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80-423: Global vulnerability to natural disasters is likely to increase as the impact of climate change and land degradation processes continue to rise along with rapidly growing populations. Earthquakes, floods, storms, and other natural hazards cause massive disruption to societies and overburden national economic systems. Considerable losses of life and property, however, could be avoided through better information about

160-469: A rise in sea levels due to the expansion of water as it warms and the melting ice sheets on land. Other effects on oceans include sea ice decline , reducing pH values and oxygen levels , as well as increased ocean stratification . All this can lead to changes of ocean currents , for example a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The main cause of these changes are

240-482: A bigger impact. The impacts of climate change on nature are likely to become bigger in the next few decades. The stresses caused by climate change, combine with other stresses on ecological systems such as land conversion, land degradation , harvesting, and pollution. They threaten substantial damage to unique ecosystems. They can even result in their complete loss and the extinction of species. This can disrupt key interactions between species within ecosystems. This

320-747: A bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities; and being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening. UN-SPIDER has three offices in Vienna , Austria, in Bonn , Germany and in Beijing , China. The UN-SPIDER Vienna office is located at UNOOSA's headquarters in the Vienna International Centre . Its staff members are in charge of general UN-SPIDER coordination, fund-raising, regional support office (RSO) coordination and technical advisory support. The office

400-517: A cascade of effects. This remains a possibility even well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) of warming. A 2018 study states that 45% of environmental problems, including those caused by climate change, are interconnected. This increases the risk of a domino effect . Further impacts may be irreversible, at least over the timescale of many human generations. This includes warming of the deep ocean and acidification. These are set to continue even when global temperatures stop rising. In biological systems,

480-480: A fire starts in an area with very dry vegetation, it can spread rapidly. Higher temperatures can also lengthen the fire season. This is the time of year in which severe wildfires are most likely, particularly in regions where snow is disappearing. Weather conditions are raising the risks of wildfires. But the total area burnt by wildfires has decreased. This is mostly because savanna has been converted to cropland , so there are fewer trees to burn. Prescribed burning

560-788: A global network in order to foster and strengthen strategic alliances and partnerships on a global and regional scale. There are two types of networks: RSOs and national focal points (NFPs). An RSO is a regional or national center of expertise that is set up within an existing entity by a member state. The establishment of a network of RSOs was agreed upon by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 61/110. UN-SPIDER currently has RSOs in Algeria, Argentina, Japan, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine, and

640-897: A high risk at 2.5 °C (4.5 °F). It is possible that some tipping points are close or have already been crossed. Examples are the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, and warm-water coral reefs. Tipping points are perhaps the most dangerous aspect of future climate change, potentially leading to irreversible impacts on society. A collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation would likely halve rainfall in India and lead to severe drops in temperature in Northern Europe. Many tipping points are interlinked such that triggering one may lead to

720-525: A lot year by year. This makes it difficult to determine a trend, and record highs and record lows have been observed between 2013 and 2023. The general trend since 1979, the start of the satellite measurements , has been roughly flat. Between 2015 and 2023, there has been a decline in sea ice, but due to the high variability, this does not correspond to a significant trend. Globally, permafrost warmed by about 0.3 °C between 2007 and 2016. The extent of permafrost has been falling for decades. More decline

800-400: A new United Nations programme, with the following mission statement: "Ensure that all countries and international and regional organizations have access to and develop the capacity to use all types of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle". In doing so, UN-SPIDER aims at three goals: being a gateway to space information for disaster management support; serving as

880-469: A rate of decline of 4.7% per decade. It has declined over 50% since the first satellite records. Ice-free summers are expected to be rare at 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) degrees of warming. They are set to occur at least once every decade with a warming level of 2 °C (3.6 °F). The Arctic will likely become ice-free at the end of some summers before 2050. Sea ice extent in Antarctica varies

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960-453: A simple consultative phone call to the facilitation of technical support, missions, training and workshops. UN-SPIDER's TAS has three pillars: technical advisory missions, capacity building and facilitation of emergency support/technical support. Technical advisory missions (TAMs) are instruments to identify the needs of member states regarding their capacities to fully take advantage of space-based information. TAMs are officially requested by

