GLOBAL

WARMING
 OUR MISUNDERSTANDING

Many of us believe that our days will get hotter as global warming worsens.
But look at the headline below
 So, here’s a clearer picture:

Global warming describes an

average temperature increase of
the Earth over time.

Climate change describes how

weather patterns will be affected
 THE POLAR VORTEX

A polar vortex is a low pressure area—a

wide expanse of swirling cold air—that
is parked in polar regions. During
winter, the polar vortex at the North
Pole expands, sending cold air
southward.
Between 60
and. 90% of
the world’s
fresh water is
frozen in the 69.1 sq. km
ice sheets of 7.6km side
Antarctica.

If it all melted,
it would
increase sea
levels by

200
feet.
 Percentage of species projected to be at risk by 2080’s

*Dispersal is defined as the movement of individual organisms from their

birthplace to other locations for breeding
 BUT HOW!?
A greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide or methane, allows visible light and
shorter wave radiation to pass through it. In other words it is transparent to
that type of energy. Much like how the windows of a greenhouse allow
sunlight to enter into the greenhouse
The greenhouse effect is when sunlight enters the atmosphere, hits the Earth
and is changed to heat and then that heat is radiated is back to space.
When that shortwave energy hits the Earth it heats the Earth. The Earth then
emits heats or infrared energy which is what we refer to as long wave
radiation. The heat does not pass through greenhouse gases as the gases are
not transparent to radiation of that wavelength.
 Electromagnetic radiation travels in waves, and the
distance from one wave crest to the next is known
as the wave length.

The rainbow is the

spectrum where
most of the
radiation from the
sun falls, and we call
it visible light.
Generally speaking when these wave encounter something they will either through it or be
blocked by it. A general rule of thumb is the smaller the wavelength the more likely it will
pass through the material.

In the illustration below you can see the smaller wavelengths are things like x rays and gamma
rays. If you have had to have an x-ray you know that x-rays travel freely through a lot of
material (such as your skin). The calcium of your bones will block some x-rays (which is why
they appear on the xray film),
 Energy at this wavelength passes freely through the atmosphere, and can strike the Earth.
When it strikes the Earth the energy is absorbed and the Earth is heated. Heat is actually
another form of electromagnetic radiation called infrared radiation. What is crucial to note is
that this type of radiation has a longer wavelength.

Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, etc.) are transparent to visible light,
but opaque to infrared radiation. That means the sunlight travels through them but the heat is
blocked by them. That is how greenhouse gases trap heat.
 BUT HOW DOES LIGHT GET
CONVERTED TO HEAT

Scott M. Auerbach, a theoretical chemist at the University of Massachusetts at

Amherst offers a etailed answer:
Light from the sun excites electrons in the atoms which constitute the brick wall.
How does that electronic energy get converted to heat, you ask. The key is 'radiationless
transitions.'

Here's how it works: the atoms of the brick are perpetually vibrating. Some of those atoms
vibrate sufficiently vigorously that their vibrational energy is roughly equal to the electronic
energy (photons) absorbed from the sun--in essence, they are in resonance with the solar
energy.

Those atoms then make a quantum transition from 'electronically excited' to 'vibrationally
excited,' meaning that the energy causes the whole atom to move.
We feel that motion as "heat." The atoms which make the jump to vibrational excitation
soon collide into neighboring atoms, dissipating their vibrational energy throughout the
entire brick, making the brick hot throughout.
.
 AIRCRAFTS’ DISPROPORTIONATE
EFFECTS

One person flying in a plane for one hour is responsible for the same greenhouse
gas emissions as a typical Bangladeshi in a whole year." And every year jet aircraft
generate almost as much carbon dioxide as the entire African continent produces.
The aviation industry is essentially a fossil fuel industry, one which guzzles an eye-
watering 5m barrels of oil every day. Burning that fuel currently contributes
around 2.5% to total carbon emissions, a proportion which could rise to 22% by
2050 as other sectors emit less.
Aircraft emit gases and particles directly into the upper troposphere and lower
stratosphere where they have a direct impact on atmospheric composition. These
gases and particles alter the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases,
including carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), and methane (CH4); trigger
formation of condensation trails (contrails); and may increase cirrus cloudiness—
all of which contribute to climate change
HOW IZ IT CAUSED???
 INDIAN REPORTS

