Topic 12: Climate Change (Mandated Topic)

Learning Objectives

At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

• Identify the causes of climate change;

• Discuss various impacts of climate change including economical, geopolitical, biological
and meteorological aspects; and
• Create a simple climate change advocacy through poster, slogan, and infomercial.

Presentation of Contents

“There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable

point is what part humans are playing in it.”

- David
Attenborough

Climate Change

Climate change is a change in the statistical properties of the climate system that persists for
several decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural processes, such as changes in
the Sun’s radiation, volcanoes or internal variability in the climate system, or due to human
influences such as changes in the composition of the atmosphere or land use.

Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of heat-trapping
greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and land-use change, are primarily
responsible for the climate changes observed in the industrial era, especially over the last six
decades. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, the largest contributor to human-
caused warming, has increased by about 40% over the industrial era. This change has intensified
the natural greenhouse effect, driving an increase in global surface temperatures and other
widespread changes in Earth’s climate that are unprecedented in the history.

Let’s take a look at how interrelated and interconnected the following phenomena that ultimately
leads to climate change.
Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that

warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy
reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is
reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and
re-radiated by greenhouse gases. This blanket of
greenhouse gases serves as the Earth’s insulator, of
which without it, ours will be a called dead planet.
Figure12.1.
Trapping of heat by the Greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some
artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Carbon dioxide and methane in
particular, trap the heat radiated by the sun.

The problem we now face is that human activities are increasing the concentrations of
greenhouse gases. From NASA’s observation, the increase and too much concentration of these
greenhouse gases can cause Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more heat that warms up the
planet leading to a phenomenon called global warming.

Global Warming

Global warming is the term used to describe a

gradual increase in the average temperature of
the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans, a
change that is believed to be permanently
changing the Earth’s climate.
Credit:VladisChern/Shutterstock.com
Figure12.2. The rise in global temperature

The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and

other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and
other human activities, are believed to be the primary sources of the global warming that has
occurred over the past 50 years. Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate carrying
out global warming research have recently predicted that average global temperatures could
increase between 1.4 and 5.8 °C by the year 2100.

Changes resulting from global warming may include rising sea levels due to the melting of the
polar ice caps, as well as an increase in occurrence and severity of storms and other severe
weather events – all of which are signs of a changing climactic patterns.
Impacts of Climate Change on Society

Credit: Left - Mellimage/Shutterstock.com, center - Montree Hanlue/Shutterstock.com.

Figure12.3. Catastrophic effects of Climate Change: From left to right: Forest Fire, Drought, Typhoon

According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the aspects of climate change are
having increasingly complex and important impacts on all the nations’ economy and quality of
life. Impacts related to climate change are evident across regions and in many sectors important
to society—such as human health, agriculture and food security, water supply, transportation,
energy, ecosystems, and others—and are expected to become increasingly disruptive throughout
this century and beyond.

Climate change affects human health and wellbeing through more extreme weather events and
wildfires, decreased air quality, and diseases transmitted by insects, food, and water. Climate
disruptions to agriculture have been increasing and are projected to become more severe over
this century, a trend that would diminish the security of the world’s food supply. Surface and
groundwater supplies in some regions are already stressed, and water quality is diminishing in
many areas, in part due to increasing sediment and contaminant concentrations after heavy
downpours.

In some regions, prolonged periods of high temperatures associated with droughts contribute to
conditions that lead to larger wildfires and longer fire seasons. For coastal communities, sea level
rise, combined with coastal storms, has increased the risk of erosion, storm surge damage, and
flooding. Extreme heat, sea level rise, and heavy downpours are affecting infrastructure like
roads, rail lines, airports, and all other infrastructures.

The capacity of ecosystems like forests, barrier beaches, and wetlands to buffer the impacts of
extreme events like fires, floods, and severe storms is being overwhelmed. The rising
temperature and changing chemistry of ocean water is combining with other stresses, such as
overfishing and pollution, alter marine-based food production and harm fishing communities.

Some climate changes currently have beneficial effects for specific sectors or regions. For
example, current benefits of warming include longer growing seasons and longer ice – free
period for agriculture.