Climate Change and Flooding in Finland

Climate Change and Flooding

Finland

A major impact of climate change on Finland is on flooding, which is an annual occurrence.During the cold months of Winter and Fall, flooding has been increasing in intensity. And in their warmer months of Summer and Spring, the floods are ocurring less and less (Veijalainen et al, 2010).While the amount of change has shown to vary based on specific location, the effects on floods are only expected to get worse over the years.This will lead to major environmental and social changes for the country of FInland.

How is Climate Change Affecting Finland?

The flooding is going to greatly affect the FInnish economy, and in turn the citizens themselves. While some things such as agriculture may benefit for a while, costs of flood repairs will increase due to increasing damage, affecting the economy as a whole ("Finland's Economy").

Vegetation is shifting north with the winter environment in FInland. This is causing southern species to invade northern territory, decreasing available environment and increasing competition ("Climate Change Already Visible").

The Plants

Climate change is making Finnish winters shift north, forcing Arctic species into smaller habitats. Bodies of water are frozen for shorter periods of time, whose aquatic species rely on ("Climate Change Already Visible").

The Animals

The People

The top four ways Finnish citizens make environmentally-conscious choices in their everyday lives

Reducing Food Waste

Saving Energy

Sorting Waste

Recycling

What is Finland Doing About It?

Yes. This can be seen in many parts of the world, including one we are all familiar with. Climate change is affecting flood patterns here in the State of Florida.As the temperatures continue to increase around the world, storms are getting stronger as well. With this comes heavier rainfall, and Florida is known for it's rainy season - and hurricanes.The Weather Channel has explained that annual rainfall has been "rising steadily in the past century" (Childs). This means the power of Florida storms is increasing, too.Floods are known to be a dangerous part of hurricane season, as thousands evacuate each year due to flood damage to their homes.

Is this happening in other places, too?

Childs, Jan Wesner. (2023, November 13). Does Climate Change Play a Role in Florida Flooding? The Weather Channel. https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2023-04-13-florida-flooding-fort-lauderdale-climate-change.Finnish Environment Institute. (2023, October 23). Climate Change is Already Visible in Finland’s Nature. environment.fi. https://www.ymparisto.fi/en/state-environment/climate-change/climate-change-advances.Finnish Environment Institute. (n.d.). The Impacts of Climate Change on Finland’s Economy. Climateguide.fi. https://www.climateguide.fi/articles/the-impacts-of-climate-change-on-finlands-economy.Salonen, A. O., Siirilae, J., & Valtonen, M. (2018). Sustainable Living in Finland: Combating Climate Change in Everyday Life. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 10(1), 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010104Veijalainen, N., Lotsari, E., Alho, P., Vehviläinen, B., & Käyhkö, J. (2010). National scale assessment of climate change impacts on flooding in Finland. Journal of Hydrology (Amsterdam), 391(3), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.035

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