One key “environmental layer” upon which all socio-ecological systems are superimposed is climate. Climate—the long-term temperature and moisture conditions a region experiences—provides a reference state to which life has adapted. Changes in climate conditions result in changes to the distribution of (and to the nature of) life. In this assignment, analyze ways current changes in climate conditions are affecting global natural disasters and resulting in the displacement/migration of human populations.
Part 1: Climate & Natural Disasters (Fact Sheet Page 1)
For this assignment, complete an assessment of the “climate context of disaster” in the form of a “fact sheet.”
• Fact sheet page 1: discuss trends in climate change, and current and predicted impacts of climate on the characteristics of natural disasters (e.g. frequency, intensity, timing, duration, location, etc.). Provide a general overview of current and projected impacts on human populations within the context of culture, economics, education, ethnicity, health (access to food, water, and healthcare), politics, race, religion, and/or technology (access to information, monitoring).
o As part of the overview, select a climate characteristic (temperature, moisture, etc.) and run a prediction model related to that climate characteristic using the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report’s Atlas. Take a screenshot of the map you create and include that image on your fact sheet.
• Watch the introduction to the Interactive Atlas:
