CLIMATE CHANGE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Define and differentiate climate change, global warming, and greenhouse effect
 Identify the cause and effects of climate change
 Recognize the impact of climate in the society
 Present solutions and ways on how to mitigate the effects of climate change.

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due to
many internal and external factors. The climatic change has become a global concern over the last few
decades. Besides, these climatic changes affect life on the earth in various ways.

DIFFERENTIATE CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, AND GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Climate change refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time –
including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.

“Global warming” refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

whereas the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomena, constantly occurring due to the
atmosphere and sunlight.

CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

IMPACT OF CLIMATE IN THE SOCIETY

The impacts of climate change on different sectors of society are interrelated. Drought can harm food
production and human health. Flooding can lead to disease spread and damages to ecosystems and
infrastructure. Human health issues can increase mortality, impact food availability, and limit worker
productivity.

SOLUTIONS AND WAYS ON HOW TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

Climate change is a proven fact. Global warming has caused serious changes to the planet, such as rising
sea levels, extreme weather events, deforestation, disappearance of species... But, as individuals we can
slow down global warming by implementing small more sustainable actions within our community.
1. Reduce emissions

Use your car less, whenever possible, instead use sustainable transportation, such as bicycling, or use
public transportation more often.

2. Save energy

Take a look at the labels on your appliances, and never leave them on standby. Always adjust the
thermostat for heating and air conditioning.

3. Put the 3 R's of sustainability into practice

- Reduce: consume less, more efficiently.

- Reuse: take advantage of second-hand markets, to give new life to items that you don't use anymore
or find something that someone else has gotten rid of that you need. 

- Recycle: packaging, waste from electronics, etc. Did you know that you can save over 730 kilos of
CO2 each year just by recycling half of the garbage produced at home?

4. What about your diet? Eat low-carbon

A low-carbon diet results in smarter consumption:

- Reduce your meat consumption (livestock is one of the biggest contaminators of the atmosphere) and
increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.

- Eat food that is local and in season: read the label and eat food that is produced in the area, avoid
imports which create more emissions due to transportation. Also, eat seasonal items, to avoid less
sustainable production methods.

- Avoid excessive packaging and processed foods as much as possible.

5. Act against forest loss

- As far as possible, avoid anything that may be a fire hazard.

- If you want to buy wood, choose wood with a certification or seal showing its sustainable origin.

- Plant a tree! Throughout its life, it can absorb up to a ton of CO2.

6. Make demands from the government

Demand that they take measures toward a more sustainable life, any way that you
can: promote renewable energy, regulatory measures such as properly labelling products (fishing
method used, labels that specify product origins, whether or not they are transgenic, etc.),
promote more sustainable public transportation, promote the use of bicycles and other non-polluting
transportation methods in the city, correctly manage waste through recycling/reuse, etc.
Questions:

1. is climate change caused by humans?

2. What happens if we do nothing to stop climate change?
3. What are the main threats of climate change?
4. What are solutions to climate change?
5. How is climate change affecting animals?