'Climate change impacts mostly the human ecosystem’. To what extent do you consider this statement to be true? Explain your answer.

Climate change can negatively impact the human ecosystem. It can result in heat waves leading to people suffering from heat stroke. In many cases, people actually die from heat stroke when left untreated. For example, in Central and South Africa, the number of deaths from climate change is between 70 and 120 deaths per million population. Such heat waves will take a toll on the human ecosystem as there will be an increase in death rates. However, such impact on human lives may be less significant in other parts of the world, especially in temperate regions like countries in Europe. For example, in many European countries such as Sweden, Norway and Germany, the impact of climate change on human death in these countries is very low, ranging from 0 to 2 per million population.

However, climate change can also impact the natural systems through the process of coral bleaching. Climate change can pose threats to coral reefs, resulting in coral bleaching. Due to increased ocean temperatures, the algae that lives in the corals leaves them. Without algae, the corals lost their main source of food. They turn white and are vulnerable to diseases, which may lead to death. Coral reefs are expected to decline by up to 90% if ocean temperatures increase by 1.5 deg. The Central third of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) is undergoing severe coral bleaching. When corals die, millions of aquatic species such as fish and sea turtles lose their food source and habitat, and their populations may decline.

Climate change impacts both the human and natural systems. However, the extent of impact on these systems depend on their geographical locations. Countries in arid and semi-arid regions tend to experience greater impacts of climate change. For example, many farmers in African countries experience prolonged drought caused by climate change, resulting in shortage of food production, leading to famine and loss of income. However, such an impact on food production may be less significant in temperate countries. Similarly, areas with a large number of coral reefs will experience greater impacts of climate change compared to other areas with little or no coral reefs.