Climate change is changing how our water cycle works and how we use freshwater in a few big ways:
Higher Temperatures: Since the late 1800s, the Earth's temperature has gone up about 1.1°C. This makes water evaporate faster, which changes when and how much it rains.
Changes in Rainfall: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that places that get a lot of rain are getting even wetter. Heavy rain events are expected to increase by 10-20%. Meanwhile, areas that are already dry are facing more droughts.
Melting Glaciers: Glaciers are shrinking, which is causing sea levels to rise. Between 2002 and 2016, the Earth lost about 267 billion tons of ice from glaciers each year. This is a big problem for our freshwater supply.
Water Quality Issues: Warmer temperatures can lead to problems like algal blooms in lakes, which makes the water less safe to drink. It’s estimated that half of the lakes out there are affected by these blooms.
To help fix these issues, we can work on saving water better and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change is changing how our water cycle works and how we use freshwater in a few big ways:
Higher Temperatures: Since the late 1800s, the Earth's temperature has gone up about 1.1°C. This makes water evaporate faster, which changes when and how much it rains.
Changes in Rainfall: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that places that get a lot of rain are getting even wetter. Heavy rain events are expected to increase by 10-20%. Meanwhile, areas that are already dry are facing more droughts.
Melting Glaciers: Glaciers are shrinking, which is causing sea levels to rise. Between 2002 and 2016, the Earth lost about 267 billion tons of ice from glaciers each year. This is a big problem for our freshwater supply.
Water Quality Issues: Warmer temperatures can lead to problems like algal blooms in lakes, which makes the water less safe to drink. It’s estimated that half of the lakes out there are affected by these blooms.
To help fix these issues, we can work on saving water better and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.