introduction to climate change version 97-2003

7/29/2019 Introduction to Climate Change Version 97-2003

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An introduction to climate

change


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Contents

Section 1: What is climate change? Recent climate history and

future projections

Section 2: The greenhouse effect

Section 3: Human activities causing climate change

Section 4: Why does climate change matter?

What can be done about it?

Section 5: What can governments do?

Section 6: What can you and your family do?

Section 7: Summary


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Section 1: What is climate change?

Recent climate history and future

projections


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What is climate?

The long-term average of a regions weather:

Average rainfall.

Average hours of sunshine.

Average temperature.

Climate versus weather: Weather describes whatever is happening outdoors in a given

place at a given time.

Climate describes the total of all weather occurring over aperiod of years in a given place.

Climate tells us what it's usually like in the place where you liveat a certain time of year.


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Climate change

Climate change represents a change in theselong-term weather patterns.

Average temperatures can increase or decrease.

Rainfall can increase or decrease, as can hours ofsunshine.

Climate change has occurred naturally overmillions and millions of years.

However when scientists talk about the issue ofclimate change, their concern is about globalwarming caused by human activities.


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The Earth is warming

The earth has warmed by over 0.5C in the

last 100 years.

The eleven years 1995-2006 rank amongst the

twelve warmest years since records of global

surface temperature began in 1850.


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The earth is warming


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Melting glaciers, rising sea levels

A warmer earth is causing glaciers and ice sheets tomelt. It is also leading to rising sea levels.

The summer ice in the arctic is predicted to disappearcompletely between 2013 and 2040; a state not seenon earth for more than a million years.

The next slide shows the Triftgletscher glacier inSwitzerland, comparing 1948 with 2002 and 2006.


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Triftgletscher glacier, Switzerland
http://www.gletscherarchiv.de/_media/fotovergleiche/11-330036-triftgletscher.jpg


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Predicting the future

In general scientists agree that temperature

rises of 2C above pre-industrial levels are

almost inevitable, and rises of 3C are likely.

This may not sound like much but even a small

increase in temperature over a long time can

change the climate.


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Predicting the future average temperature

increases predicted by 2100


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Section 2: The greenhouse effect


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Understanding climate change

To understand human-induced climate change it is

helpful to look first at the greenhouse effect.


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The greenhouse effect

Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun.

The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat fromescaping.

This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a carparked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter.


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The earths atmosphere (the air that we breathe)contains a number of so called greenhouse gases.

The ones most closely associated with globalwarming are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane(CH4).

These gases behave like the glass panes in agreenhouse.


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Incoming shortwave radiation from the sun

Sunlight (short wave solar radiation) enters the earths atmosphere.

Most of this solar radiation is absorbed by the earths surface (land and sea)and warms it.

Some of it is reflected by the earth back into the atmosphere.

Outgoing longwave (infrared) radiation from the earth In return the earth admits long wave energy back into the atmosphere.

Because it is longwave energy (not shortwave like the energy carried by therays from the sun), some of it gets trapped by the greenhouse gases.

This causes the earth to be warmer than it would without the greenhousegases.

The thicker the blanket of greenhouse gases, the more the outgoing energygets trapped and the greater the warming effect.


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Summary

Human activity is causing a thick blanket of

greenhouse gases to build up in the

atmosphere.

These gases are trapping heat and causing the

earth to warm.


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Section 3: Human activities

causing climate change


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Burning fossil fuels

Since the Industrial Revolution the need for energy torun machines has steadily increased.

Much of this comes from fuels like coal and oil fossil

fuels.

Burning these fuels releases greenhouse gases.

Note that coal and oil are the main fuels used by powerplants producing electricity. So most things that run onelectricity indirectly cause greenhouse gas emissions.


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The carbon cycle


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All of these activities contribute to

global warming:

Driving a car

Flying by plane

Travelling by bus or train

Electric lights Watching TV

Using the computer

Washing and drying clothes

Cooking a meal

Heating your home


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Busy people


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Deforestation

Mature forests store enormous quantities of carbon, which is releasedinto the atmosphere when they are cut down.

Forest covers 30% of the worlds land area. We are destroying 28,000square miles a year.


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Other things producing greenhouse

gases ...


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Section 4: Why does climate change

matter?


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The human cost of climate change

Climate change threatens the necessities of life that we take

for granted access to food and water and political stability:

By 2080 half the worlds population could face a shortage of waterbecause of climate change.

By 2050 200 million people could be permanently displaced by floods,

rising sea levels and draughts.

Food and water shortages could lead to migration and instability on a

scale not seen before.


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Species endangered by climate change

Changes in climatic conditions can harm the

delicate ecosystems in which species live.

The speed at which change is happening

means that many plants and animals may not

be able to react quickly enough to survive.


