I have already told in two previous articles about floods, mudflows and floods, about hurricanes that have hit our country over the past 10-20 years. This is the last part of a series of articles on climate change in Russia.

Abnormal heat

The summer of 2010 in Russia was recognized as abnormally hot. According to expert meteorologists, this heat may not have happened for 500 years. This heat was one of the causes of massive fires, accompanied by unprecedented smog in a number of cities and regions. Led to economic and environmental damage. In its scope, duration and degree of effects of heat had no analogues in more than a century of history of weather observations. 

It is known that during periods of abnormally high temperatures, the number of people hospitalized with exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases increases sharply, mortality increases, the number of accidents and road accidents increases. The groups at greatest risk are children, the elderly and those whose professional activities are associated with being outdoors.

Abnormal cold

In 2012, in the European part of Russia, the temperature fell by 7-12 degrees below normal, and in Smolensk it reached 3 February -30 degrees Celsius. Severe frosts down to -50 degrees was observed at the beginning of February on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the pole of cold in Oymyakon (the temperature reached -53°).

Sudden changes in temperature, heavy snowfalls disrupt transport, worsen working conditions in the open air, cause ice, drifts, sticking ice and snow on wires and engineering structures, which often leads to damage to communication lines, power lines, antenna devices...

Climate change in the Arctic

Climate change has also affected the Arctic. According to experts, climate change in the Arctic is about 1.5-2 times faster than in other parts of the world. In recent decades, the temperature growth in some parts of the Arctic has reached 4°C. This has already led to the rapid melting of Arctic ice, to an increase in the frequency and strength of storms, to an increase in the risk of destruction of the shores composed of permafrost. According to the American National center for the study of snow and ice (NSIDC), the total area of Arctic ice over the past 30 years has decreased by almost 2 times — from 7.5 million. km2 to 4.3 million km2.

In conclusion, we will talk about the consequences and potential threats that climate change may pose.

Degradation of permafrost

Since the 70s of the twentieth century, the depth of summer thawing permafrost began to grow. In some places reduced area occupied by permafrost. These changes affect both natural ecosystems and human life.

Permafrost occupies more than 60% of the territory of Russia. These territories are extremely important for our economy — about 93% of Russian natural gas and 75% of oil are produced here, which in value terms provides up to 70% of the country's exports.

The destruction of permafrost is a great danger for bridges, roads, oil and gas pipelines, tanks, sites of oil and gas facilities, residential buildings, etc. Most of the structures built on permafrost have pile foundations, while permafrost is used as a base and is designed for operation in certain temperature conditions. Therefore, the consequences of thawing permafrost will not take long to wait and will require serious efforts and finances to eliminate them.

Degradation of mountain glaciers

Air temperatures in Northern Eurasia have increased by 1.2°C over the past 120 years. During this time, the volume of glaciers in the Caucasus has decreased by almost half. Scientists have estimated that if the world temperature by the end of the XXI century will increase by 5°C, some glaciers will disappear completely, shallower rivers originating high in the mountains, change natural ecosystems.

Risk to agriculture

Soil desiccation, a major threat to crop production in continental climates, will inevitably increase due to climate change. In the southern regions of Russia, it can lead to increased wind erosion, the development of dust storms, desertification

Russia is a cold country, most of the territory of which is called a zone of risky agriculture. And climate change is already leading to the fact that the degree of agricultural risks is only growing.

Most of the agricultural land in Russia falls on areas with a continental climate. Warming will increase the number of droughts and their duration, which means that the threat of death of crops will increase, the frequency of lean years will increase, the cost of irrigation will increase.

The shrinkage of forests

Deforestation is considered one of the most obvious impacts of climate change. This is "to blame" as the climatic anomalies themselves (prolonged droughts, snowy winters), and caused by their outbreaks of pests and pathogens. The drying up of forests causes great damage to forestry and creates conditions for the development of catastrophic forest fires.

Risk of disease

The increase in temperature increases the risk of infectious diseases, as the causative agents of many infections are activated precisely under warm weather conditions. Thus, in recent years, cases of infection with hemorrhagic fevers have become more frequent. Climate warming contributes to the displacement of the boundaries of the spread of ticks, because of this, people are more likely to suffer from ixodic tick borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis.

Biodiversity

According to the UN, global climate change threatens the existence of 84% of migratory animals. The most dangerous are migratory birds. Disruption of rainfall cycles, droughts, hurricanes and sea-level changes are knocking down the usual rhythms of migration. Many birds change their flight routes, and in some cases do not leave the summer Parking place at all. Because of rising temperatures, birds often have to move to colder areas.

In Russia are most dangerous for birds whose nesting sites are associated with tundra, the geese, eider ducks, waders, geese. The loss of habitual nesting sites is a serious threat to the breeding of many migratory birds.

Changes in water circulation and increase in temperature can lead to the death of fish: in warm water, water parasites and pathogens develop more actively. Since fish is the main food for many Arctic animals, its death will affect the entire food chain.

Mammals, including rare species, suffer from climate change. Due to the reduction of the Arctic ice area, polar bears are losing their usual hunting grounds.

Is it possible that after all that is listed in my article, someone still has doubts that success in the fight against climate change is a condition for the survival of mankind?

Sources:

https://ria.ru/20130926/966016499.html

https://geocenter.info/article/obzor-uraganov-v-centralnoj-chasti-rossii-kakova-nasha-reakcija-na-opoveschenija-mchs

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Аномальная_жара_в_России_(2010)

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Аномальные_морозы_(2012)