Interactive Geography (2nd edition)

Causes of climate change

3.1 What is the greenhouse effect? What is global warming?
 Refer to textbook P. 18-19

Concept • Greenhouse effect, global warming

Greenhouse effect Global warming

A natural process in which greenhouse A rise in global temperature due to the

Definition gases in the atmosphere absorb heat and increasing emissions of greenhouse
keep the Earth warm gases from human activities

Solar radiation travels through the Solar radiation travels through the
atmosphere atmosphere

 

The Earth’s surface is heated and The Earth’s surface is heated and
releases heat, warming the atmosphere releases heat, warming the atmosphere

 
Processes
Huge amounts of greenhouse gases
Some of the heat is absorbed by
produced by human activities trap
greenhouse gases
more heat in the atmosphere

 

Some of the heat escapes to space Less heat can escape to space

What are greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases absorb and trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth warm for living things
to survive. Examples include water vapour, carbon dioxide and methan.

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3.2 What is climate change?  Refer to textbook P. 20-21

Concept • Climate change

Climate change

Definition The significant long-term changes in climatic patterns

 It is projected that by the end of the 21st century, the

1. Temperature
global mean temperature is likely to increase by more
than 1.5°C.

 High-latitude regions may experience a larger increase

compared with the tropical regions.

Future  Global rainfall patterns will become more extreme with

scenarios larger regional differences.
2. Rainfall
 High-latitude regions may receive more rainfall, while
some mid-latitude regions and low-latitude regions may
receive less.

 Extreme rainfall events may become more intense and

occur more frequently.

Complete the comparison below between greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change.
Greenhouse Global Climate
effect warming change
1. Is it caused by increased
No Yes Yes
concentrations of greenhouse gases?
2. Does it lead to an increase in global
No Yes Yes
temperature?
3. Does it cause long-term changes in
No No Yes
various weather elements?

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3.3 What are the human activities that cause climate change?
 Refer to textbook P. 22-25

Concept: Climate change • Causes

Cause Description

 The extraction and burning

1. Use of fossil fuels
of fossil fuels emit a lot of
 Fossil fuels such as coal, oil
greenhouse gases.
and natural gas have been the
 Fossil fuels are most heavily
major source of energy.
used for power generation,
followed by transport.

2. Farming activities

 Trees are important carbon sinks, as they absorb and store carbon
dioxide through photosynthesis.
a. Opening up
farmland
 Large areas of forests have
 Fewer trees to absorb carbon
been cleared and turned into
dioxide
farmland.

 Open up farmland and  Huge amounts of carbon

increase soil fertility by dioxide are released into the
burning vegetation air.

b. Pastoral farming Take cattle rearing as an example

 Cattle digesting their food  Produce methane

 Decomposition of manure  Release methane and nitrous

oxide

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Cause Description

c. Use of chemical
fertilisers
 Farmers often use a lot of  When these fertilisers
chemical fertilisers to decompose, nitrous oxide is
increase soil fertility. released.

3. Industrial activities

a. Cement
 Cement is widely used as a
production
building material, and its  The production of cement
demand has greatly increased releases large amounts of
due to rapid urban and carbon dioxide.
industrial development.

b. Refrigerant and  CFCs are man-made

aerosol production  The production and use of greenhouse gases that are

industrial products such as powerful heat absorbers.

refrigerants and aerosols  Although CFCs have already

produce chlorofluorocarbons been phased out today, they
(CFCs). will remain in the atmosphere
for a long time.

 Landfilling and incineration

4. Waste treatment
 Billion tonnes of solid waste
give off a lot of carbon
are produced worldwide
dioxide.
because of urban
 Methane is also produced in
development and population
landfills when the waste
growth.
decomposes.

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3.4 What are the causes of the changing climate in Hong Kong?
 Refer to textbook P. 26-27

Concept: Climate change • Causes

Cause Source of greenhouse gases Description

 Burning of coal and natural

 The biggest source of greenhouse gases
gas in power generation

 The second biggest source of

1. Increase
greenhouse gases
in local
emissions  The heavy flows of people and goods,
 Transport
as well as the growing number of cars,
consume huge amounts of fossil fuels
and produce a lot of greenhouse gases.

 Rapid urban and industrial

2. Increase
 The increase in population development have taken place in the
in
and the number of factories, Zhujiang Delta Region since the 1980s.
regional
power plants and cars  Hong Kong, which is located at the
emissions
mouth of Zhujiang, is also affected.

How does urban development intensify the urban heat

Case study

island effect in Hong Kong?  Refer to textbook P. 28-29

Urban heat island effect

 Urban areas are usually warmer than rural areas as it is difficult for the heat
Phenomenon
to escape even at night and the rate of cooling is also slower.

 In the urban areas, tall buildings trap more heat, leading to higher
Causes temperatures.
 In the rural areas, air can move and escape freely. Temperatures are lower.