1040-455: Is a particular long term concern as a result. The effects of ocean warming also include marine heatwaves , ocean stratification , deoxygenation , and changes to ocean currents .  The ocean is also acidifying as it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ecosystems most immediately threatened by climate change are in the mountains , coral reefs , and the Arctic . Excess heat

1120-602: Is a process by which the level of understanding among the persons targeted is raised, fostering change in attitudes and behaviour, is central to the success of promoting the use of space-based information. In the framework of UN-SPIDER, awareness-raising is designed as an ongoing process accompanying, facilitating and preparing activities, as new audiences are addressed, new partnerships are formed and new technological solutions are developed, offering new opportunities for existing and new target groups. UN-SPIDER implements its awareness-raising activities mainly via its publications such as

1200-409: Is a self-reinforcing feedback of climate change. Large-scale measurements of sea ice have only been possible since satellites came into use. Sea ice in the Arctic has declined in recent decades in area and volume due to climate change. It has been melting more in summer than it refreezes in winter. The decline of sea ice in the Arctic has been accelerating during the early twenty-first century. It has

1280-609: Is an indigenous practice in the US and Australia. It can reduce wildfire burning. The carbon released from wildfires adds to carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere and therefore contributes to the greenhouse effect . Climate models do not yet fully reflect this climate change feedback . There are many effects of climate change on oceans . One of the most important is an increase in ocean temperatures . More frequent marine heatwaves are linked to this. The rising temperature contributes to

1360-483: Is approximately 1600 gigatons. This is twice the atmospheric pool. Recent warming has had a big effect on natural biological systems. Species worldwide are moving poleward to colder areas. On land, species may move to higher elevations. Marine species find colder water at greater depths. Climate change had the third biggest impact on nature out of various factors in the five decades up to 2020. Only change in land use and sea use and direct exploitation of organisms had

1440-776: Is because species from one location do not leave the warming habitat at the same rate. The result is rapid changes in the way the ecosystem functions. Impacts include changes in regional rainfall patterns. Another is earlier leafing of trees and plants over many regions. Movements of species to higher latitudes and altitudes, changes in bird migrations, and shifting of the oceans' plankton and fish from cold- to warm-adapted communities are other impacts. These changes of land and ocean ecosystems have direct effects on human well-being. For instance, ocean ecosystems help with coastal protection and provide food. Freshwater and land ecosystems can provide water for human consumption. Furthermore, these ecosystems can store carbon. This helps to stabilize

1520-773: Is causing environmental changes in those locations that exceed the ability of animals to adapt. Species are escaping heat by migrating towards the poles and to higher ground when they can. Sea level rise threatens coastal wetlands with flooding . Decreases in soil moisture in certain locations can cause desertification and damage ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest . At 2 °C (3.6 °F) of warming, around 10% of species on land would become critically endangered. Humans are vulnerable to climate change in many ways. Sources of food and fresh water can be threatened by environmental changes. Human health can be impacted by weather extremes or by ripple effects like

1600-566: Is central to all knowledge management activities carried out within the framework of UN-SPIDER, as it provides the hosting environment and the dissemination tool for all resulting outputs and products. The Knowledge Portal went online in June 2009 and has continuously been improved and amended ever since. Its main tool is the Space Application Matrix, a sophisticated search engine to make available research papers and case studies on

1680-413: Is expected in the future. Permafrost thaw makes the ground weaker and unstable. The thaw can seriously damage human infrastructure in permafrost areas such as railways, settlements and pipelines. Thawing soil can also release methane and CO 2 from decomposing microbes. This can generate a strong feedback loop to global warming . Some scientists believe that carbon storage in permafrost globally

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1760-497: Is expected to become rarer. This depends on several factors. These include changes in rain and snowmelt, but also soil moisture . Climate change leaves soils drier in some areas, so they may absorb rainfall more quickly. This leads to less flooding. Dry soils can also become harder. In this case heavy rainfall runs off into rivers and lakes. This increases risks of flooding. Climate change affects many factors associated with droughts . These include how much rain falls and how fast

1840-465: Is limited evidence for its importance. A partial collapse of the ice sheet would lead to rapid sea level rise and a local decrease in ocean salinity. It would be irreversible for decades and possibly even millennia. The complete loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet would cause over 5 metres (16 ft) of sea level rise. In contrast to the West Antarctic ice sheet, melt of the Greenland ice sheet

