also affect natural
ecosystems.

 Rising seas could invade coastal freshwater supplies.

 Reduced water supplies would place additional stress on

people, agriculture, and the environment.

 Reservoirs and wells would be affected.

 Conflicts could be sparked by the additional pressures.

 Improved water resource management can help to reduce

vulnerabilities.
 Drivers of change

Change in
resources

Change Water Change in

in resource vulnerabil
exposure stress ity
 Main effects
Flooding…
 increased sediment and non-point source pollution
loadings in watercourses
Decline in stream flows and lake levels …
 nutrients and contaminants become more concentrated
in reduced volumes with longer water residence times
 reducing dissolved oxygen concentrations
 Cold-water species (salmon, trout) susceptible to warm-
water temp
 increase salinity of surface water
 Water supplies can change dramatically, and for extended
periods, even without anthropogenic climate change.

 The impacts of climate change on freshwater systems and their

management are mainly due to the observed and projected
increases in temperature, sea level and precipitation variability

 Semi-arid and arid areas are particularly exposed to the

impacts of climate change on freshwater .

 Higher water temperatures, increased precipitation intensity,

and longer periods of low flows exacerbate many forms of
water pollution, with impacts on ecosystems, human health,
water system reliability and operating costs .
Climate change affects the function and
operation of existing water infrastructure as
well as water management practices (very high
confidence).

The negative impacts of climate change on

freshwater systems outweigh its benefits (high
confidence