General GENV101 information

❖Part A marks are available on Moodle (check “grades”) and ITS.

Please check and raise any issues by 28 April 2023.
❖Assignment 1 submission has been extended to 02 MAY 2023. The
submission portal will be available from this week. Check plagiarism
before deadline.
❖Project PART B submission extended to 16 MAY 2023. Upload one
video to Moodle.
❖Review supplementary reading on Moodle. It will be tested in the
final GENV101 test at the end of the semester.
CLIMATE CHANGE
GENV101 2023
B. KALICHARAN
What is climate? How is it different to
weather?
 What Is Climate Change?
Climate change is a change in the average temperature
and cycles of weather over a long period of time.

What is happening to the 1.5

Temperature Anomaly (°C)

global temperature?

Data source: NASA's Goddard Institute

1.0

The planet is becoming

for Space Studies (GISS)

0.5

warmer; the climate is

0
changing.
-0.5

1920

2016
1880
1888
1896
1904
1912

1928
1936
1944
1952
1960
1968
1976
1984
1992
2000
2008
Year
 Climate change occurs when either side
of energy balance is perturbed.

The Earths energy balance

exists between the
incoming short-wave
radiation energy and
outgoing long wave
radiation energy

Figure: Hydrogen Ambassadors

MAINTAINING THE ENERGY BUDGET
The Earth’s surface emits
long wavelength radiation.
This does interact with the
greenhouse gas molecules.

H2O The greenhouse gas molecules

absorb some of the energy,
CO2
trapping it in the atmosphere.
CH4
CH4
This process keeps the Earth
CO2 warm and is essential for life.

CH4
CO2

H2O

CH4

CO2
Greenhouse Effect

Figure: Penn State University

Albedo effect
❖The ability of a surface to reflect sunlight. A perfectly reflective surface would
get an albedo score of 1, while a completely dark object would have an albedo
of 0.
❖Light-colored surfaces (high albedo) reflect more sunlight than dark-colored
surfaces (low albedo)
❖Both ice and snow are high albedo examples. Forest, grass and dirt have lower
albedo than snow does.
❖As the climate changes due to global warming
❖sea ice and glaciers that melt will lower the overall albedo effect of the
earth.
❖warmer climate = increased precipitation = Less snow means less snow
cover, further lowering earth’s albedo.
HOW DOES ALBEDO
IMPACT GLOBAL WARMING
AND CLIMATE CHANGE?
 Why Is Climate Change a Problem?
Coral Bleaching Species Loss
99 % 20
100
18 2°C 1.5°C
90 18

Percentage Species Loss

Percentage Coral Loss
16 2°C
80 16
70 %
70 14
60 12
50 10
40 8 8
8
30 6
6
20 4
4
10
2
0
1.5 2 0
Bleached coral, Maldives by
Temperature Rise (°C) Untitled by © Ola Jennersten insects plants vertebrates
© naturepl.com / Peter Scoones / WWF licensed under CC BY / WWF-Sweden licensed under CC BY

Drought Rise in Sea Level

Million People Affected

420 410 49
50

Sea Level Rise (cm)

million 58 million
410 56 cm
56 49
400 54 48
390 52 46
47
380 50 million
48 cm 46
370 48
350 46 45
360
350
million 44 44
1.5 2 1.5 2
340 Temperature Rise (°C) Temperature Rise (°C)
330
320
1.5 2
Dried up fishing pans in Liuwa plain
Temperature Rise (°C)
National Park by © Jasper Doest / WWF licensed under CC BY Climate change adaption Wadden sea by © Claudi Nir / WWF licensed under CC BY
 Why Is Climate Change a Problem?

Over millions of years, species

become adapted to survive in the
conditions in which they live. A stable
climate supports this process and
allows living things to thrive. If the
climate changes quickly, organisms
don’t have enough time to adapt to
new conditions and may no longer be
able to survive.
Bushfire Aftermath On Kangaroo Island by © Brad Fleet / Newspix licensed under CC BY
 Why Is Climate 600

Change a 500

Problem? 400

Climate change disrupts

Number of Reported Natural Disasters

300
weather patterns and causes

Data source: EM-DAT International Disaster Database

extreme weather events to 200

become more common.

These include hurricane 100

activity, droughts and floods. 0

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

As the global temperature has Year
increased, so has the number
of reported natural disasters.
 Why Is Climate Change a Problem?
250

Sea Level Change (mm)

200
Rising temperatures are causing sea
levels to increase. 150

Data source: NASA (GISS)

The rising water can cover coastal areas, 100
destroying habitats and displacing whole 50
populations from low-lying areas.
0
-50
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year

Rising sea levels are driven by two main processes:

1. Ice Melt: When the atmosphere and ocean get warmer, ice sheets and
glaciers melt, resulting in the addition of fresh water to the ocean.
2. Thermal Expansion: As ocean water gets warmer, it expands, causing
sea levels to rise.
 Why Is Climate Change a Problem?
The increase in global temperatures is causing a reduction in sea ice.
This causes problems for animals that depend on the ice to hunt, mate and sleep.

