IB ESS HL 6.2.6 Climate Change Impacts on Societies Questions

Impacts may include:
increased mean global temperature causing increased use of A/Cs (especially in developed countries);
greater frequency/intensity of extreme weather events causing damage to infrastructure (especially in cities);
long-term changes in climate/weather patterns requiring cultural changes/adaptation in societies;
ocean acidification killing plankton/reducing fisheries (especially significant for coastal populations);
melting permafrost increasing productivity/arable land/water availability (for tundra populations);
decreased water availability/desertification leading to migration/relocation (especially for tropical populations);
biome shifts reducing/enhancing crop productivity (especially significant in crop

growing areas);
biodiversity loss reducing aesthetic value of ecosystems (significant for tourism

dependent societies);
disruption of ecosystem services causing increased flooding (particularly in high rainfall locations);
rise in sea level causing coastal erosion (especially significant to areas dependent on coastal tourism);
coastal inundation causing salinization of underground aquifers/soils (especially for coastal populations);
wider spread of tropical diseases (especially significant for previously sub-tropical areas);

Marking guidance: