ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Mining, Geology, and Ceramics Engineering Department
900 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila, 100 Philippines

Climate Change: Perceiving its Risks and Effects

By McAndrew Gaveria

11/28/2022

Mine Environmental Management

S.Y. 2022-2023

Engr. Leo Jasareno

ABSTRACT

Climate change is an increasingly prevalent global topic. Abnormal shifts in climate

patterns have been observed since the early 1990s. A warming world could have a
dramatic effect on us. A few-degrees increase will create an alarming impact on
forests, oceans, wildlife, and humanity. The aim of this report is to enhance the
understanding of climate change, its effects, greenhouse effect, and the depletion of
the stratospheric ozone. Fully understanding the deviations associated with the
changes in temperature and weather patterns will help us process solutions for this
pervasive problem. The existing data should ensure that there is adequate reason that
we should address this existing environmental problem and develop pro-
environmental behavior. Despite fast-growing evidence, there are barriers preventing
the mitigation of climate change’s impact.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: Introduction
1.1 Overview of Climate
1.2 Effects of Climate Change
1.3 Manifestations of Climate Change

SECTION 2: Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future

2.1 Earth’s climate: Past
2.2 Earth’s climate: Present
2.3 Earth’s climate: Future

SECTION 3: Causes of Climate Change

3.1 Greenhouse Effect
3.2 Greenhouse Gases
a. Sources of Greenhouse Gases
b. Types of Greenhouse Gases and its Effects
3.3 Changes in Ocean Currents

SECTION 4: United Nation’s Legal Instrument on Climate Change

4.1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
4.2 Kyoto Protocol
4.3 Paris Agreement

SECTION 5: Challenges and Possibilities in Climate Change Education

5.1 Cognitive Challenges
5.2 Education about climate change and adaptation
5.3 Solution to Climate Change

SECTION 6: Conclusion
SECTION 7: References
1 INTRODUCTION

Climate change is currently the single most burning issue impacting the entire globe,
much worse than a pandemic. From rising sea levels to severe flooding, dwindling
production of food, to constant shifting weather patterns, climate change has an
unprecedented effect on the planet, which is only getting worse by every second.
Greenhouse Gases help the Earth to trap some of the sun's rays from reflecting back.
This helps in keeping the planet warm and makes it worthy to live in.

Due to innumerable human activities, such as industrialization, deforestation,

mindless technological advancements have led to the exponential rise in the amount
of GHGs and has led to the designing of a warmer planet.

Climate change has severe local effects. However, the extensive impacts of air
pollution on the world's environment may be even more concerning. In particular,
two types of air pollution worry scientists: The buildup of so-called greenhouse
gases, which have the potential to drastically warm the earth's surface, and the
depletion of ozone in the stratosphere, where it serves as a barrier against dangerous
radiation.

1.1 Overview of Climate

Climate is the average weather condition in a particular place over a long period of
time. Climate is also used to describe deflection from the average weather condition.
By taking observations over a period of at least 25 years climates are not fixed but
are changing constantly. There are different causes of climates 1, examples are
variations in temperatures, latitudinal differences, seasonal differences, diurnal
differences, prevailing winds, and vertical air currents. Climate governs the people’s
way of living. Humidity, which is a climatic condition can affect human health.
People with severe respiratory problems often benefit from moving to a place where
the climate is drier.

1.2 Effects of Climate Change

Human activity has been recognized as the greatest contributor to climate change.
Scientists have mentioned that greenhouse gases are being enhanced by human
activities. Humans have been altering the local climates and potentially the global
scale as well. Human-made pollutants in the atmosphere have been terrorizing the
ozone layer trapping the heat around the planet and causing generalized heating
known as the greenhouse effect.

Warming of the Earth’s atmosphere results in the melting of snow covers, glaciers,
the sea level, hotter summers, altered forest productivity and composition, habitat
shifts of some animals, changes in the behavior patterns of flora and fauna, spread of
stronger and more frequent typhoons, more floods, severe droughts, stronger heat
waves, and heavier rains. These changes in the environment as a result of climate
change have made their impact on human population in a global scale.

1
From the chapter ‘Kind of Climates’, The Encyclopedia Americana, p. 71, Copyright by Grolier
Incorporated.
These effects of climate change will have impacts on ecosystems, health, key
economic sectors such as agriculture, and water resources.

