Foreword
Foreward
Author(s): Rajendra K Pachauri
Source: Making Sense of Climate Change : A beginner's guide to global warming: 55p Authored By Ranjana Saikia
Abstract:
Children have a larger stake in tackling the challenge of climate change than adults, largely because if we do not take timely and effective action, the impacts of climate change would get much worse over time. This would affect the lives of today’s children, who by the time they become adults would have to face some of the worst consequences of climate change in every aspect of their lives. It is becoming increasingly clear that climate change is resulting in an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, and extreme precipitation events. Warming of the earth is leading to the melting of large bodies of ice across the planet and thermal expansion of the ocean, as a result of which sea level is rising. This would affect hundreds of millions of people in several parts of the planet. In fact, if any part of the ice sheets in western Antarctica and Greenland were to collapse, it may cause a sea-level rise of several metres. This would not only devastate large coastal areas across the globe and submerge several small island states, but also turn hundreds of millions of people into climate refugees. All of this could lead to conflict and threaten peace in the world.
Publisher/Organisation: TERI Press
Publication Date: 1 January 2002