1920-585: Is mainly deals with technical advisory support in the Asia and Pacific region and the coordination of UN-SPIDER's network of national focal points. The acquisition, processing and transfer of knowledge is the central element of UN-SPIDER's activities. A knowledge base on space-based information and solutions to support risk and disaster management are therefore made available through the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal. The UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal

2000-458: Is projected to take place more gradually over millennia. Sustained warming between 1 °C (1.8 °F) (low confidence) and 4 °C (7.2 °F) (medium confidence) would lead to a complete loss of the ice sheet. This would contribute 7 m (23 ft) to sea levels globally. The ice loss could become irreversible due to a further self-enhancing feedback. This is called the elevation-surface mass balance feedback. When ice melts on top of

2080-467: Is related to temperature. It also increases if humidity is higher. The wet-bulb temperature measures both temperature and humidity. Humans cannot adapt to a wet-bulb temperature above 35 °C (95 °F). This heat stress can kill people. If global warming is kept below 1.5 or 2 °C (2.7 or 3.6 °F), it will probably be possible to avoid this deadly heat and humidity in most of the tropics. But there may still be negative health impacts. There

2160-471: Is relevant in all phases of the disaster management cycle from disaster risk reduction to disaster response and recovery. In March 2015, world leaders convened in Sendai, Japan, to agree on a new global framework for disaster risk reduction for the period 2015 through 2030. The outcome document refers to the importance of space-based and geospatial information in several paragraphs, highlighting, among others,

2240-478: Is some evidence climate change is leading to a weakening of the polar vortex . This would make the jet stream more wavy. This would lead to outbursts of very cold winter weather across parts of Eurasia and North America and incursions of very warm air into the Arctic. Warming increases global average precipitation . Precipitation is when water vapour condenses out of clouds, such as rain and snow. Higher temperatures increase evaporation and surface drying. As

2320-628: Is supported by the government of Austria. The UN-SPIDER Bonn office was established in October 2007 with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The UN-SPIDER Bonn office is responsible for UN-SPIDER's knowledge management. The goal is to make sure that all relevant information is easily accessible and disseminated to all stakeholders in

2400-455: The Amazon rainforest is recycled when it evaporates back into the atmosphere instead of running off away from the rainforest. This water is essential for sustaining the rainforest. Due to deforestation the rainforest is losing this ability. This effect is even worse because climate change brings more frequent droughts to the area. The higher frequency of droughts in the first two decades of

2480-579: The Arctic has warmed faster than most other regions due to climate change feedbacks . Surface air temperatures over land have also increased at about twice the rate they do over the ocean, causing intense heat waves . These temperatures would stabilize if greenhouse gas emissions were brought under control . Ice sheets and oceans absorb the vast majority of excess heat in the atmosphere, delaying effects there but causing them to accelerate and then continue after surface temperatures stabilize. Sea level rise

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2560-415: The emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, mainly burning of fossil fuels and deforestation . Carbon dioxide and methane are examples of greenhouse gases. The additional greenhouse effect leads to ocean warming because the ocean takes up most of the additional heat in the climate system . The ocean also absorbs some of the extra carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere . This causes

2640-415: The outlet glaciers . Future melt of the West Antarctic ice sheet is potentially abrupt under a high emission scenario, as a consequence of a partial collapse. Part of the ice sheet is grounded on bedrock below sea level. This makes it possibly vulnerable to the self-enhancing process of marine ice sheet instability . Marine ice cliff instability could also contribute to a partial collapse. But there

2720-415: The pH value of the seawater to drop . Scientists estimate that the ocean absorbs about 25% of all human-caused CO 2 emissions. The various layers of the oceans have different temperatures. For example, the water is colder towards the bottom of the ocean. This temperature stratification will increase as the ocean surface warms due to rising air temperatures. Connected to this is a decline in mixing of

2800-475: The spread of infectious diseases . Economic impacts include changes to agriculture , fisheries , and forestry . Higher temperatures will increasingly prevent outdoor labor in tropical latitudes due to heat stress . Island nations and coastal cities may be inundated by rising sea levels. Some groups of people may be particularly at risk from climate change, such as the poor , children , and indigenous peoples . Industrialised countries , which have emitted

