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AQA GCSE Geography · 8035
AQA 8035 · 3.1.1.4 Climate Change Check the specification (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Climate change is a long-term change in average temperatures and weather patterns. Its effects are already being felt in both the natural environment and human societies. They are connected: a change in rainfall can affect rivers and vegetation, but also the water available for drinking and farming.
The effects are uneven. Some places become wetter while others become drier, and people face different risks depending on where they live and how vulnerable they are. There can be limited local benefits, but the overall global impacts are largely negative.
Rising temperatures make heatwaves more frequent and intense. They also increase evaporation, which can dry out soils and vegetation. Where rainfall decreases, drought risk increases. These changes put ecosystems under stress and can make conditions more favourable for wildfires.
For people, drought reduces available water at the same time that hotter conditions can increase demand. This puts pressure on supplies for households, farming and businesses, particularly in already dry regions.
Heatwaves also increase illness and deaths, especially among vulnerable people such as the elderly. Smoke from wildfires can worsen air quality, while changing climatic conditions can allow some diseases to spread into new areas.
As temperatures rise, glaciers and ice sheets melt. Water from melting land ice enters the oceans. At the same time, seawater expands as it warms: this is thermal expansion. Both processes contribute to rising sea levels.
Higher sea levels increase the risk of flooding and erosion along low-lying coasts. Coastal habitats can be lost, while homes, roads and other infrastructure face greater damage. Businesses and livelihoods are threatened too. Where areas become unsafe to live in, people may be forced to move: this is displacement.
Environmental changes can lead to several connected effects on people. The effects vary between places.
The connections matter: sea-level rise is an environmental change, but its consequences include damage to property, loss of income and displacement. One physical change can therefore produce several human effects.
Climate change alters rainfall patterns. Some areas become wetter, increasing flood risk, while others become drier, increasing drought risk. More intense rainfall can cause damaging floods even where water shortages occur at other times of the year.
Climate change also affects the likelihood or intensity of some extreme weather events, including heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts. These changes should not be understood as every type of extreme weather becoming more frequent everywhere.
Floods and other damaging events can disrupt transport and businesses, damage infrastructure and increase repair costs for governments. Agriculture, tourism and insurance are among the industries affected.
Crops depend on suitable temperatures and enough water. Heat and changing rainfall can reduce crop growth and yields, so less food is produced. This threatens food security and can increase the risk of famine in vulnerable countries. Farmers may also lose income when harvests fail.
Plants and animals are affected by changing conditions too. Some species shift towards areas with more suitable climates. Others cannot adapt or move quickly enough, increasing their risk of extinction and disrupting ecosystems.
The oceans are also affected. Rising sea temperatures can cause coral bleaching, in which stressed corals lose their colour. This threatens coral reef ecosystems, showing that climate change affects marine as well as land environments.
In the UK, more intense rainfall increases flood risk. Hotter, drier summers can create water shortages, while rising sea levels increase coastal flooding and erosion risks.
There may also be benefits in some places. Warmer conditions can lengthen the growing season for some crops or make new crops possible. Milder UK winters may reduce the energy needed for heating.
However, a longer growing season does not guarantee a better harvest if crops lack water. Benefits are unevenly distributed and do not outweigh the overall global risks to people and the environment.
Develop effects into linked explanations: rising sea levels increase coastal flooding, which can damage homes and force people to move.
Distinguish environmental effects, such as habitat loss, from effects on people, such as loss of income. Explain how they connect.
Use qualified language: effects vary between places, and some regions may gain limited benefits. Avoid claiming that every place becomes drier or every type of storm becomes more frequent.
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Climate change
A long-term change in average temperatures and other characteristics of climate, such as rainfall patterns.
Thermal expansion
An increase in the volume of a substance as it warms. The thermal expansion of seawater contributes to sea-level rise.
Drought
A prolonged period of unusually low rainfall that can cause water shortages.
Food security
Reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food.
Ecosystem
A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with their physical environment.
Coral bleaching
The loss of colour in corals when they are stressed, including by unusually warm seawater.
Displacement
The forced movement of people away from their homes, for example because flooding makes an area unsafe.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Geography
Climate change
A long-term change in average temperatures and other characteristics of climate, such as rainfall patterns.
Thermal expansion
An increase in the volume of a substance as it warms. The thermal expansion of seawater contributes to sea-level rise.
Drought
A prolonged period of unusually low rainfall that can cause water shortages.
Food security
Reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food.
Ecosystem
A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with their physical environment.
Coral bleaching
The loss of colour in corals when they are stressed, including by unusually warm seawater.
Displacement
The forced movement of people away from their homes, for example because flooding makes an area unsafe.
UK risks include flooding, summer water shortages and coastal erosion. Limited benefits include longer growing seasons and reduced winter heating demand. Effects vary by place; overall global impacts are largely negative.