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Unit 1 Climate change in Hong Kong

Fundamental
1
[[geoge2se001a

Describe and explain the climatic characteristics of Hong Kong. (3)

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– Belongs to subtropical climate
– With four distinct seasons
– Affected by the monsoon system
– Onshore southwest and southeast winds in summer, offshore northeast winds in
winter
– Forming hot and humid summers and cool and dry winters in Hong Kong
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2
[[geoge2se002
Describe how the climate of Hong Kong has changed in recent decades. (4)
@O

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##
– Has become warmer and wetter
– The annual mean temperature has been rising
– The rate of increase has become faster in the recent three decades
– More hot nights and very hot days
– Fewer cold days
– The annual rainfall and the annual number of heavy rain days have slightly
increased
– More extreme rainfall events have occurred
– The hourly rainfall record has been already broken several times
– The record has also been broken more frequently
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Advanced
3
[[geoge2se001b
Describe and explain the climatic characteristics of Hong Kong. (6)

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– Belongs to subtropical climate
– With four distinct seasons
– Affected by the monsoon system

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– Monsoons are winds that change directions seasonally caused by the difference
in heating between the land and the sea
– In summer, the land absorbs heat faster than the sea. Hot air rises, forming a low-
pressure area
– Lower temperature of the sea causes air to sink, forming a high-pressure area
– Winds blow from the sea to the land, forming the onshore southeast and
southwest monsoons
– Bring a lot of rainfall
– In winter, the land loses heat faster than the sea. Cold air sinks, forming a high-
pressure area
– Higher temperature of the sea causes air to rise, forming a low-pressure area
– Winds blow from the land to the sea, forming the offshore northeast monsoons
– Unfavourable for the formation of rain
– Hong Kong is thus hot and humid in summer and cool and dry in winter
(Teachers may give additional marks based on the structure, elaboration, language
and fluency of the essay)
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Unit 2 Global climate change
Fundamental
4
[[geoge2se004
Describe the distribution pattern of the global temperature and rainfall. (4)
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– Uneven distribution of temperature
– Temperature decreases with increasing latitude

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– Temperature decreases from low-latitude regions to high-latitude regions
– Rainfall is unevenly distributed
– Regions along the Equator receive an abundant annual rainfall
– Deserts, inland areas and high-latitude regions are dry
– Rainfall is often seasonal in other parts of the world
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5
[[geoge2se005
How have the global climatic patterns changed in recent decades? (4)
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– The global mean temperature has kept increasing
– The rate of increase has begun to speed up
– Fewer cold days and cold nights but more hot days, hot nights and heat waves
– High-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere have experienced greater
temperature rises
– Global rainfall has increased
– Regional rainfall has become more extreme
– Some places have experienced more extreme rainfall events
– Some places have become drier, such as the Sahel in Africa
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Unit 3 Causes of climate change
Fundamental
6
[[geoge2se006
How is the natural greenhouse effect formed? (4)
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– Solar radiation travels through the atmosphere
– The Earth’s surface is heated and releases heat, warming the atmosphere
– Some of the heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases
– Such as water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane
– Keep the Earth warm for living things to survive
– Some of the heat escapes to space
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7
[[geoge2se007
Compare the similarities and differences between global warming and climate change.
(3)
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– Similarities:
 Both are induced by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases
– Differences:
 Global warming is the phenomenon of a rise in global temperature

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  Climate change refers to the significant long-term changes in climatic
patterns
 Including weather elements such as temperature and rainfall
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8
[[geoge2se008a
How do different human activities lead to global climate change? (4)

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– Use of fossil fuels for power generation and transport
– Carry out different farming activities, such as opening up farmland, pastoral
farming and using chemical fertilisers
– Carry out different industrial activities, such as producing cement, refrigerants
and aerosols
– Treat wastes by incineration and landfilling
– These activities produce large amounts of greenhouse gases and cause climate
change
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9
[[geoge2se009
Why is the climate of Hong Kong changing? (4)
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##
– Increase in local emissions
 Rapid urban development
 Burning of coal and natural gas in power generation
 Transport consumes huge amounts of energy
 Produce a lot of greenhouse gases and absorb more heat
– Increase in regional emissions
 Hong Kong is located at the mouth of Zhujiang
 The Zhujiang Delta Region has undergone rapid urban and industrial
development
 Increase in population and the number of factories, power plants and cars
has consumed a lot of fossil fuels
 Resulting in significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the region
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Advanced
10
[[geoge2se008b
How do different human activities lead to global climate change? (8)

@O

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##
– Different human activities increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere and trap more heat, causing climate change
– Use of fossil fuels for power generation and transport
– Including coal, oil and natural gas
– Produce large amounts of carbon dioxide during extraction and burning
– Carry out different farming activities, such as opening up farmland, pastoral
farming and using chemical fertilisers
– Deforestation to open up farmland reduces carbon sinks and the absorption of
carbon dioxide
– Burning vegetation to open up farmland and increase soil fertility releases huge
amounts of carbon dioxide
– Methane is produced when cattle digest food
– Decomposition of cattle manure releases methane and nitrous oxide
– Decomposition of chemical fertilisers releases nitrous oxide
– Carry out different industrial activities, such as producing cement, refrigerants
and aerosols
– The production of cement releases large amounts of carbon dioxide
– The production and use of industrial products such as refrigerants and aerosols
produce chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
– Treat wastes by incineration and landfilling
– Burning solid waste releases carbon dioxide
– Waste landfilling produces carbon dioxide and methane
(Teachers may give additional marks based on the structure, elaboration, language and
fluency of the essay)
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Unit 4 Impacts of climate change
Fundamental

