The Impacts of Climate Change
A Comprehensive Study of Physical, Biophysical, Social, and Political Issues
- 1st Edition - May 9, 2021
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Editor: Trevor Letcher
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 2 3 7 3 - 4
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 2 3 7 4 - 1
The Impacts of Climate Change: A Comprehensive Study of Physical, Biophysical, Social and Political Issues presents the very real issues associated with climate change and globa… Read more
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Request a sales quoteThe Impacts of Climate Change: A Comprehensive Study of Physical, Biophysical, Social and Political Issues presents the very real issues associated with climate change and global warming and how it affects the planet and everyone on it. From a physical perspective, the book covers such topics as population pressures, food issues, rising sea-levels and coastline degradation, and health. It then goes on to present social impacts, such as humanitarian issues, ethics, adaptation, urban issues, local action, and socio-economic issues. Finally, it addresses the political impacts, such as justice issues and politics of climate change in different locations.
By offering this holistic review of the latest impacts of climate change, the book helps researchers to better understand what needs to be done in order to move toward renewable energy, change societal habits, and move toward sustainable development.
- Offers comprehensive coverage of the impacts of climate change from multiple perspectives (physical, social, and political) to develop synergy across disciplines
- Presents the latest research and developments on the understanding of climate change impacts on a variety of scales and disciplines
- Includes case studies and extensive references for further exploration
Researchers and graduate students in environmental science, social science, and engineering working on sustainability problems. Policy makers, NGOs, and government organizations
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Contributors
- Preface
- Section A: Introduction
- Chapter 1: Why discuss the impacts of climate change?
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: The greenhouse effect
- 3: Global warming
- 4: Feedback mechanisms to further increase the heating of the planet
- 5: Other possible causes of climate change
- 6: Urgent action is required
- 7: Our present situation
- 8: Global warming, climate change, and the new pandemic—COVID-19
- 9: How global warming affects society
- 10: Conclusions
- Chapter 2: Impacts of climate change on economies, ecosystems, energy, environments, and human equity: A systems perspective
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Climate change
- 3: Ecosystem impacts
- 4: Economic impacts
- 5: Environmental impacts
- 6: Energy impacts
- 7: Equity impacts
- 8: Conclusion
- Section B: Physical impacts
- Chapter 3: Climate change and melting glaciers
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets
- 3: Observing glacier change
- 4: Observed changes in the state of ice sheets and glaciers
- 5: Contribution to global mean sea level change
- 6: Synthesis and outlook
- Chapter 4: Climate change and terrestrial biodiversity
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Major shifts in biomes
- 3: Major loss of species geographical ranges
- 4: Changes in phenology
- 5: Changes in extreme weather
- 6: Miscellaneous mechanisms
- 7: Geographical implications
- 8: Synthesis
- 9: Solutions
- Chapter 5: Effect of climate change on marine ecosystems
- Abstract
- 1: How climate change affects marine ecosystems
- 2: Climate change impacts on shallow coastal ecosystems
- 3: Ecosystem impacts in shelf seas and the open ocean
- 4: Conclusions
- Chapter 6: Natural disasters linked to climate change
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Temperature related disasters
- 3: Bushfires
- 4: Sea-level increase
- 5: Extreme rainfall events and disasters
- 6: Compound events
- 7: Summary and concluding remarks
- Chapter 7: Climate change and microbes
- Abstract
- Acknowledgments
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Does 1–2° matter?
- 3: Generation of greenhouse gases
- 4: Altered geographical distribution of insect vectors
- 5: Altered precipitation
- 6: Elevated ocean temperature
- 7: Changes in biodiversity
- 8: One Health
- 9: Take-home points
- Chapter 8: Effects of climate change on food production (fishing)
- Abstract
- Acknowledgments
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Biological changes in marine organisms
- 3: Changes in species distribution and abundance
- 4: Changes in marine food webs
- 5: Changes in ocean ecosystem production
- 6: Consequences for fisheries and seafood production
- 7: Challenges for fisheries management and ocean governance
- 8: Marine conservation strategies for climate change mitigation
- Chapter 9: Effect of climate change on food production (animal products)
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Climate change and animal food productions
- 3: Animal production impacts climate change
- 4: Effect of animal production and climate change on human health and well-being
- 5: Conclusion: A green future awaits everyone!
- Chapter 10: Emerging typology and framing of climate-resilient agriculture in South Asia
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Data, method, and analysis
- 3: Results and discussion
- 4: Conclusions and suggestions
- Section C: Social impacts
- Chapter 11: Social issues related to climate change and food production (crops)
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: The impact of climate change on agriculture in Southern Africa
- 3: Botswana
- 4: Eswatini
- 5: Lesotho
- 6: Malawi
- 7: Mozambique
- 8: Republic of South Africa
- 9: Zambia
- 10: Zimbabwe
- 11: Discussion
- 12: Conclusion
- Chapter 12: Climate change and world population
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: The human population in the 21st century
- 3: How will climate change affect demography?