1.3 Manifestations of Climate Change

Depletion of the Ozone Layer

Many scientists consider one of the most serious environmental problems is the
depletion of the ozone layer. The ozone barrier has provided a relatively stable
defense against the sun for millions of years. Scientific research reveals that, by a
consecutive chemical reaction, the ozone layer filters the sun’s ultraviolet rays,
which contain 90% of the sun’s harmful rays, shielding organisms from their harmful
effects.2 The thinning of ozone layer as a result of human activities has caused
further ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun to reach earth and endanger mankind
and other biological life. It has long been known that chemicals, like
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)3, damage the ozone layer. Thinning of the ozone layer
leads to adverse consequences such as the weakening of the immune system, skin
cancer and cataracts disease.

Temperature increases and an observed sea level rise

If scientists are correct, the average temperature of Earth’s surface could increase to
2 to 9 F (1 to 5 C) by the year 2050. A few increases in temperature can gravely
affect the oceans, primarily because of its effect on the polar ice caps. In Antarctica,
ice shelves hundreds of feet thick cover the surrounding ocean and help cool the
interior of the continent. If even 10 percent of Antarctica’s ice were to melt, ocean
levels around the world would rice 12 to 30 feet. Many coastal cities would be
flooded, and tiny island nations would disappear entirely beneath the waves.

Warming of the ocean is a result of global warming. Changes in the climate thereby
having an impact on sea levels, which have risen by 10 to 25 cm over the previous
century, the range reflecting variations in several sections of the world and
measuring uncertainties. No sign of the rate of increase is present. Nonetheless, it is
much higher to be altering than what has been averaged over the previous few
thousand years.

2
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156209.pdf
3
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon,
chlorine, and fluorine.
Warming is already occurring in all areas of the globe, but models of future temperatures show that
the changes will not be distributed equally. Polar regions and land areas are expected to see the
largest temperature changes Retrieved from: IPCC Working Group I, 2021

Observed (black line) and projected sea level rise through 2100, where the colored curves indicate sea
level rise for different emissions scenarios. Retrieved from: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report

2 CLIMATE CHANGE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

2.1 Earth’s Climate: Past

There have been records of temperature changes through changes in fossil

vegetation. Indirect evidence of climate trends in the past have been revealed in
fossils, lake and ocean beds, peat bogs, glacial deposits, and soils. 4

2.2 Earth’s Climate: Present

The earth is rapidly getting warmer, and we know that the main contributor is human
activity. Evidences of rudimentary changes in the earth’s ecosystem tied to climate
change and increasing environmental degradation and scarcities are growing.
Problems such as extreme weathers and fluctuating weather temperatures are now
more serious. Weather-based disasters are now more perilous, and can have
debilitating long-term effects to humans. The correlation between the greenhouse
gases emissions and its long-term consequences means that there are huge and urgent
decisions that must be done today to reduce emissions that will benefit the future
generation.

4
From the chapter ‘Climate Change’ The Encyclopedia Americana, p. 50, Copyright by Grolier
Incorporated.
Data Source: EPA's Climate Change Indicators (2016) and Petit et al. (2001). Data retrieved from
https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/references.html#ref-39.

2.2.1 Response of Tropical Forests to Climate Change

Tropical Forests covers 6% of the Earth’s surface and support more than 80% of
Earth’s documented species. These ecosystems are also among the planet’s oldest.
Yet the ability of the world to function properly id threatened by human activity and
a changing climate. The Amazonian forest’s ability to provide environmental
services is threatened by anthropogenic forcing at various scales, such as
deforestation, fire, global and regional climate change, and extreme events. 5

Global predictions of functional diversity across tropical and subtropical, dry and moist broadleaf
forests. Reprinted from “Functional susceptibility of tropical forests to climate change,” by J.
A.Gutiérrez, 2022, Nature Ecology and Evolution.
2.3 Earth’s Climate: Future

5
From the chapter ‘Greenhouse Effect’, Gre-Hys, Grolier Family Encyclopedia, p. 42, Copyright by
Grolier International, Inc.
The magnitude of climate change would continue further into the next century. There
will be rise in Temperature. Global precipitation patterns will continue to change.
Increase in drought and heat waves. Stronger and more intense hurricanes, An
estimated rise of 1-8 feet of sea level by 2100.