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 Greenhouse effect and global warming

Greenhouse effect 溫室效應 Greenhouse gases 溫室氣體
Global warming 全球增溫 Nitrous oxide 氧化亞氮
Atmosphere 大氣圈 Industrial Revolution 工業革命
Water vapour 水汽 Solar radiation 太陽輻射
Carbon dioxide 二氧化碳 Ground radiation 地面輻射
Methane 甲烷

 Climate change
Climate change 氣候變化 Intergovernmental Panel on 政府間氣候變化專門
Climate Change (IPCC) 委員會
Ice age 冰河時期 United Nations 聯合國

 Causes of climate change

Fossil fuel 化石燃料 Pastoral farming 畜牧業
Coal 煤 Cattle rearing 牧牛業
Oil 石油 Chemical fertiliser 化學肥料
Natural gas 天然氣 Cement 水泥
Hydro-electric power 水力發電 Refrigerant 製冷劑
Nuclear power 核能 Aerosol 噴霧劑
Renewable energy 再生能源 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 氯氟烴
Power generation 發電 Solid waste 固體廢物
Transport 運輸 Landfilling 堆填
Carbon sink 碳匯 Incineration 焚化
Photosynthesis 光合作用 Pastoral farming 畜牧業

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Let’ s review (Unit 3) – Answer sheet  Refer to textbook P. 30-31 for the questions

Name: ( ) Class: Date:

1. a. The greenhouse effect is a natural process / in which greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere absorb heat and keep the Earth warm

b. Water vapour / carbon dioxide / methane / nitrous oxide / CFCs (any 3)

2. Global warming is a rise in global temperature / due to the increasing emissions of

greenhouse gases / its major cause is human activities

3. Climate change refers to the significant long-term changes in climatic patterns

4. The global mean temperature will increase, with a larger increase in high-latitude regions /
global rainfall will become more extreme with larger regional differences / extreme rainfall
events may become more intense and occur more frequently (any 2)

5. Use of fossil fuels / farming activities / industrial activities / waste treatment (any 3 or other

reasonable answers)

6. Power generation / transport

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7. a.  Heat absorbed by greenhouse gases B

 Heat escaped to space A

b. Pathway (A / B)

c. It has increased / rapid industrial and urban development results in huge consumption of

fossil fuels and emissions of carbon dioxide

d. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas / higher concentration causes more heat absorption /

enhancing the greenhouse effect and leads to global warming and climate change

8. a. A: Burning forests / opening up farmland (any 1)

B: Pastoral farming / cattle rearing (any 1)

b. A: Burning of trees releases carbon dioxide / fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide

through photosynthesis

B: Cattle produce methane during digestion / decomposition of manure creates

methane and nitrous oxide

9. a. Carbon dioxide

370 − 160
b. × 100% = 131% (±10%)
160
c. Power plants / factories / cars (any 2 or other reasonable answers)

d. Incorrect / CFCs are powerful heat absorbers / 4 600 times more powerful than carbon

dioxide / they remain in the atmosphere for a long time / keep enhancing the greenhouse

effect in the near future (any 3)

10. Dried shrimp from Lau Fau Shan / locally produced / shortest transport distance / least

energy consumption (any 2)

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Impacts of climate change

4.1 What are the impacts of climate change on the natural environment?
 Refer to textbook P. 34-37

Concept: Climate change • Impacts

Impact Description

1. Melting of glaciers and sea ice

 Glaciers are large masses of ice formed on land.

Glaciers are found in Antarctica and Greenland.

 
Normal situation Global warming
Ice surfaces reflect
a. Glaciers Glaciers melt.
sunlight.

Sunlight reflection is

Vicious cycle
reduced. Soil is exposed
to the air.

More heat is absorbed by
the exposed soil.


Temperature rises further.

b. Sea ice
 Sea ice is frozen ocean water.

 It melts more rapidly in warmer temperatures.

 Scientists have predicted that the Arctic Ocean may become

completely ice-free in summer within the next few decades.

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Impact Description

 As the climate gets warmer, seawater absorbs more heat and

expands.
2. Sea level rise
 The rapid melting of glaciers also causes large amounts of
freshwater to run into the oceans.

 Both of these factors result in the rise of the sea level .

 Large areas of coastal lowland will be drowned, including

island countries such as the Maldives.

3. More extreme weather

events  Climate change increases the frequency, strength and duration
of extreme weather events and natural hazards

 Including heat waves, rainstorms, flooding, droughts, tropical

cyclones / wildfires

4. Disruption to ecosystems

 Many species cannot adapt to the changes in the climate and

environment. They may not be able to survive or reproduce,
and some even face extinction.

a. Loss of biodiversity Phenomenon Impacts on species

 The number of polar bears has been

Melting of the
falling as it is difficult for them to find
Arctic sea ice
food.

 Many corals have become fragile due to

A rise in sea coral bleaching.
temperatures  This endangers the species that depend
on coral reefs for habitats.

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Impact Description

Some species may move to

Some bird and butterfly
high-latitude or high-
 species in Europe have
altitude regions where
b. Species migration migrated northward.
temperatures are lower.

In the northeast of the USA,

the range of oak trees is
A warmer climate affects
 expanding and is expected
the distribution of plants.
to displace that of maple
trees by 2100.

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