Vital Climate Graphics : Potential Impacts of Climate Change
Next: The great weather and flood catastrophes over the last forty years

23. The potential impacts of climate change on the environment and socio-economic systems can be understood in terms of sensitivity, adaptability and vulnerability of the system.

Both the magnitude and the rate of climate change are important in determining the sensitivity, adaptability and vulnerability of a system. Although much progress has been made, there are large uncertainties in predicting regional climate changes, future conditions in the absence of climate change, or to what degree climate will become more variable. All these factors are important in predicting the potential impacts of climate change. There are large uncertainties in our understanding of some key ecological processes. Current ability is also limited in predicting regional-scale climate changes, future conditions in the absence of climate change, or to what degree climate will become more variable. All these factors are important in predicting the potential impacts of climate change.