2.3.1 Future Temperature Change

The observed Global Warming over the last years is a proof that fuyre temperatures
are expected to change. Increases in average global temperatures are expected to be
within the range of 0.5°F to 8.6°F by 2100, with a likely increase of at least 2.7°F for
all scenarios except the one representing the most aggressive mitigation of
greenhouse gas emissions.6

The amount of climate change by the end of the century depends on decisions we make today. If we
reduce CO2 amounts to stop increasing after 2050, global average temperature will increase from 1-
1.5°C, and this is considered a best case scenario (blue line in graph). If we don’t reduce CO2 and the
amounts continue to increase, the worst case scenario warming will be 4.5-5°C (red line in graph).
Retrieved from: IPCC Working Group I, 2021

2.3.2 Future Storm Events

Patterns of precipitation and storm events, including both rain and snowfall are also
likely to change. However, some of these changes are less certain than the changes
associated with temperature. Projections show that future precipitation and storm
changes will vary by season and region. Some regions may have less precipitation,
6
From the chapter ‘Greenhouse-Greenhouse Effect’, J. Miller, The Encyclopedia Americana, p. 455,
Copyright by Grolier Incorporated.
some may have more precipitation, and some may have little or no change. The
amount of rain falling in heavy precipitation events is likely to increase in most
regions, while storm tracks are projected to shift poleward.7

Projected changes in global annual mean precipitation for a low emissions scenario (left) and high
emissions scenario (right). Blue and green areas are projected to experience increases in
precipitation by the end of the century, while yellow and brown areas are projected to experience
decreases.
Source: IPCC, 2013

Key U.S. Projections

- Northern areas are projected to become wetter, especially in the winter and
spring. Southern areas, especially the Southwest, are projected to become
drier.8

- Heavy precipitation events will likely be more frequent, even in areas where
total precipitation is projected to decrease. Heavy downpours that currently
occur about once every 20 years are projected to occur between twice and
five times as frequently by 2100, depending on location.

- The proportion of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow is expected to

increase, except in far northern areas.

- The intensity of Atlantic hurricanes is likely to increase as the ocean warms.

Climate models project an increase in the number of the strongest (Category
4 and 5) hurricanes, as well as greater rainfall rates in hurricanes. There is
less confidence in projections of the frequency of hurricanes.

- Northern areas are projected to become wetter, especially in the winter and
spring. Southern areas, especially the Southwest, are projected to become
drier.9

7
Anthropogenic is of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.
Retrieved from https://www.usgs.gov/news/earthword-anthropogenic
8
https://enb.iisd.org/negotiations/un-framework-convention-climate-change-unfccc
9
https://www.britannica.com/event/Kyoto-Protocol
The maps show projected future changes in precipitation for the end of this century, compared with
1970-1999, under a higher emissions scenario. For example, in winter and spring, climate models
agree that northern areas in the United States are likely to get wetter and southern areas drier.
There is less confidence in exactly where the transition between wetter and drier areas will occur.
Confidence in the projected changes is highest in the areas marked with diagonal lines. The changes
in white areas are not projected to be larger than what would be expected from natural variability.
Source: U.S. National Climate Assessment, 2014.

3 Causes of Climate Change

3.1 Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is a popular term for the effect that certain variable
constituents of the Earth’s lower atmosphere have on surface temperatures. 10 This is
10
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
comparable to the way a greenhouse traps heat. The notable changes in the
percentages of the atmospheric gases could create a dangerous shift in the Earth’s
surface temperature. In the recent years, there has been a huge increase in CO2,
mostly from the burning of fossil fuels. On a worldwide scale the carbon dioxide
content of the air has been increased about 25% in the past 100 years, 11 some
scientists are concerned that high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may
trap too much energy and make Earth too warm.

Greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and water vapor
significantly affect the amount of energy in the Earth system, even though they make
up a tiny percentage of Earth’s atmosphere. Solar radiation that passes through the
atmosphere and reaches Earth’s surface is either reflected or absorbed. Reflected
sunlight doesn’t add any heat to the Earth system because this energy bounces back
into space.12

Image from the Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse effect file

3.2 Greenhouse Gases

Over the past century there have been increases anthropogenic 13 greenhouse gases –
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as compounds
such as CFCs, HFCs and PFCs. There has been evidence that these GHGs are from
human activities and are creating an enhanced greenhouse effect which we know as
global warming.