The total net emissions for the year 2000 is 1,301.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent
The energy sector accounts for two-thirds the total emissions, followed by agriculture (20
per cent), industrial processes (5.8 per cent) and waste (3.4 per cent)
The forestry sector was a net absorber; carbon absorption by forests amount to 222,567
million tonnes of CO2 equivalent
Among gases, CO2 is the largest contributor to GHG emissions at 67.25%, followed by
methane with a contribution of 26.73% and nitrous oxide, 5%
Future projections indicate temperature increase of 3.5°C to 4.3°C towards the end of the
century
Rainfall is not expected to decrease significantly in most of the country except for the
southern peninsula
The percentage of forests deemed vulnerable will be 30 per cent by 2050 and this figure
will increase to 45 per cent towards the end of the century
Rice yields will increase, but quality of the produce will be affected. If adaptation strategies
are not adopted, wheat yields could decrease by 6 million tonnes with a temperature
increase of 1°C
 WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

is the main international agreement on climate action. It was one of three
conventions adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. To date, it has been
ratified by 195 countries. It started as a way for countries to work together
to limit global temperature increases and climate change, and to cope
with their impacts.
The Council handles two issues related to the UNFCCC:
ratification of the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which concerns
commitments under the second period, running from 2013-2020
Paris Agreement - new global climate change agreement covering all
UNFCCC countries, its ratification, implementation and enter into force in
2020
 1. KYOTO PROTOCOL

In the mid 1990s, the UNFCCC signatories realised that stronger provisions
were needed to reduce emissions. In 1997, they agreed the Kyoto Protocol,
which introduced legally binding emission reduction targets for developed
countries.
The second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol began on 1 January
2013 and will end in 2020. 38 developed countries, including the EU and its 28
member states, are participating. This second period is covered by the Doha
amendment, under which participating countries have committed
to reducing emissions by at least 18% below 1990 levels. The EU has
committed to reducing emissions in this period to 20% below 1990 levels.
The main weakness of the Kyoto Protocol is that it only requires developed
countries to take action.
 2. PARIS AGREEMENT

The Paris climate conference took place from 30 November to 11 December

2015.
On 12 December, the parties reached a new global agreement on climate
change. The agreement presents a balanced outcome with an action plan to
limit global warming 'well below' 2°C.
The Paris Agreement entered into force 4 November 2016 after the conditions
for ratification by at least 55 countries accounting for at least 55% of global
greenhouse gas emissions were met. All EU Countries ratified the agreement.
 Under the Paris Agreement, India has made three commitments. India’s
greenhouse gas emission intensity of its GDP will be reduced by 33-35%
below 2005 levels by 2030. Alongside, 40% of India’s power capacity would be
based on non-fossil fuel sources. At the same time, India will create an
additional ‘carbon sink’ of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of Co2 equivalent through
additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
If it were to abandon plans to build new coal-fired power plants, India
could become a global climate leader with a “1.5˚C compatible” rating.
This is more than feasible: the Draft National Electricity Plan contained
no expansion of coal power after 2022. This scenario is supported by
recent developments such as a 50% decrease in the cost of solar power
in just two years and several utilities shelving plans for building coal
plants.
HOWEVER
.
.
WE’VE BASICALLY REACHED A POINT
WHERE THERE IS NO
“PREVEENTING GLOBAL WARMING”.

WE CAN NO LONGER STOP IT.

WE CAN ONLY REDUCE ITS EFFECTS.

SO, WHATEVER WE DO HERE ON-

LET’S MAKE SURE THAT WE DO
RIGHT BY US, THE ORGANISMS, AND
BY THE EARTH ITSELF