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Climate Change Revised

Climate Change

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Aaron Angelo Gamit
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10 views5 pages

Climate Change Revised

Climate Change

Uploaded by

Aaron Angelo Gamit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 3.

CLIMATE CHANGE

To be able to understand Climate Change is to understand first the concept of the


‘greenhouse effect’.

What are the greenhouse gases (GHGs)?


 Carbon dioxide
 Methane
 Nitrous Oxide
 Ozone
 Water Vapor
These are naturally found in the atmosphere and they trap heat close to the Earth’s
surface. But by burning of fossil fuels to sustain our modern lifestyle, we increase
their levels very fast.

What is the cause of climate change?

 CO2 is one of greenhouse gas caused by human activities.


 CO2 traps solar heat in the atmosphere then air temperature is increased.
Carbon Dioxide
 Sources - combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas in power plants,
automobiles, industrial facilities
 Accounts for 60% of the warming effect
Methane
 21 times more effective in trapping heat than CO 2
 Sources – (enteric fermentation in livestock production) Landfills, Natural Gas
Systems, Coal Mining, Manure Management, Wastewater Treatment, Rice
Cultivation, Stationary Sources, Mobile Sources, Agricultural Residue Burning
 accounts for 20% of the warming effect
 23 times more potent than CO2
 emitted by decomposing garbage and agricultural wastes
Nitrous Oxide
 Sources – (fertilizers and manures) agricultural soil management, animal
manure management, sewage treatment, mobile and stationary combustion
of fossil fuel, and nitric acid production. Nitrous oxide is also produced
naturally from a wide variety of biological sources in soil and water,
particularly microbial action in wet tropical forests.
 296 times more potent than carbon dioxide
 Accounts for 7% of warming effects
 Emitted from the production and use of fertilizers and pesticides in
agriculture and combustion of fossil fuels

Human activities that lead to the increase in concentration of GHGs


include:
 Worldwide deforestation
 Increasing industrial activity
 Motor vehicle emission
 Waste management practices
 Intensive agriculture
What is Climate Change?
 Climate change is a significant and persistent change in the area’s average
climate conditions or their extremes.
 Climate has changed in the past, is changing now and will change in the
future.
Changes in regional climate characteristics, including temperature, humidity,
rainfall, wind, and severe weather events
Any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of
human activity.
Change in climate attributable directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate
variability observed over comparable time periods.

Natural Causes
 During each cycle, global average temperatures most likely have fallen and
risen 9 deg F (5 deg C) each time.
 This took the Earth into an ice age and then warming it again.
 These cycles are believed to be associated with regular
 changes in the Earth’s orbit that alter the intensity of
 Solar energy the planet receives.
 The sun is the most powerful driving force on the Earth’s climate.
 Solar variability is the main cause of climate change.
 When the sun activity is low, the cooler the Earth’s temperature. The more
active the sun, the higher the Earth’s temperature.

The climate is always changing in response to the influences of the Sun and the
orbit of the Sun.
Climate change is the result of
 Earth's orbital eccentricities,
 Earth’s axial wobble,
 Solar brightness variation,
 cosmic ray flux, etc..
Other terrestrial drivers of climate change include:
 Super volcanic events
 Tectonic movement
Precession of the Equinox: the wobble of the earth as it rotates on its polar axis.
 This changes the orbital timing of the equinoxes and solstices.
 This precession has a cycle of 26,000 years. The Earth is closer
to the sun in January [perihelion] and farthest from the sun in
July [aphelion].
Variations in the earth’s orbital characteristics
Eccentricity: The shape of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Over a 100,000 year
period, the orbit changes from being elliptical to nearly circular and back to
elliptical. The greater the eccentricity [more elliptical] the greater variation in solar
energy at the top of the atmosphere. Currently we are in a period of low
eccentricity.
Another process that can change the Earth’s climate abruptly is a shift in the
oceans circulations. This can happen due to massive volcanic eruptions. Climate
has changed throughout geological history.

There have been many natural reasons:


 Changes in the Sun’s energy received by the Earth due to slow orbital
changes
 Changes in the Sun’s energy reaching the Earth’s surface due to volcanic
eruptions.

Human activities vs climate change


Major contributors: (80-85% of CO2 being added to atmosphere)
 Coal, oil and natural gas through combustion and release CO 2
Modest contributors:
 Deforestation: CO2 is released by wood burning
 CO2 from deforestation in tropical regions are responsible for 15-20% of CO 2
emission.
 Paddy rice field, landfills produce methane and other
greenhouse gas which causes about 30% of warming
 Fertilizer and other chemicals release N 2O cause about 10% of
warming
The Earths climate has changed, and is predicted to continue to change, globally
and regionally:
 Warmer temperatures
 Changing precipitation patterns
 More floods, droughts
 Higher sea levels
 More frequent extreme weather events
 More heat waves

What are effects of climate change?


Example of changes:
 The amount of pattern of rain and snow
 the length of growing season
 the frequency and severity of storm
 The change of sea level rise

What can we do?


 To reduce energy consumption with improving energy efficiency
 To search new energy source as renewable or clean energy
 Consider 3 kinds of options:
1. Improved energy efficiency
2. Use of cleaner energy
3. Changes in agriculture and forestry
Improved energy efficiency:
 Reduced energy use in building as eco-design to save energy
 Improved fuel efficiency of new cars: by increased average mileage
 Make appliances more efficient: refrigerators, dishwasher, etc. are used new
technology to save energy

WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES?

-refers to energy from natural and renewable sources, such as solar or wind. It is
presented as an alternative to conventional energy sources, which involve burning
non-renewable fossil fuels like oil or coal.

Example of clean energy:

1. Solar energy
 Energy from the sun that can be harnessed through the use of solar panels to
generate electricity or heat water.
 Solar technologies can deliver heat, cooling, natural lighting, electricity, and
fuels for a host of applications. Solar technologies convert sunlight into
electrical energy either through photovoltaic panels or through mirrors that
concentrate solar radiation.

2. Wind energy
 Energy from the wind that can be captured by wind turbines to generate
electricity.
 Wind energy harnesses the kinetic energy of moving air by using large wind
turbines located on land (onshore) or in sea- or freshwater (offshore). Wind
energy has been used for millennia, but onshore and offshore wind energy
technologies have evolved over the last few years to maximize the electricity
produced - with taller turbines and larger rotor diameters.

3. Geothermal energy
 Energy from the heat generated by the Earth's core that can be harnessed to
generate electricity or heat buildings.
 Geothermal energy utilizes the accessible thermal energy from the Earth’s
interior. Heat is extracted from geothermal reservoirs using wells or other
means.
 Once at the surface, fluids of various temperatures can be used to generate
electricity. The technology for electricity generation from hydrothermal
reservoirs is mature and reliable, and has been operating for more than 100
years.

4. Biomass energy
 Energy from organic matter, such as wood, crops, or waste, that can be
burned to generate electricity or heat.
 Bioenergy is produced from a variety of organic materials, called biomass,
such as wood, charcoal, dung and other manures for heat and power
production, and agricultural crops for liquid biofuels. Most biomass is used in
rural areas for cooking, lighting and space heating, generally by poorer
populations in developing countries.
 Modern biomass systems include dedicated crops or trees, residues from
agriculture and forestry, and various organic waste streams.
 Energy created by burning biomass creates greenhouse gas emissions, but at
lower levels than burning fossil fuels like coal, oil or gas.

5. Hydro energy
 Energy from moving water, such as rivers or ocean tides, that can be
harnessed to
generate electricity.

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