/ By David Maldonado / Blog • Cambio climático • Durious fact/ • • • • / comentarios

The invisible consequences of climate change.

Beyond emergencies related to meteorological events, there is a silent factor that is taking center stage in the face of climate change. Learn more in this article.

How do they affect the media?

The discrepancy that exists in the media, when communicating the news about climate change, is one of the factors that has most attracted attention in the area of psychology. Indeed, there has been an increase in research relating the consequences on people's mental health after an extreme meteorological event. This is due to the uncertainty that causes, in the perception of people, the contrast in the information received.

On the other hand, stress levels can be increased by environmental conditions. For example, it can increase violence, aggression in people and the number of suicides due to a natural disaster. One of the most significant psychological impacts is the tendency to perceive vulnerability more closely. This can be associated with geographic location, economic variability, social status, among others.

How to approach the silenced?

To address this agglomeration of events in a healthy way, there is a key word: adaptation. However, on psychological issues, it is of utmost importance to consider the social context of each country. In this sense, it is crucial to unite the disciplines to promote the sustainable development of a nation. The investigations cannot remain only in a magazine; it is necessary that they reach society with a common language.

This would make it possible to reduce the educational gap and, therefore, take concrete actions by the citizenry. In addition, social principles must be fundamental pillars within climate change laws. Finally, the need to consider actors from different humanistic perspectives in the resolution of this type of situation becomes imperative. Here we need everyone's contribution to live adapted to a new planet.

/ By David Maldonado / Blog • Hurricane. • International • Storms-Hurricanes/ • • / comentarios

HOW CAN HUMANS INFLUENCE THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANES?

In the las decades, numerous studies have suggested that global warming could increase the number and intensity of tropical cyclones. However, recent research has shown that human emissions of greenhouse gases should already have caused a small increase on the intensity of tropical cyclones worldwide. But while there has been an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the oceans have clearly warmed in recent decades, the global trend in the strength of tropical cyclones, does not coincide with the increase in these factors.

SCENARIO

In the view of this large puzzle of factors with big uncertainties that influence the potential intensity of tropical cyclones, NOAA produced simulations considering four different scenarios:

  • What happens if we had never started burning fossil fuels (without greenhouse gases, without aerosols?
  • What happens if we emit greenhouse gases, but not aerosols?
  • What happens if we emit aerosols, but not greenhouse gases? and
  • What is the scenario considering greenhouse gases and aerosols?

Beginning with the simplest scenario: if we hadn´t experimented with burning fossil fuels, the sea surface temperature and the potential intensity of the cyclones would have remained approximately the same approximate since 1850 until now. But if we look at what happens with the greenhouse gases and aerosols, so, the reality scenario 4) the surface sea temperature has clearly increased, but the potential intensity of the tropical cyclones has not. It has fluctuated slightly but we have not seem the same clear upward trend in the sea surface temperature until the past 2 decades. When we look at scenarios 2 and 3 things get very interesting. The computer model shows that the warming the warming provided by the greenhouse gases at the sea surface temperature is 2 to 3 times greater than the cooling effect of aerosols.

However, the increase in the potential intensity caused by the greenhouse gases is almost the equal to the decrease caused be aerosols.

In spite of the aerosols action, acting against greenhouse gases effects, the published study in the magazine “Natural Hazards” showed that, in the absence of a strong decrease of these gases emissions, the potential futures strength of greenhouse gases will dominate each time more the impact of aerosols, which will lead to substantially major increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones.

When we look at scenarios 2) and 3) things get very interesting. The computational model shows that the warming provided by greenhouse gases at sea surface temperature is two to three times greater than the cooling effect.

Creditos: Meteored.com.ar