2880-410: The 21st century and other data signal that a tipping point from rainforest to savanna might be close. A 2019 study concluded that this ecosystem could begin a 50-year-long collapse to a savanna around 2021. After that it would become increasingly and disproportionally more difficult to prevent or reverse this shift. Marine heatwaves are happening more often. They have widespread impacts on life in

2960-623: The Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region. UN-SPIDER defines its capacity building as the process of facilitating the strengthening of the competency of individuals, teams, and agencies to use space-based information to prevent, mitigate, and respond effectively to the challenges posed by natural hazards and related humanitarian crises. UN-SPIDER capacity-building efforts include four complementary types of activities: Providing policy-relevant advice to institutions and governments regarding

3040-635: The Earth. In particular, most land areas have warmed faster than most ocean areas. The Arctic is warming faster than most other regions. Night-time temperatures have increased faster than daytime temperatures. The impact on nature and people depends on how much more the Earth warms. Scientists use several methods to predict the effects of human-caused climate change. One is to investigate past natural changes in climate. To assess changes in Earth's past climate scientists have studied tree rings , ice cores , corals , and ocean and lake sediments . These show that recent temperatures have surpassed anything in

3120-542: The Himalayas in Asia, the retreat of glaciers could impact water supply. The melting of those glaciers could also cause landslides or glacial lake outburst floods . The melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets will continue to contribute to sea level rise over long time-scales. The Greenland ice sheet loss is mainly driven by melt from the top. Antarctic ice loss is driven by warm ocean water melting

3200-589: The West Indies. Detailed information on all UN-SPIDER RSOs can be found in the Knowledge Portal. RSOs communicate and coordinate with UN-SPIDER staff on a regular basis, covering the three following realms: As defined by the United Nations General Assembly, an NFP is a national institution, nominated by the government of the respective country, representing the disaster management and space applications communities. Among them are for example members of

3280-716: The actions that governments have taken around the world. The lower and middle atmosphere, where nearly all weather occurs, are heating due to the greenhouse effect . Evaporation and atmospheric moisture content increase as temperatures rise. Water vapour is a greenhouse gas, so this process is a self-reinforcing feedback . The excess water vapour also gets caught up in storms. This makes them more intense, larger, and potentially longer-lasting. This in turn causes rain and snow events to become stronger and leads to increased risk of flooding. Extra drying worsens natural dry spells and droughts. This increases risk of heat waves and wildfires. Scientists have identified human activities as

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3360-451: The air warms it can hold more water. For every degree Celsius it can hold 7% more water vapour . Scientists have observed changes in the amount, intensity, frequency, and type of precipitation. Overall, climate change is causing longer hot dry spells, broken by more intense rainfall. Climate change has increased contrasts in rainfall amounts between wet and dry seasons. Wet seasons are getting wetter and dry seasons are getting drier. In

3440-430: The application of different space-based resources in all phases of the disaster management cycle. The portal also features the latest news from the disaster and risk management and the space communities, information on workshops, training and events as well as profile details on UN-SPIDER's network partners. UN-SPIDER's knowledge management activities are accompanied by its awareness-raising efforts. Since awareness-raising

3520-569: The areas of disaster management and emergency and humanitarian response. This is done mainly via UN-SPIDER's Knowledge Portal, which is managed by the Bonn staff. The Bonn office is also dealing with technical advisory support in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Beijing office opened on November 9, 2010, and is supported by the government of the People's Republic of China . The Beijing office

3600-578: The case of emergencies and disasters, UN-SPIDER provides emergency support by taking the role of a bridge linking the disaster management agencies in charge of response operations with space agencies or the mechanisms which have been established by the space community such as the International Charter: space and major disasters. UN-SPIDER provides this support through the activation of its network of regional support offices (RSO) and through links with specific space agencies. UN-SPIDER created

3680-456: The cause of recent climate trends. They are now able to estimate the impact of climate change on extreme weather events using a process called extreme event attribution . For instance such research can look at historical data for a region and conclude that a specific heat wave was more intense due to climate change. In addition , the time shifts of the season onsets, changes in the length of the season durations have been reported in many regions of

