Geography Climate Change We can also use…

Pollen Analysis and sea bed sediments

5. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT /
ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
1. CLIMATE CHANGE More recent evidence of climate changes include photo- The earth’s atmosphere contains greenhouse gases. These
graphs, newspapers, changes in timing of bird migrations,
Climate Change is the long term change in average tempera- are naturally occurring gases such as carbon dioxide, me-
ture and rainfall. thane and water vapour.

Over the past 2.6 3. NATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE These gases let sunlight pass through the atmosphere but
million years (a time they trap heat in preventing it from leaving.
period known as the • Volcanic Activity – volcanic ash can block
QUATERNARY) the This causes a natural greenhouse effect which keeps the
out/reflect the Sun’s rays and cause the earth warm enough for life to exist so it is very important.
earth has seen great
Earth to cool down (1991 Mt Pinatubo
changes in climate
from glacial periods eruption – Philippines)
(very cold tempera- • Solar Output – Sun Spots – Dark patches
tures where ice has emit more solar radiation meaning earth
covered large parts gets more heat energy from the sun and
of the earth’s sur- gets warmer.
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face) to interglacial
periods (warmer pe-
• Orbital Variation – the way the Earth orbits
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER YEAR 8

riods where ice has

the sun varies over time, which can cause
retreated to the
poles). climate change. The earth’s orbit changes
shape from circular to elliptical.
During the last ice age, large parts of the UK were covered by
ice (see above map). The last ice age ended around 10,000
4. HUMAN CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE
St Ivo School Geography Department

years ago with ice retreating towards the poles. We are now in
an inter-glacial period.
Recent temperature increase is linked to the The enhanced
2. HOW DO WE KNOW THE CLIMATE HAS CHANGED? human activities increasing greenhouse gases in greenhouse effect
the atmosphere through.. is where the
We can use various pieces of evidence to see what the climate amount of green-
was like in the past. For example.. • Burning Fossil Fuels – coal, oil, gas – that
house gases in the
releases CO2 (GHG). Used in energy produc-
Tree Rings (Dendrochronology) – Each year, trees grow a new atmosphere has
tion, factories and transport
ring. During warmer years, the rings are thicker. A thin tree been increased by
ring means poorer growing season—drier and colder. • Farming – Cattle and rice paddy fields emit human activity.
Ice Core Samples - A long cylinder of ice that has been drilled methane (GHG) that is 20 times more pow-
This means that
from a glacier/ice sheet. erful than CO2. Methane is also released
more solar radia-
from landfill (dumping of waste)
Ice builds up in layers each year, trapping gases which can tell tion is trapped and
us about the atmosphere at that time. This can tell us a bit • Deforestation – chopping down trees therefore temper-
about the likely temperatures at that time. We have ice cores means less CO2.is absorbed and clearing ature are getting
that date back 800,000 years in Antarctica! warmer.
trees by burning also releases CO2. Source: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
 Climate Change continued.. EXAMPLES OF GLOBAL IMPACTS Examples of adaptation include:
Geography 6. THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
• Crop yields in Bangladesh will reduce by 30% leading to • Sea Defences in place to protect land from being eroded
very high risk of hunger and also in places to prevent areas from flooding (e.g.
The effects of global warming are a real cause for con- Thames Barrier)
• More forest fires e.g. Australia, California etc.
cern and include effects on both people and the envi-
ronment. • Melting glaciers in Himalayas—reducing water availability • Water Transfer—transferring water from areas where
there is lots to areas of shortage.
• Loss of major global habitats—e.g. the Great Barrier
EFFECTS ON PEOPLE EFFECTS ON THE
Reef—Australia. • Flood Shelters and building houses on stilts—in low lying
ENVIRONMENT
areas—e.g. Bangladesh to reduce impact of sea level rise.
Loss of homes due to sea Melting sea ice—loss of 7. TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
level rise and flooding due habitat for species such as • Planting different crops—those which can survive in
to melting ice. polar bears etc. The problems of climate change are getting worse and if we warmer and drier conditions.
don’t act now, we will reach a tipping point where large
More extreme weather Melting glaciers / ice- scale, irreversible changes may happen. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE USE BOTH MITIGATION AND
e.g. more powerful hurri- sheets cause sea level rise
There are two things we can do to manage climate change.: ADPATATION IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE.
canes causing devastating
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impacts on communities MITIGATION and ADAPTATION

Increased deaths from Low lying coastal areas 1. MITIGATION WHAT CAN WE DO?
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER YEAR 8

heatstroke flooding due to sea level

This is about trying to tackle the cause of climate change by 8. REDUCING OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
rise destroying habitats
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include:
Reduced crop yields re- Changing precipitation The Ecological Footprint of a place is a measure of how much
• Alternative energy – using renewables instead of fossil
sult in malnutrition and patterns land is needed to provide a place (eg city) with all the energy,
fuels.
St Ivo School Geography Department

