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SDU-Numbers: 4 degrees - a new interactive climate impact map |
A new web-based map visualizes the potential impacts of a 4 degree Celsius increase in mean global temperatures. It was launched recently by the UK Government, in partnership with the Met Office, and uses the latest findings from leading climate impact scientists.
The interactive map was developed using the latest peer-reviewed science from the Hadley Centre in the UK Met Office and other leading climate scientists. Users can easily navigate within the map and explore the effects on water availability, agricultural productivity, extreme temperatures and drought, the risk of forest fire and sea-level rise.
For example, low elevation coastal areas will suffer flooding and severe land-loss while agricultural yields are expected to decrease for all major cereal crops in all major regions of production. For some crops the yield could decrease by over 20% at low latitudes, where the impact will be greatest. This could result in tens to hundreds of millions of additional people at risk from hunger. Most of this increase is expected in Sub-Saharan Africa, and in some parts of south Asia and Central America, particularly for child malnutrition. For the population at 2050 the increase in the number of malnourished children could be as high as 24 million.
The map also effectively communicates the deviating spread of a four degree rise around the globe. The land will heat up more quickly than the sea, and on average land temperature will be 5.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Furthermore, high latitudes such as the Arctic (a particularly temperature sensitive ecoregion), will have larger temperature increases.
/Albert Norström
Go to the map:
http://www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/content/en/embeds/flash/4-degrees-large-map-final |