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11
[[geoge2se011a
Account for the impacts of climate change on the natural environment and human
society. (4)

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– Impacts on the natural environment:
 Melting of glaciers and sea ice
 Sea level rise
 More extreme weather events
 Disruption to ecosystems
– Impacts on human society:
 Water shortage
 Reduction in long-term farming outputs
 Loss of homes
 Increase in health risks
 Huge economic losses
 Encouraging the exploitation of energy resources
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Advanced
12
[[geoge2se011b
Account for the impacts of climate change on the natural environment and human
society. (8)

@O

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##
– Impacts on the natural environment:
 Melting of glaciers and sea ice
 Reduced sunlight reflection and more soil exposes to the air allows the
Earth’s surface to absorbs more heat
 Which accelerates temperature rise and glacier melting, forming a vicious
cycle
 Sea level rise
 Which will submerge large piece of coastal lowlands and island countries,
such as Maldives
 More extreme weather events
 Such as heat waves, rainstorms, flooding, droughts, tropical cyclones and
wildfires
 Increase in their frequency, strength and duration
 Disruption to ecosystems
 Some species face extinction, such as polar bears
 Warmer seawater causes coral bleaching
 Decrease in biodiversity
 The distribution of species is affected
 Some species may move to high-latitude or high-altitude regions
– Impacts on human society:
 Water shortage affect people’s daily lives and economic development
 The dilution of river pollutants becomes more difficult and water pollution
becomes more serious
 The long-term farming outputs decrease due to more extreme weather
events, a lack of irrigation water and higher pest risks
 Many people lose their homes due to sea level rise and extreme weather
events, such as tropical cyclones

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  People are forced to leave their homelands and become climate refugees
 Increase in health risks
 A reduction in food production worsens malnutrition or triggers famine
 The spread of some infectious diseases becomes easier, including dengue
fever and malaria
 Heat waves and cold waves increases the risks of heat stroke and heart
disease, and may even cause deaths
 Huge economic losses
 Maintenance of all kinds of damaged infrastructure
 Government expense increases as more capital and technology are invested
to cope with hazards
 Encouraging the exploitation of energy resources
 The melting and thinning of sea ice help open up new sea routes in the
Arctic Ocean
 And make the extraction of energy resources easier
(Teachers may give additional marks based on the structure, elaboration, language
and fluency of the essay)
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Unit 5 Measures against climate change
Fundamental
13
[[geoge2se013a
What measures have different countries taken to combat climate change? (4)

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– Mitigation strategies
 Using alternative energy
 Adopting better city design
 Protecting existing ecosystems
 Reducing and recycling waste
 Capturing and storing carbon dioxide
– Adaptation strategies
 Implementing land use planning
 Building flood defences
 Setting up warning systems and purchasing insurance
 Adopting health protection measures
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14
[[geoge2se014
What constraints does international cooperation encounter in coping with climate
change, leading to the slow progress of carbon reduction? (4)
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– Disagreement on emission reduction
– Emphasis on short-term interests
– Lack of capital and technology
– Lack of monitoring systems
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Advanced
15
[[geoge2se013b
What measures have different countries taken to combat climate change? (8)

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– Mitigation strategies
 Using alternative energy
 Such as renewable energy including wind power and solar energy
 Which does not emit carbon dioxide during power generation and cannot be
used up
 Adopting better city design
 Developing mass transit systems to slow down the growth of cars and
reduce energy use
 Building footpaths and cycling tracks to encourage people to walk or cycle
 Carrying out large-scale greening to lower urban temperatures
 Adopting green building designs to save energy and cut carbon emissions
 Protecting existing ecosystems
 Setting up nature reserves and national parks to prevent deforestation and
maintain carbon sinks
 Reducing and recycling waste to reduce the carbon emissions from raw
materials extraction and waste treatment
 Capturing and storing carbon dioxide to reduce the concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
– Adaptation strategies
 Implementing land use planning
 For example, designating coastal lowlands as buffer zones / wetlands /

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 vacant land to prevent the loss of life and property
 Building flood defences to lower the flood risks
 For example, flood walls and flood gates were built after Hurricane Katrina
had caused widespread flooding in New Orleans, USA, so as to reduce
flood damage
 Setting up warning systems to remind the public of taking precautionary
measures
 Taking out insurance to cover the financial losses brought by the changing
climate
 Adopting health protection measures
 Developing vaccines to reduce health risks
 Education to raise public hygiene awareness
 Mosquito control to prevent the spread of diseases
(Teachers may give additional marks based on the structure, elaboration, language and
fluency of the essay)
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