1.1. Introduction to Cities and Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation

When we say about climate change, I think let us start our discussion with the basic understanding on of what is climate, what is weather. Mark Twain simply tells climate is what we expect and weather it is what we get.

Climate refers to the long-term average of weather conditions in a specific area, typically observed over many years. In contrast, weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions at a specific point in time. For instance, if someone says it’s sunny today, that’s a description of the weather. However, if someone mentions that a region is generally warm, that’s a comment on its climate.

Imagine planning a picnic. Checking the weather forecast might tell you it will rain in a few hours, affecting your plans for that day. Meanwhile, knowing the climate of your area informs you that summers are usually hot, which helps you decide when to schedule similar outings in the future.

Again, we are talking about different climatic zones, in a globally how they are divided like we are talking about the tropical climates, temperate climates, so there is a different scales of climate which we are also talking about. For instance, the climate in the one area like the Midwest or Hawaii is called a regional climate so, when we talk about a particular zone or a particular area, geographical region, it is refers to the regional climate.

Climate can be categorized into regional and global scales. Regional climates consider local geography, such as elevation, vegetation, and proximity to oceans, which influence conditions. For example, the Midwest may have cold winters, while regions like Hawaii are warm throughout the year. Understanding these distinctions is essential for planning how cities adapt to climate change impacts.

Think of climate like a wardrobe. You dress differently depending on the climate you live in. Someone living in Minnesota must have winter clothes for the cold, while a person in Hawaii would need lighter, breathable fabrics year-round.

But now, when we talk about seasons, earlier we could see a very good diversity at least our great grandfather’s time or father’s time even in our generation, when we were kids we could able to see a good difference in over the seasons...

Over time, changing climates have caused seasonal patterns to become less distinct, leading to subtle changes in temperature and precipitation. For example, the duration of snowfall can be lessened in areas that used to experience harsh winters. These shifts indicate the broader effects of climate change and how they can alter expectations around seasonal weather.

Imagine a friend who always comes to your summer BBQ wearing winter gear in August. That’s how climate change feels—before, you’d expect to plan your events based on distinct summer heat, but now temperatures feel cooler for shorter parts of the year.

When we talk about the change, today we are talking about the global temperature has increased about 1 degree right...

A rise of just 1 degree Celsius in global temperatures can have catastrophic implications. This increase signifies the melting of glaciers, changes in natural habitats, and overall shifts in ecosystems. Such changes could lead to major alterations in global weather patterns, affecting everything from agriculture to wildlife.

Consider cooking pasta; if you boil water and allow just a few degrees difference, you might end up with either perfectly tender pasta or overcooked mush. Similarly, the Earth’s environment may become unstable with minor shifts in temperature, leading to severe consequences.

Now, how this whole change is caused and what is the impact, why we should bother about this; this is one thing from a basic understanding, I need to talk about some very basics of the climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide and methane trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to global warming. These gases are emitted from sources like vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and power generation. The accumulation of these gases leads to the greenhouse effect, where heat gets trapped, increasing global temperatures and affecting weather patterns.

Just like a car parked under the sun gets hotter because the windows trap heat inside, the Earth’s atmosphere works similarly. The greenhouse gases act like the car’s windows, letting sunlight in but not allowing heat to escape, leading to a progressively warmer planet.

And it also have droughts, wildfires and it also affects the flora and fauna, it also affects the coral reefs which will have an indirect effect on the aquatic system and in turn it affect the human systems...

The consequences of climate change extend beyond temperature rises. Increased greenhouse gases can lead to natural disasters such as droughts and wildfires, disrupting ecosystems and threatening plant and animal life. Coral reefs, vital to marine ecosystems, suffer from bleaching because of rising temperatures. The impact doesn't stop there as these ecological changes can also affect human societies that rely on these ecosystems.

Think of an interconnected web; if one strand is tugged at, the whole web shifts. Similar dynamics happen in nature; if a species faces extinction due to climate change, it can disrupt food chains and habitats, ultimately impacting human communities that rely on those resources.

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