• Planting Trees – Increases the amount of CO2 absorbed water and resources it needs. This includes how much is needed
People forced to leave Sea temperatures rising from the atmosphere. to absorb its pollution and waste.
their homes (increase causing coral bleaching
• Carbon Capture – Carbon capture and storage – traps,
migration) and loss of coral reefs. Each of us has our own carbon footprint which is the total
transports and stores CO2.
Water shortages • International agreements – Agreements that look to greenhouse gas emissions caused by the resources we use.
monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples Part of our carbon footprint and an increasing area of concern
IMPACTS FOR THE UK: are the Rio Earth Summit, Kyoto Summit and the Paris
that we can tackle is our plastic footprint, i.e. the amount of
• average temperatures rising (hotter summers) Agreement.
plastic we use.
• Increased local flooding / more flash flooding Reducing greenhouse gas emissions does require interna-
Plastic is a problem in terms of its impact on oceans, ecosys-
• more extreme weather tional co-operation with governments across the world
working together. This can be difficult to achieve, however. tems and health BUT it also is a major contributor to green-
• Increase coastal erosion due to sea level rise
house emissions and therefore climate change.
• water shortages in summer 2. ADAPTATION
• changes in crops that we can grow and what is One of the big problems is single-use plastics. These are things
available when This is about things we can do to try and reduce the negative
that are only used once before being thrown away or recycled.
impacts of climate change.
• Elderly and young most vulnerable

Climate Change continued..
Geography 9. THE PLASTIC PROBLEM
Did you know?
• On a daily basis we litter around 700,000 plastic
bottles!
• Each year 5.5. billion plastic bottles are sent to land-
fill, littered or incinerated!
The impacts of Plastic on the environment?
• Millions of animals killed every year—e.g. by stran-
gulation or becoming entangled in plastic waste.
• Many animals stomachs becomes so packed with
micro-plastics it reduces the urge to eat and these
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animals starve to death.
• Chemicals from plastics pass through the food chain
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER YEAR 8
• Huge greenhouse gas emissions involved in the
production of plastics and associated products as
well as during recycling or burning of plastics.
What can we do?
St Ivo School Geography Department
Key Term Definition
APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE...
• What do we mean by the terms glacial and interglacial?
Adaptation Actions taken to readjust to climate change to reduce the
negative impacts of changes.
Anthropocene Current period of time in which human activity has a domi-
• What can we use to find out what the climate was like in
nant influence on climate and the environment.
the past?
Atmospheric Composi- Chemicals in the earth’s atmosphere (including oxygen, car-
• Describe two examples of natural causes of climate change tion bon dioxide, hydrogen etc.)
• Describe how the enhanced greenhouse effect works. Climate Change A long time change in the earth’s climate (an increase or de-
crease in average temperature)
• Outline 3 human activities that contribute to greenhouse
Climate Cycle A climate ‘pattern’ cycling between colder periods (glacials)
gas emissions and warm periods (inter-glacials)
• Explain the impacts of climate change on people and the Dendrochronology Study of tree rings—can be used to infer climate change.
environment.
Ecological Footprint The amount of land and water it takes to support people or a
place in terms of the resources consumed and absorption of
Now Challenge yourself even further!
waste generated.
• What is the difference between mitigation and adapta-
Enhanced Greenhouse The increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to
tion?
Effect human activities causing more heat to be trapped.
• Try and explain why it is difficult to get international co- Glacial Period A period of very cold conditions when ice covers large parts of
operation between countries when trying to tackle the the earth’s surface
climate change problem. Global Warming An increase in the earth’s overall average temperature
Greenhouse Effect Trapping of sun’s energy in the atmosphere due to green-
Some ideas for finding out more...
house gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
• Explore your ecological footprint using this site
Ice Age A period of extreme cold global temperatures
https://www.footprintcalculator.org/
Ice Core Cylinder of ice drilled from an ice sheet
• Explore your plastic footprint here https://
Interglacial Period A period of warmer temperature between two glacial periods
www.carbonfootprint.com/plastic_calculator.html
• Watch this brilliant David Attenborough documen- Kyoto Protocol An international treaty setting limits on greenhouse gas emis-
sions (signed in 1997)
tary “Climate Change—The Facts https://
Mitigation Action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. tackling the
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00049b1/
cause of climate change.
Orbital Changes The path of the earth’s orbit around the sun varies over
OTHER RESOURCES KS3 Schoology time—which can cause changes in climate
Causes of Climate Change https:// Precipitation Any form of moisture falling from the atmosphere— including
rain, sleet and snow.
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/z7wnvcw
Quaternary Period Period of geological time from 2.6 million years ago to today.
Human activity and Climate Change
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ Solar Output Amount of solar radiation from the sun. When there are sun
zt6sfg8/revision/2 spots (dark patches on the sun) more radiation is released.
A simple guide to climate change
To test yourself Read, Cover, Write, Check OR try this quizlet
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-
https://tinyurl.com/KS3ClimateChange
environment-24021772