11
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED514727.pdf
12
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08b7140f0b64974000b5a/Pruneau-
Chapitre19.pdf
13
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081366.pdf
 a. Sources of Greenhouse Gases

There are six major sectors that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions:
Transportation, industry, food & land use, electricity, buildings, and other emission-
producing energy.

By tracing these major greenhouse gas contributors, then we can start to figure out
the solution to reduce their emissions. This chart shows that there are a lot of things
that contribute to greenhouse gas not just CO2 from burning fossil fuels.

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency. Data Retrieved from EPA (2020) Sources
of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emission

Since we have discussed the sources of greenhouse gases and their origin, we can
find ways to reduce or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. There is a
way to remove greenhouse gases that is called “sinks” in which it takes greenhouse
gases (particularly carbon dioxide) out of the atmosphere. Greenhouse gas sinks
reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 11.4%. Ten percent of these offsets are
due to forests and soils.14

14
A cyclone is a large air mass that circulates about a center of low atmospheric pressure in a
counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south.
Source: IPCC

b. Types of Greenhouse Gases and its Effects

The earth is rapidly getting warmer, and we know that the main contributor is
human activity. Evidence of rudimentary changes in the Earth’s ecosystem tied
to climate change and increasing environmental degradation and scarcities is
growing. Problems such as extreme weather and fluctuating weather
temperatures are now more serious. Weather-based disasters are now more
perilous and can have debilitating long-term effects on humans. The correlation
between greenhouse gas emissions and their long-term consequences means that
there are huge and urgent decisions that must be done today to reduce emissions
that will benefit future generations.

In general, greenhouse gases constitute just almost 1% of the total gases present
in the atmosphere. Their concentrations are dependent on the balance between
the “sources” and “sinks” that function to create and destroy these gases,
respectively. Anthropogenic activities tend to increase these concentrations by
either introducing new types of gases in the air or intervening with the sinks.15

Types of Greenhouse Gases, its Major Sources, and Harmful Effects to Humans

Greenhouse Gases Major Sources Harmful Effects

15
Global Climate Change and Its Impact on Agriculture
Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/greenhouse-
gas-sink
Sulfur dioxide and burning of fossils such as sulfur dioxide causes irritation
nitrogen oxides coal, oil and natural and damaging of the sensitive
gases lining of the eyes, air passages
and lungs
Carbon monoxide exhaust of motor when breathed in, it combines
vehicles, generators, air with hemoglobin in the red
crafts, motorcycles and blood cells to form
other forms of ‘’carboxyhemoglobin’’ which
engines that emit such reduces the
gases capacity of the blood to
transport oxygen round the
body

Carbon dioxide decomposition, ocean headaches, dizziness,

release and respiration restlessness, a tingling or pins
or needles feeling, difficulty
breathing, sweating, tiredness,
increased heart rate, elevated
blood pressure, coma,
asphyxia, and convulsions
Chlorofluorocarbons aerosol propellants, increases the risk of skin
(CFC3) cooling agents in cancer
refrigerators and air
conditioners, and in foam
packaging
Fumes incineration plants and These fumes cause severe
industrial plants irritation of the respiratory
system in
human beings
Methane Fossile-fuel extraction, mood changes, slurred speech,
sweage treatment, vision problems, memory loss,
landfills nausea, vomiting, facial
flushing and headache
Ozone Chemical reactions All catalytic chemical
involve oxygen reactions that involve nitrous
oxide, hypochlorite, and
hydroxyl species
Carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline
Observatory peaked for 2022 at 421 parts per million in May, pushing the
atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years. NOAA

About the Greenhouse Gases

The concentration of GHGs is directly proportional to the planet's average

temperature; since the onset of the Industrial revolution, GHG concentration has
been rising and also the global temperature Burning of fossil fuel leads to Carbon
dioxide (CO2) emission. It is the most abundant GHG. The Fifth Assessment Report
submitted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gave a
comprehensive report on the rising sea levels and the role of Human activities on
CO2 emissions and also provides a CO2 budget for the future to restrict the rise in
the warming to less than 2%. The report showed that:

1. Global temperature has increased by 0.85°C between the years 1880 to 2012

According to separate analyses by NASA and NOAA, the Earth's average surface
temperature in 2021 was tied with 2018 as the sixth highest on record. According to
researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York,
global temperatures in 2021 were 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0.85 degrees Celsius)
higher than the average for the baseline period. Since the start of modern record
keeping in 1880, the last eight years have collectively been the eight warmest. The
global temperature record is made up of this annual temperature data, which is how
scientists are able to determine that the earth is warming. The Earth Sciences
Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, oversees
the GISS laboratory. the research lab.

Source: NASA

Source: NASA

2. The years 1901 to 2010 witnessed the average sea level rise by 19 cm.
The study, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California,
reexamines each of the recognized causes of sea level increase from 1900 to 2018,
using revised estimations and applying satellite data to understand historical
observations.

The scientists discovered that estimations of the fluctuations in the world's sea levels
based on tide-gauge measurements had slightly exaggerated the sea levels before the
1970s. They also found that mountain glacier meltwater was adding more water to
the oceans than previously thought, but that the relative contribution of glaciers to
sea level rise is slowly declining. Tide gauges are used to measure sea level height
and are found at coastal stations dispersed throughout the world. They also found
that the faster pace of sea level rise before to 1940 can be attributed to mass loss
from glaciers and the Greenland ice sheet.

This infographic shows the rise in sea levels since 1900. Pre-1940, glaciers and Greenland meltwater
dominated the rise; dam projects slowed the rise in the 1970s. Now, ice sheet and glacier melt, plus
thermal expansion, dominate the rise. Tide-gauge data shown in blue and satellite data in orange.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

3. In the Arctic, since 1979 there has been a 1.07 × 106 km² of ice loss per decade.

Image by : Mariusz Kluzniak, Flickr.

3.3 Changes in Ocean Currents

Researchers from all across the world are attempting to determine why the ocean is
growing more violent and what, if anything, can be done to stop it. The ocean's
ability to distribute heat energy over the earth and control and stabilize climatic
patterns is greatly influenced by ocean currents, especially the ocean conveyor belt.

Ocean currents carry heat around the Earth. As the oceans absorb more heat from the
atmosphere, sea surface temperature increases and the ocean circulation patterns that
transport warm and cold water around the globe change. The direction of these
currents can shift so that different areas become warmer or cooler. As oceans store a
large amount of heat, even small changes in ocean currents can have a large effect on
global climate. In particular, increases in sea surface temperature can increase the
amount of atmospheric water vapour over the oceans, increasing the quantity of
greenhouse gas. If the oceans are warmer they can’t absorb as much carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.16

Ocean currents present day. Image by: UKRI.

16
Ocean Currents and Climate. Retrieved from
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ocean-currents-and-climate
The oceans contain more CO2 in total than the atmosphere and exchanges of
CO2 occur between the oceans and the atmosphere. CO2 absorbed in ocean water
does not trap heat as it does in the atmosphere.

The world’s oceans absorb about a quarter of the CO2 we release into the
atmosphere every year. As atmospheric CO2 levels increase so do the ocean’s
CO2 levels.17

Arctic sea ice was photographed in 2011 during NASA's ICESCAPE mission, or "Impacts of Climate on
Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment," a shipborne investigation to study how
changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems. The bulk of the
research took place in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in summer 2010 and 2011. Credit:
NASA/Kathryn Hansen

Artic ice melt is changing ocean currents. A major ocean current in the Arctic is
faster and more turbulent as a result of rapid sea ice melt, a new study from NASA
shows. The current is part of a delicate Arctic environment that is now flooded with
fresh water, an effect of human-caused climate change.

4 UNITED NATIONS’ LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

17
What causes the Earth’s climate to change? Retrieved from https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-
geology/climate-change/what-causes-the-earths-climate-to-change/
 4.1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

In order to combat dangerous human interference with the climate system, the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established.
This was signed by 154 states at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED). It took effect on March 21, 1194, and incorporated a
Secretariat with its own headquarters in Bonn, Germany. 18
The treaty envisioned future policy agreements, meetings, and scientific research that
would allow ecosystems to respond to climate change sustainably, maintain food
production, and stimulate economic development.