3760-477: The climate changes it impacts the natural environment with effects such as more intense forest fires , thawing permafrost , and desertification . These changes impact ecosystems and societies, and can become irreversible once tipping points are crossed. Climate activists are engaged in a range of activities around the world that seek to ameliorate these issues or prevent them from happening. The effects of climate change vary in timing and location. Up until now

3840-601: The climate system. Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss in different land types. These include cool conifer forests, savannas , mediterranean-climate systems, tropical forests , and the Arctic tundra . In other ecosystems, land-use change may be a stronger driver of biodiversity loss, at least in the near term. Beyond 2050, climate change may be the major cause of biodiversity loss globally. Climate change interacts with other pressures. These include habitat modification, pollution and invasive species . Through this interaction, climate change increases

3920-494: The disaster management and space communities in UN-SPIDER activities with the end goal of promoting the use of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle. UN-SPIDER's outreach activities include the organization of workshops, seminars and expert meetings in all regions as well as the support to similar events organized by its partners. Furthermore, UN-SPIDER staff participates in relevant events all over

4000-415: The extinction of species would be an irreversible impact. In social systems, unique cultures may be lost. Climate change could make it more likely that endangered languages disappear. Humans have a climate niche. This is a certain range of temperatures in which they flourish. Outside that niche, conditions are less favourable. This leads to negative effects on health, food security and more. This niche

4080-555: The far western Sahel. Storms become wetter under climate change. These include tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones . Both the maximum and mean rainfall rates increase. This more extreme rainfall is also true for thunderstorms in some regions. Furthermore, tropical cyclones and storm tracks are moving towards the poles. This means some regions will see large changes in maximum wind speeds. Scientists expect there will be fewer tropical cyclones. But they expect their strength to increase. There has probably been an increase in

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4160-429: The ice sheet, the elevation drops. Air temperature is higher at lower altitudes, so this promotes further melting. Sea ice reflects 50% to 70% of the incoming solar radiation back into space. Only 6% of incoming solar energy is reflected by the ocean. As the climate warms, the area covered by snow or sea ice decreases. After sea ice melts, more energy is absorbed by the ocean, so it warms up. This ice-albedo feedback

4240-731: The impact of acidification. Warm-water coral reefs are very sensitive to global warming and ocean acidification. Coral reefs provide a habitat for thousands of species. They provide ecosystem services such as coastal protection and food. But 70–90% of today's warm-water coral reefs will disappear even if warming is kept to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). Coral reefs are framework organisms. They build physical structures that form habitats for other sea creatures. Other framework organisms are also at risk from climate change. Mangroves and seagrass are considered to be at moderate risk from lower levels of global warming. The climate system exhibits "threshold behavior" or tipping points when parts of

4320-509: The importance to "develop, update periodically and disseminate, as appropriate, location-based disaster risk information, including risk maps, to decision-makers, the general public and communities at risk to disaster in an appropriate format by using, as applicable, geospatial information technology". In its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to establish UN-SPIDER as

4400-472: The intensity of individual heat waves to global warming. Some extreme events would have been nearly impossible without human influence on the climate system. A heatwave that would occur once every ten years before global warming started now occurs 2.8 times as often. Under further warming, heatwaves are set to become more frequent. An event that would occur every ten years would occur every other year if global warming reaches 2 °C (3.6 °F). Heat stress

4480-530: The largest declines have been observed in the spring. During the 21st century, snow cover is projected to continue its retreat in almost all regions. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, there has been a widespread retreat of glaciers . Those glaciers that are not associated with the polar ice sheets lost around 8% of their mass between 1971 and 2019. In the Andes in South America and in

4560-547: The last 2,000 years. By the end of the 21st century, temperatures may increase to a level last seen in the mid-Pliocene . This was around 3 million years ago. At that time, mean global temperatures were about 2–4 °C (3.6–7.2 °F) warmer than pre-industrial temperatures. The global mean sea level was up to 25 metres (82 ft) higher than it is today. The modern observed rise in temperature and CO 2 concentrations has been rapid. Even abrupt geophysical events in Earth's history do not approach current rates. How much