Untitled by © Shutterstock / Ritesh Chaudhary / WWF licensed under CC BY

 What Causes Climate Change?
Climate change can be caused gradually by natural processes or suddenly by large events, such as a massive
meteorite strike or volcanic activity. However, the rapid climate change we are experiencing now is due to three
main human activities:

➢ Burning fossil fuels for heating and

cooking, generating electricity and
powering vehicles releases carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere.
➢ Deforestation (destruction of forests)
releases carbon dioxide and reduces
the number of trees able to capture Untitled by © Sam Hobson / WWF-UK licensed under CC BY

carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

➢ Reduction of biodiversity creates an
unstable ecosystem. Nature loss leads
to ecosystems that are less able to
capture carbon from the atmosphere
and less resilient to rising temperatures.
Deforestation for future agriculture plantation-Tahuamanu
Province, heading to Centro Poblado de Alerta - Madre de Dios
Region, Peru by © Nicolas Villaume / WWF-US licensed under CC BY
The 20 largest contributors to
cumulative CO2 emissions
1850-2021, billions of tonnes,
broken down into subtotals
from fossil fuels and cement
(grey) as well as land use and
forestry (green). Source:
Carbon Brief analysis of
figures from the Global
Carbon Project, CDIAC, Our
World in Data, Carbon
Monitor, Houghton and
Nassikas (2017) and Hansis et
al (2015). Chart by Carbon
Brief using Highcharts.
 Effects of Climate Change on Health
Temperature Extremes: more heat-related deaths and medical visits for
cardiovascular, kidney, & respiratory disorders
Floods: increased drowning deaths and higher exposures to mold and
waterborne diseases
Wildfires: poor air quality increases respiratory and cardiovascular issues
like asthma and COPD
Air Pollution: exposure to particulate matter and ozone increases
hospitalizations and deaths for respiratory diseases like asthma
 Effects of Climate Change on Health
Allergens and Pollen: longer growing seasons mean more pollen and
increased allergy rates
Food Security: changing climate and more severe weather leads to declining
crop yields and less food produced; prices rise and more people go hungry
Disease Carried by Vectors: disease-carrying organisms like mosquitoes can
move into new areas
Mental Heath and Stress-Related Disorders: higher rates of poor mental
health following climate-related disaster events like floods, hurricanes, and
wildfires
 SOME QUESTIONS
1. Which people around the world will be most vulnerable to the
health effects of climate change? Why?
2. What happens if the earth’s albedo continues to decrease
3. Provide the correct term for the statements in the next slide
 a change in the climate patterns of a place

Word Bank
Changes due to human influence
carbon dioxide
climate change small particles that are suspended in the air

greenhouse gas colorless, odorless gas that is produced by

burning fossil fuels like oil and gas
anthropogenic gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that
trap heat
Energy balance
energy received from the Sun is equal to the
particulate matter energy lost by the Earth back into space

vectors
organisms such as fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes
waterborne disease that can transmit disease
diseases transmitted by water that contains
germs, chemicals, or toxins
 Part B: Video
Video length: MAXIMUM 8 minutes including voiceover and subtitles if
required. Save as the smallest possible size format without
compromising video quality.
You can upload the video separately on Moodle or embed it in a PPT
presentation.
One video with all group members. ONE SUBMISSION PER GROUP
Part B accounts for 20% of your final mark
PART B Video Content
➢Introduce the group and provide a summary of what your environmental
sustainability project entailed. i.e. briefly explain activity/idea. Describe the
rationale/reason for choosing that particular activity/idea (2 minute)
➢Show evidence that the activity was conducted as well as some of the
outcomes (interview people, pictures, etc.) (2 minutes)
➢State all 5 DUT Graduate Attributes. Summary of how you achieved ALL 5
DUT Graduate Attributes through implementing your environmental
sustainability project – through group work/individual effort. (3 minutes).
How will this project add value in terms of personal and professional life (1
minute)
DUT Graduate attributes
1)Critical and creative thinkers who work
independently and collaboratively
2)Knowledgeable Practitioners
3)Effective Communicators
4)Culturally, Environmentally and Socially Aware
within a local and global context
5)Active and reflective thinkers
Video troubleshooting
Video file size is too large
◦Compress video
Cannot upload to Moodle
◦Save in smaller file size
◦Check connectivity
◦Contact lecturer– Make arrangements for Teams
submission
Part B VIDEO
A marking rubric will be made available on Moodle and distributed via online platforms prior to
submission of work.
Work must be submitted timeously.
➢If you miss the deadline but submit within one week with a valid reason, the group will not
be penalised.
➢If you submit work without a suitable/valid reason, then the group will be penalised 30% of
the final mark.
➢If you fail to submit your work, then the entire group will receive a 0 for that assessment.

Due: 16 May 2023, submit via Moodle by 23:59pm

ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER GROUP
Remember: Assignment 1
➢Due: 02 May 2023, Upload to Moodle by 23:59pm
➢DO NOT email submissions
➢Check for plagiarism
➢Upload file – Do not press “submit”
➢Check level of plagiarism – Amend if necessary
➢Submit your work once you are happy with it