4.2 Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol binds developing nations, and imposes a greater burden on them
because they are mostly to blame for the elevated amounts of GHG emissions in the
atmosphere. 37 industrialized nations, and the European Union are given legally
enforced carbon reduction limits under the Kyoto Protocol.
Even though the Kyoto Protocol was a diplomatic achievement, its success was far
from guaranteed. Majority of the countries fell short of their emission targets,
according to reports published in the first two years after the treaty went into effect.
China, the world’s top emitter of greenhouse gases, were not subject to the protocol
because of its status as a developing country. 19

4.2.1 Was it a sucess or a failure?

By 2012, industrialized, developed nations made a commitment to cut their yearly

emissions by 5.2%, or 29% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the
industrialized countries' nearly 150-year history of industrialization, the Kyoto
Protocol heavily implemented this change on them. While developing nations had
the choice of adhering to this agreement, several of them, including India and China,
were exempted from this protocol.

In 2001, U.S withdrew its promise to the Kyoto protocol, because it was unfair, and
decreasing its economy. By 2012, the protocol was becoming effective. China and
United States being the top emitters were responsible for 40% increase in emissions
globally from 2009 to 2012, mitigating the effects of nations that abided by the
emission targets (Tardi, 2019).

In my opinion, the Kyoto Protocol should not have exempted developing nations
from following these standards. Instead, these nations ought to have given a target
18
Assessing the Possible Impacts of a 4°C or Higher Warming in Amazonia.
Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Assessing-the-Possible-Impacts-of-a-4-
%C2%B0C-or-Higher-Sampaio-Borma/d69af0ed5322ae6c340b42eb69b48ca55fc4190d

19
IPCC (2013). Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to
the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin,
G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)].
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
equivalent to their emissions. It might have been more successful if all nations had
been required to cut their CO2 emissions in this way. India and China, two still-
developing nations, are currently among the top emitters of CO2. Although the
Kyoto Protocol may not have been as effective as intended, it was successful in
making the public aware of climate change. The significance of global warming and
the steps required to prevent this catastrophe were introduced by this protocol.

4.3 Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement’s objective is to keep global warming far below 2 degrees
Celsius, ideally below 1.5. This treaty is a turning point in the global fight for the
climate change process because it is the first time that a legally enforceable
agreement unites all countries in the fight against climate change and in the attempt
to adapt to its effects.20 The agreement is the world’s first comprehensive climate
accord in the world where all nations are expected to participate.

Praise and celebration after the Paris climate change agreement. Photo: UN

20
IPCC (2013). Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to
the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin,
G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)].
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
5 Challenges and Possibilities in Climate Change Education

5.1 Cognitive Challenges

Individuals have developed ideas during the past ten years that enable them to
comprehend and discuss climate change in their own unique ways. There are,
however, a number of widely held beliefs that remove themselves from scientific
answers and are ineffective in encouraging solving the world's problems.21

Many citizens were unsure of the links between specific human actions and the
release of greenhouse gases or confused a variety of environmental issues. Lots of
people asserted that if they lived in a metropolis or developed country, the effects of
the phenomenon would not be felt by them until after their lifespan. The belief that
humans can address the issue of climate change differs from person to person. Some
people thought that humans cannot control climate change because it is a natural
phenomenon. 22 Certain concepts are difficult to understand as they need necessary
knowledge in several scientific fields. For the layperson, it can also prove difficult to
recall the exact wording for each concept.

5.2 Education about climate change and adaptation

Research about climate change and adaptation needs to be furthered. Specialists can
succeed with climate change education by getting out in the field, observing current
changes in the ecosystem, forecasting impacts, promoting awareness among the
community, build their competences and facilitate teaching of complex
environmental concepts. Research in education and communication about climate
change must become a priority. Climate change is a posing environmental problem
that is weakening the earth day by day. Many researchers must recognize the
importance of communicating to citizens to help them become aware of the urgency
to act, and to enable them to carry out mitigation and adaptation actions.

21
USGCRP (2014) Melillo, Jerry M., Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and Gary W. Yohe, Eds., 2014: Climate
Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change
Research Program.
22
USGCRP (2014) Melillo, Jerry M., Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and Gary W. Yohe, Eds., 2014: Climate
Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change
Research Program.
Trees donated by the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS are planted at the Exodus
Junior Academy in the capital, Juba. Photo: UNMISS/Eric Kanalstein

5.3 Solutions to Climate Change

5.3.1 Mitigate greenhouse gas emissions

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using climate-friendly energy resources like

solar panels and renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources include wind
turbines, solar energy, and geothermal energy. These do not use fossil fuels so they
do not release greenhouse gases.