4640-460: The limitations that inhibit the use of such information. TAS attempts to enable member states to overcome these limitations through international cooperation and regional opportunities, networking with regional institutions, and setting up disaster management plans. It covers region-specific aspects such as transboundary issues, emergency response, risk assessment, GIS-based disaster management systems, and disaster risk reduction. TAS efforts range from

4720-412: The monthly updates and the biannual newsletter as well as via its Knowledge Portal. Experience shows that the conduction of activities targeting the full disaster management cycle spans a variety of agencies from the public and the private sector, at different levels, and is best conducted through a coordinated approach. UN-SPIDER's outreach activities contribute to involving practitioners and experts from

4800-494: The natural environment enter into a new state. Examples are the runaway loss of ice sheets or the dieback of forests. Tipping behavior is found in all parts of the climate system. These include ecosystems, ice sheets, and the circulation of the ocean and atmosphere. Tipping points are studied using data from Earth's distant past and by physical modeling. There is already moderate risk of global tipping points at 1 °C (1.8 °F) above pre-industrial temperatures. That becomes

4880-477: The northern high latitudes , warming has also caused an increase in the amount of snow and rain. In the Southern Hemisphere, the rain associated with the storm tracks has shifted south. Changes in monsoons vary a lot. More monsoon systems are becoming wetter than drier. In Asia summer monsoons are getting wetter. The West African monsoon is getting wetter over the central Sahel , and drier in

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4960-649: The number of tropical cyclones that intensify rapidly. Meteorological and seismological data indicate a widespread increase in wind-driven global ocean wave energy in recent decades that has been attributed to an increase in storm intensity over the oceans due to climate change. Atmospheric turbulence dangerous for aviation (hard to predict or that cannot be avoided by flying higher) probably increases due to climate change. Due to an increase in heavy rainfall events, floods are likely to become more severe when they do occur. The interactions between rainfall and flooding are complex. There are some regions in which flooding

5040-423: The ocean layers, so that warm water stabilises near the surface. A reduction of cold, deep water circulation follows. The reduced vertical mixing makes it harder for the ocean to absorb heat. So a larger share of future warming goes into the atmosphere and land. One result is an increase in the amount of energy available for tropical cyclones and other storms. Another result is a decrease in nutrients for fish in

5120-615: The oceans. These include mass dying events and coral bleaching . Harmful algae blooms have increased. This is in response to warming waters, loss of oxygen and eutrophication . Melting sea ice destroys habitat, including for algae that grows on its underside. Ocean acidification can harm marine organisms in various ways. Shell-forming organisms like oysters are particularly vulnerable. Some phytoplankton and seagrass species may benefit. However, some of these are toxic to fish phytoplankton species. Their spread poses risks to fisheries and aquaculture . Fighting pollution can reduce

5200-521: The past 3,000 years. The rate accelerated to 4.62 mm (0.182 in)/yr for the decade 2013–2022. Climate change due to human activities is the main cause. Between 1993 and 2018, melting ice sheets and glaciers accounted for 44% of sea level rise , with another 42% resulting from thermal expansion of water . The cryosphere , the area of the Earth covered by snow or ice, is extremely sensitive to changes in global climate. There has been an extensive loss of snow on land since 1981. Some of

5280-580: The past. Several impacts make their impacts worse. These are increased water demand, population growth and urban expansion in many areas. Land restoration can help reduce the impact of droughts. One example of this is agroforestry . Climate change promotes the type of weather that makes wildfires more likely. In some areas, an increase of wildfires has been attributed directly to climate change. Evidence from Earth's past also shows more fire in warmer periods. Climate change increases evapotranspiration . This can cause vegetation and soils to dry out. When

5360-589: The rain evaporates again. Warming over land increases the severity and frequency of droughts around much of the world. In some tropical and subtropical regions of the world, there will probably be less rain due to global warming. This will make them more prone to drought. Droughts are set to worsen in many regions of the world. These include Central America, the Amazon and south-western South America. They also include West and Southern Africa. The Mediterranean and south-western Australia are also some of these regions. Higher temperatures increase evaporation. This dries

5440-520: The respective national government and are conducted by a team of experts. The team meets with key disaster management and development authorities in the government, United Nations organizations, regional and international organizations/initiatives and private entrepreneurs to discuss the topic in depth. It makes recommendations focusing on how to improve the access to and use of space-based information in risk and disaster management. Since 2008 various missions have been carried out to countries in Latin America,