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Species endangered through climate

change


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Species endangered by climate change


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Section 5: What can

governments do?


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Cutting emissions from energy

generation

The government can drive efforts to switch torenewable energy and reduce carbonemissions in energy generation:

Solar power

Wind power

Nuclear power

Bio-energy

Carbon capture and storage (for example buryingcarbon dioxide emissions underground).


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Cutting deforestation

Most deforestation occurs in developing

regions:

Brazil / South America

Indonesia / Asia

Africa

These countries need financial support to

replace loss of earnings from logging.


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Putting a price on carbon

The true environmental cost of carbon needs tobe reflected in the cost of fuel, electricity andfood.

Taxes and regulation will ensure that the polluterpays.

So if the price of carbon is set at 50 per tonne,and a flight to Australia and back emits 10 tonnesof carbon per passenger, the price of the flightwill rise by 500.


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Emissions trading

The poorest developing countries will be hit earliest and hardest byclimate change, even though they have contributed little to causingthe problem. Their low incomes make it difficult to financeadaptation.

Kyoto's clean development mechanism caps emissions by richcountries, forcing them to buy permits from poor countries to emitgreenhouse gases.

The funds raised are then invested in projects that reduceemissionsin the developing countries.

The emissions trading program of the European Union is the hub ofthe global market; the value of EU carbon emissions tradingreached $50bn in 2007.
http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/cleandevelopmentmechanism.htmlhttp://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/cleandevelopmentmechanism.html


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Section 6: What can you and your

family do?


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Activities increasing the level of

greenhouse gasesTransport: Riding in a car

Getting on a bus or train

Flying

Home energy use (unless powered by renewable energy):

Turning on the lights

Watching TV

Using the computer

Washing and drying clothes Cooking a meal

Heating your water

Heating your home


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Food for thought

In the UK emissions from homes are responsible for an estimated27% of the UKs total carbon emissions. You and your familysbehaviour and choice and use of technologies are majordeterminants of your energy use.

A report by the Energy Saving Trust predicts that by 2010 the UKcould waste up to 11 billion annually and emit around 43 milliontonnes of carbon dioxide through wasted energy, such as leavinglights on and appliances on standby.

More than 30% of the trips made by cars in Europe are for less than2 miles and 50% for less than 3 miles. Walking or cycling will cutemissions and improve air quality, reduce congestion and improveroad safety.


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All of this will help: Ride a bike or walk instead of going by car.

Turn the lights off when you leave the room.

Cut your TV watching. Dont leave the TV on standby turn it off at the wall.

Recycle as much as possible . Recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers.When you recycle, you send less rubbish to the landfill and you help save naturalresources, like trees, oil, and elements such as aluminium.

Dont waste food.

Eat less beef and dairy products. Cows produce methane which is one of the most

damaging greenhouse gases.

Plant trees. Planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases.Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

Buy recycled products which dont use new resources and dont require so much

energy to make. Buy energy efficient electrical goods.


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Ask your parents to:

Try not to fly (the emissions from flights are really high). Take the train instead: a

short haul flight emits six times as much carbon per passenger as a high speed

train, and 12 times as much as a coach.

Use public transport where possible, or share a car to work / school.

Make their car as energy efficient as possible. Choose a smaller engine: small is

beautiful. A 2.0 litre engine emits 40% more CO2 per mile than a car with an

engine size 1.4 2.0 litres.

They could also switch their vehicle to LPG (autogas) - its 40% cheaper and

greener. As well as cutting CO2 emissions by 20%, they will also cut production ofharmful gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide by more than half.


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Ask your parents to:

Use low energy light bulbs.

Turn the thermostat down.

Make sure their loft and hot water tank are properlyinsulated to stop heat from being lost unnecessarily.

Switch to green energy. Companies like Good energyoffer energy produced by solar power and wind

turbines.

Install their own solar panels or wind turbine.


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And dont forget to tell your friends

and family what you have learnt!


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Section 7: Summary


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Summary

Average temperatures around the world are increasing.

Whenever we burn fossil fuels or cut down trees we releasegreenhouse gases into the atmosphere, primarily carbon

dioxide and methane.

These gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm up theearth. The more we burn fossil fuels and cut down trees,the more the earths surface heats up.

The average temperature is expected to rise by at least 2Cby the end of this century, probably more.


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Summary

Whilst this doesnt sound like much, it is enough to ensure billionsof people could suffer from water shortages and heatwaves. Inaddition melting ice sheets and rising sea levels could causeflooding and the displacement of millions of people.

30% of animal species are thought to be at risk of extinction.

We all need to tackle climate change by cutting our use of energyand switching to renewable sources of energy (energy produced by

the sun, wind, hydro-electricity and nuclear).

introduction to climate change version 97-2003

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