The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) of 2008 requires a 25% reduction in
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all sectors of the economy below the 1990
baseline emission level in 2020 and at least an 80% reduction in 2050.23

23
UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL CHANGE.
Retrieved from https://ugc.berkeley.edu/background-content/greenhouse-effect/
The graph above shows the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per year through the 21st century
for each scenario that limits global warming to 1.5°C (described above: P1 to P4). The shaded area
shows the full range of options studied in the IPCC 2018 report.
Credit: IPCC

To keep the total warming limited to 1.5°C, we need to act quickly to change energy
sources, how land is used, how industry operates, and our urban environments,
including buildings and transportation. For example, industries can reduce emissions
with new and existing technologies and practices, such as switching power sources,
using sustainable materials like bioplastic, and capturing carbon emissions at
factories so they don’t make it into the atmosphere.24

5.3.2 Raise Awareness

Support or join awareness raising of people in your locality/community about

climate change. While it is a very important and urgent concern to this generation, it
is however a relatively new issue that needs to be disseminated and linked to
potential hazards and risks. Suggest or advocate integration of climate change
mitigation and adaptation into organizational/institutional plans to mainstream this
consciousness and create changes in local practices and behavior.

5.3.2.1 Ways to Increase Awareness

Join a Climate Change Organization

You can join a growing community of concerned citizens by joining a climate group
with like-minded activists. And if there's one thing we've learned from earlier
movements, it's that there's power in numbers.

24
Explore Types of Greenhouse Gases As Agents of Climate Change.
Retrieved from: https://www.bioexplorer.net/greenhouse-gases.html/
Doing some study to find the high-quality NGOs that share your values among the
many that are working relentlessly to raise awareness of climate change today is
worthwhile.

Donate to Climate Change Awareness Campaigns

If you have the money but not the time, think about making a donation to
organizations. Every penny counts toward raising political and general public
awareness.

Become Active on Social Media

Your friends and relatives might not be as informed as you are on the effects of the
changing climate on our world. Fortunately, social media puts everything you need
at your fingertips to strengthen your voice.

Communication and conversation are key to raising awareness about climate change.
Sharing credible resources on sustainability's advantages and the effects of climate
change can influence your followers to take action and alter their viewpoints. You
will at the very least contribute to keeping the discussion on your friends' newsfeeds.

Organize a Community Cleanup

You can raise awareness of climate change on a more manageable scale by

organizing a neighborhood cleanup at a park, beach, or walking route. Additionally,
every flyer or social media post promoting the event serves as a climate change
awareness advertisement.

The best part is that organizing community cleanup days is quick and affordable.
You only need to provide:

- Garbage Bags
- Gloves
- Pick Stick
- Refreshments

5.4 Planting more trees

Another vital step to reducing the effects of climate change is planting more trees.
Working with local communities to protect forests from rampant deforestation. The
forests are being constantly abused from worldwide demand for wood and paper. We
should protect our forests as they provide food, shelter and the oxygen that we all
breathe. They are also responsible for the regulation of rainfall and climate patterns
around the world.
Will Ashley-Cantello, Chief adviser for forests Retrieved from: THERE’S A LOT MORE TO
FORESTS THAN TREES, wwf.org.uk

CONCLUSION

Climate and environmental changes are results of human activities. Greenhouse

gases are acting like blankets around the earth, wrapping heat into the atmosphere
which leads to earth warming. Due to the continuous rise in global temperature in the
last 130 years 25 environmental challenges are advancing. These consequences are
rises in sea level, extinction of plant and animal species, melting ice caps, and

25
Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Retrieved from: https://www.mass.gov/mitigating-greenhouse-gas-emissions
increased frequencies in extreme weather phenomena such as cyclones. 26 There are
distortions and pollution in our water supplies, weather, agriculture, seasons, power,
and so on. It is not difficult to predict the impact of climate change as its effects are
already taking a toll on us.
It is important to make sustainable choices that will help mitigate greenhouse gasses.
The best way is to get ourselves and the younger generations involved in
environmental education and other avenues of public enlightenment. Human beings
have contributed to a number of devastating consequences of climate change.
Individuals should play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable ecological behavior.
Different nations and regions will be affected quite differently by climate changes,
both those that have already been observed and those that are expected. However,
over time, the changes will have an impact on people in every country on the earth;
nowhere will the climate remain the same.

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