- 4: Demographic influences on vulnerability to climate change impacts
- 5: The influence of population change on climate change and its mitigation
- 6: Conclusions
- Chapter 13: Assessing the social and economic impacts of sea-level rise at a global scale—State of knowledge and challenges
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Global vulnerability, impact and risk assessments—Methods and data
- 3: Results of impact studies
- 4: Conclusions and ways forward
- Chapter 14: Societal adaptation to climate change
- Abstract
- 1: Adaptation to climate change
- 2: Social development
- 3: Indigenous knowledge systems and practices
- 4: Adaptation and mitigation
- 5: Impacts of climate change
- 6: Extreme weather events
- 7: Vulnerability to climate risks
- 8: Neoliberalism and climate denial
- 9: Environmental and climate justice
- 10: New vision of “development”
- 11: Transformative change
- 12: Conclusion
- Chapter 15: Managing urban climate change risks: Prospects for using green infrastructure to increase urban resilience to floods
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: The potential of green infrastructure for increasing urban resilience to floods
- 3: Barriers to incorporating green infrastructure into urban planning
- 4: Going forward
- 5: Conclusion
- Chapter 16: Effect of climate change on the insurance sector
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Climate change science—The basics
- 3: Climate change data and accountability
- 4: Climate change litigation
- 5: Climate change damages
- 6: The insurance coverage implications of climate change
- 7: Insurance market reaction and preparedness
- 8: Closing thoughts
- Chapter 17: Game theory and climate change
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Model games and climate change
- Chapter 18: Urban life and climate change
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Urban climate
- 3: Urban climate and water
- 4: Mitigating the negative effects of climate change
- 5: Conclusion
- Section D: Political impacts
- Chapter 19: Security implications of climate change: The climate-conflict nexus
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Defining the concepts
- 3: The evolution of the climate-conflict nexus
- 4: The way ahead: Past change predicting future uncertainties
- Chapter 20: Climate change governance: Responding to an existential crisis
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: What is governance in the context of climate change?
- 3: Multilevel governance of climate change
- 4: Actors and actor networks
- 5: Rule-making systems
- 6: Formal and informal rules
- 7: Conclusion
- Chapter 21: Justice and climate change
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Justice and the climate treaty
- 3: Mitigation, equity, and carbon budgets
- 4: Adaptation and differentiated responsibility
- 5: Climate change, justice, and human rights
- 6: Conclusion: Putting climate justice into practice
- Chapter 22: Climate change and the law
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Climate change law and regulation
- 3: Climate change and agriculture
- 4: Climate change and fisheries
- 5: Climate change and housing
- 6: Climate change and aviation
- 7: Climate change and shipping
- 8: Climate justice
- 9: Climate change litigation
- 10: Conclusions
- Chapter 23: The ethics of measuring climate change impacts
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Factual assumptions
- 3: Moral assumptions
- 4: Conclusion
- Chapter 24: Climate change and refugees
- Abstract
- 1: Climate refugees and the law
- 2: Climate refugees and the European Union
- 3: The United Nation's International Organization for Migration
- 4: Forced displacement
- 5: Environmental migration
- 6: Planned relocation
- 7: Climate change and conflict
- 8: Canada's immigration and refugee policy
- 9: Climate justice
- 10: Conclusions
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: May 9, 2021
- Imprint: Elsevier
- No. of pages: 570
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128223734
- eBook ISBN: 9780128223741
TL
Trevor Letcher
Professor Trevor Letcher is an Emeritus Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and living in the United Kingdom. He was previously Professor of Chemistry, and Head of Department, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Rhodes University, and Natal, in South Africa (1969-2004). He has published over 300 papers on areas such as chemical thermodynamic and waste from landfill in peer reviewed journals, and 100 papers in popular science and education journals. Prof. Letcher has edited and/or written 32 major books, of which 22 were published by Elsevier, on topics ranging from future energy, climate change, storing energy, waste, tyre waste and recycling, wind energy, solar energy, managing global warming, plastic waste, renewable energy, and environmental disasters. He has been awarded gold medals by the South African Institute of Chemistry and the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics honoured him with a Festschrift in 2018. He is a life member of both the Royal Society of Chemistry (London) and the South African Institute of Chemistry. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, and is a Director of the Board of the International Association of Chemical Thermodynamics since 2002.
Affiliations and expertise
Emeritus Professor, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaRead The Impacts of Climate Change on ScienceDirect