5520-520: The risk and onset of disasters, improved risk assessment, early warning, and disaster monitoring. In recognition of these needs the United Nations General Assembly , in its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006, acknowledged that the use of existing space technology, such as earth observation and meteorological satellites , communication and navigation satellites can play a major role in supporting disaster management by providing accurate and timely information for decision making. Space-based information

5600-406: The risk of extinction for many terrestrial and freshwater species. At 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) of warming (around 2023 ) some ecosystems are threatened by mass die-offs of trees and from heatwaves. At 2 °C (3.6 °F) of warming, around 10% of species on land would become critically endangered. This differs by group. For instance insects and salamanders are more vulnerable. Rainfall on

5680-445: The soil and increases plant stress . Agriculture suffers as a result. This means even regions where overall rainfall is expected to remain relatively stable will experience these impacts. These regions include central and northern Europe. Without climate change mitigation, around one third of land areas are likely to experience moderate or more severe drought by 2100. Due to global warming droughts are more frequent and intense than in

5760-513: The space - or civil protection agencies. UN-SPIDER networks with all countries through the NFPs. An NFP works with UN-SPIDER staff to achieve the following goals: Effects of climate change Effects of climate change are well documented and growing for Earth's natural environment and human societies. Changes to the climate system include an overall warming trend , changes to precipitation patterns , and more extreme weather . As

5840-418: The temperature will be about 2.7 °C (2.0–3.6 °C) above pre-industrial levels by 2100. It would rise by 2.4 °C (4.3 °F) if governments achieved all their unconditional pledges and targets. If all the countries that have set or are considering net-zero targets achieve them, the temperature will rise by around 1.8 °C (3.2 °F). There is a big gap between national plans and commitments and

5920-440: The upper ocean layers. These changes also reduce the ocean's capacity to store carbon . At the same time, contrasts in salinity are increasing. Salty areas are becoming saltier and fresher areas less salty. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by 15–25 cm (6–10 in), with an increase of 2.3 mm (0.091 in) per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had ever risen over at least

6000-445: The use of space-based (spatial) information to support the full disaster management cycle, facilitating access to space-based data and services, facilitating the training of individuals on access to and use of such data and facilitating access to infrastructure, hardware, and software, and services for space-based applications. Therefore, UN-SPIDER's capacity building simultaneously aims at institutions, individuals and infrastructure. In

6080-431: The vast majority of CO 2 , have more resources to adapt to global warming than developing nations do. Cumulative effects and extreme weather events can lead to displacement and migration . Global warming affects all parts of Earth's climate system . Global surface temperatures have risen by 1.1 °C (2.0 °F). Scientists say they will rise further in the future. The changes in climate are not uniform across

6160-459: The world to raise awareness about UN-SPIDER's activities and the opportunities that space-based information offers for disaster and risk management. Technical advisory support (TAS) is one of the prime activities of the UN-SPIDER programme at the national level. It serves to identify the existing capacity to use space-based information, to analyze the institutional framework to support disaster management through space-based information and to identify

6240-404: The world warms depends on human greenhouse gas emissions and on how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases . The more carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is emitted in the 21st century the hotter the world will be by 2100. For a doubling of greenhouse gas concentrations, the global mean temperature would rise by about 2.5–4 °C (4.5–7.2 °F). If emissions of CO 2 stopped abruptly and there

6320-584: The world. As a result, the timing of extreme weather events, such as heavy precipitation and heat waves, is changing to coincide more closely with changes in seasonal patterns. Heatwaves over land have become more frequent and more intense in almost all world regions since the 1950s, due to climate change . Heat waves are more likely to occur simultaneously with droughts. Marine heatwaves are twice as likely as they were in 1980. Climate change will lead to more very hot days and fewer very cold days. There are fewer cold waves . Experts can often attribute

6400-459: Was no use of negative emission technologies , the Earth's climate would not start moving back to its pre-industrial state. Temperatures would stay at the same high level for several centuries. After about a thousand years, 20% to 30% of human-emitted CO 2 would remain in the atmosphere. The ocean and land would not have taken them. This would commit the climate to a warmer state long after emissions have stopped. With current mitigation policies

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