PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM (GECOS)

SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH ALLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (SONHABS)

Short Term 2023

Saint Louis University

School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Baguio City

NAME: BISQUERA, Billionette Dion B. Date submitted: JULY 8, 2023

Course and Year: BSN3 SLU ID Number: 2214752

SAQ 4.4. Factors Causing Climate Change

Answer:

Factor/ Cause Specific Example Effect

Greenhouse Gas Emission Transportation - The
transportation sector
generates the largest
share of 28% of
greenhouse gas emissions.
Primarily come from
burning fossil fuel for our
cars, trucks, ships, trains,
and planes. (EPA, 2015)
The burning of fossil fuels
for energy generation
and transportation is a
major source of CO2
emissions. For instance,
when coal, oil, or natural
gas is burned to produce
power vehicles,
substantial amounts of
CO2 are released into the
atmosphere. These
emissions trap heat and
contribute to the

PROF. WILFRED B. BAMBICO, Chem, MAEduc, LPT, PhD Sci Educ

Department of Professional Education, School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
 PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM (GECOS)
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH ALLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (SONHABS)
Short Term 2023

greenhouse effect,
leading to a rise in global
temperatures and
subsequent impacts like
melting ice caps, rising
sea levels, and extreme
weather events.
Deforestation Illegal logging for Widespread
agricultural expansion – deforestation, primarily
This destroys trees that act due to human activities
as carbon sinks and such as logging for
climate regulators which agricultural expansion,
play a significant role in contributes significantly to
global warming and climate change. Trees
climate change. play a crucial role in
(Conserve Energy Future, absorbing CO2 from the
2017) atmosphere through
photosynthesis. When
forests are cleared, the
stored carbon is released
back into the atmosphere
as CO2, exacerbating the
greenhouse effect. The
loss of forests also reduces
the planet's capacity to
absorb CO2, resulting in
higher concentrations of
greenhouse gases.
Industrial Activities Production of cement - Industrial processes,
Cement is the most including manufacturing,
widely-used substance on mining, and chemical
Earth after water. When production, release
mixed with water, it forms various greenhouse gases
concrete that becomes and pollutants into the
atmosphere. For instance,
the backbone of
the production of cement
buildings, roads, dams,
involves chemical
and bridges. reactions that generate
But the cement industry is substantial CO2 emissions.
responsible for about 8% These emissions contribute
of planet-warming carbon to the greenhouse effect
dioxide emissions— far and amplify climate
more than global carbon change. The
emissions from aviation. consequences include
(Tracy & Novak, 2023) altered precipitation

PROF. WILFRED B. BAMBICO, Chem, MAEduc, LPT, PhD Sci Educ

Department of Professional Education, School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
 PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM (GECOS)
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH ALLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (SONHABS)
Short Term 2023

patterns, disrupted
ecosystems, and adverse
health effects due to air
pollution.
Agriculture and Livestock Synthetic Fertilizer - Agricultural practices,
Synthetic fertilizers have particularly intensive
been widely used in farming and livestock
agriculture to increase production contribute to
crop yields and improve climate change through
food security. However, various mechanisms. The
their use also has use of synthetic fertilizers
significant impacts on the releases nitrous oxide, a
environment, including potent greenhouse gas.
climate change. One of The impact of nitrous
the main ways that oxide on climate change
synthetic fertilizers is twofold. Firstly, it acts as
contribute to climate a greenhouse gas,
change is through the trapping heat in the
release of the powerful atmosphere and leading
greenhouse gas nitrous to global warming. This
oxide (Mahankale, 2023). contributes to the rising
temperatures, melting ice
caps, and changes in
weather patterns that we
are witnessing today.
Secondly, nitrous oxide
indirectly affects climate
change by contributing to
the destruction of the
ozone layer. The ozone
layer acts as a protective
shield, filtering out harmful
ultraviolet (UV) radiation
from the sun. Its depletion
can result in increased UV
radiation reaching the
Earth's surface, leading to
health issues for humans,
damage to ecosystems,
and disruptions to
agriculture.
Oceanic Factor El Niño and La Niña El Niño and La Niña are
natural climate patterns in
the tropical Pacific
Ocean that have a global

PROF. WILFRED B. BAMBICO, Chem, MAEduc, LPT, PhD Sci Educ

Department of Professional Education, School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
 PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM (GECOS)
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH ALLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (SONHABS)
Short Term 2023

impact. During El Niño

events, warmer-than-
normal sea surface
temperatures occur in the
central and eastern
Pacific, affecting weather
patterns worldwide. This
can lead to droughts in
some regions and
increased rainfall in
others. Conversely, during
La Niña events, cooler-
than-normal sea surface
temperatures prevail,
influencing weather
patterns in different ways
(Poynting, 2023). These
phenomena can have
profound effects on
agriculture, fisheries, and
extreme weather events
globally.

References:

Causes, Effects and Solutions to Combating Illegal Logging Globally - Conserve Energy

Future. (2017, September 25). Conserve Energy Future. https://www.conserve-energy-

future.com/causes-effects-solutions-illegal-

logging.php#:~:text=Illegal%20logging%20destroys%20trees%20that,global%20warmi

ng%20and%20climate%20change.

Mahankale, N. R. (2023). Global influence of synthetic fertilizers on climate change.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-023-00511-0

Poynting, M. (2023, January 10). What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the

weather? BBC News; BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-

64192508

PROF. WILFRED B. BAMBICO, Chem, MAEduc, LPT, PhD Sci Educ

Department of Professional Education, School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts
 PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM (GECOS)
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH ALLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (SONHABS)
Short Term 2023

Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions | US EPA. (2015, December 29). US EPA.

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

Tracy, B., & Novak, A. (2023, January 16). Cement industry accounts for about 8% of CO2

emissions. One startup seeks to change that. Cbsnews.com; CBS News.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cement-industry-co2-emissions-climate-change-

brimstone/#:~:text=Cement%20is%20the%20most%20widely,global%20carbon%20em

issions%20from%20aviation.

PROF. WILFRED B. BAMBICO, Chem, MAEduc, LPT, PhD Sci Educ

Department of Professional Education, School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts