-Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen my name is Ellie Branson.
-To what extent will climate change affect us all within the next century?(Slide 2)
-Climate change refers to the change in global or regional climate patterns which is attributed to the increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
-One local problem we face in South Florida due to climate change is being a national hotspot for the risks of Sea Level Rise.(Slide 3)
-According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Miami-Dade County combats a great number of sea level risks, including increased saltwater intrusion and contamination of drinking water as well as, flooding of power plant substations ensuing power outages.
-As sea levels rise, the increase of groundwater levels will cause soil saturation to place stress on drainage canals and infrastructure, especially when periods of intense rainfall occur. This stress is what leads to cracks in sewer and water lines, which is what causes the contamination of drinking water supplies. (Slide 4)
-Additionally sea level rise in combination with king tide events can cause flooding in septic tank seepage, which can also result in the movement of fecal bacteria and other contamination to water supplies.
-These effects of SLR are only expected to get worse with time. (Slide 5)
-According to the US Army Corps of Engineers by 2045 sea level rise in Miami is expected to rise 15 inches above current levels.
-As sea levels rise higher water levels can also increase the extent and impact of storm surge and can permanently flood locations. (Slide 6) About one-fifth of urban Miami-Dade County (The area outside of the Everglades) lies at elevations that are within one foot of sea level at high tide; a one-foot increase in sea level is estimated to threaten up to $6.4 billion in taxable real estate in the county overall.
-But this is not only an issue in Miami and South Florida, this is also an international issue occurring in Southeast Asia as well specifically in the nation of Thailand.(Slide 7)
-Where in other regions of Southeast Asia the effects of SLR are a recent concern, in Thailand these effects have been on the mind since people started noticing the ‘sinking’ in Bangkok, the nation’s capital.
-Local data from the country has shown an increase in seal level of about 5 mm in the last 25 years, this increase also being accompanied by increased incidents of cyclones, flooding, and deadly storm surges has taken a significant impact on the nation’s people.
-The national capital of Bangkok, already in a poor position of 5 feet above sea level has a net sea level rise of 25 mm per year.(Slide 8)
-What does this mean?
-This means by 2100, the entire city will be underwater.
-Additionally on a global scale according to studies by Cornell University, by the year 2100, 2 billion people – about one fifth of the world’s population — could become climate change refugees due to rising ocean levels. Those who once lived on coastlines will face displacement and resettlement as they are forced to move to habitable places inland.(Slide 9)
-Now you may be asking the following question, What can we do?
-But before I answer that question i’m going to quickly explain to you and clear up somethings about climate change, because the first step in the solution is acknowledging the issue.
-When researching climate change we must look at changes globally, and not only that but we must look at it over sufficient periods of time.
-Weather is what happens in a certain place at a certain time. Climate is the long term average of weather over at least 20 to 30 years. (Slide 10)
-This is the global temperature of the Earth starting at 1880, while there is a lot of variation as we progress through time it is clear that the Earth is getting warmer and warmer.
-Climate change has occurred before and has changed from different amounts of energy from the sun and from natural cycles. But when climate scientists study these phenomenons they see that the earth's energy from the sun was going up until the 1970s but then since then it began going down, while the temperature continued to rise.
-So it can’t be the sun that is causing this change in the global climate.
-These natural cycles move heat around the Earth, they do not make the entire planet warmer or the entire planet colder.
-Looking at today’s climate patterns there is only one pattern that could cause this the one that causes our last ice age. But if we look at the global temperatures our planet was actually getting cooler and our carbon dioxide levels were very stable until about 300 years ago and we see that if we are looking at history. The industrial revolution.
-This means that for the first time in our history humans are what is causing this change in our climate.
-Our climate is changing due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere that began when industrialization began.
-Now for the final question what can we do?
-We need to prepare for a changing climate.