Unit 9

CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change first became news 30 years ago. But why does humanity haven’t fixed
it? In the time it took to build the case that climate change is a pollution problem, it’s
become unnervingly. Thirty years ago, the potentially disruptive impact of heat-trapping
emissions from burning fossil fuels and rain forest became front-page in several news
ages. Through the decade, climate change started to actually change the life of the
humanity. In this module, we will identify the different factors that causes climate change
and major impacts on the society.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. identify the causes of climate change;

2. understand the effects of climate change on the society; and,
3. illustrate how the community helps in mitigating the hazards caused by climate change.
CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE DEFINED
Climate refers to the average weather conditions of a place over a long period of
time. The earth has six main climate zone. Some are mild and inviting like the
Mediterranean climate of southern Europe. Others are harsh like the arid deserts of
northern Africa and the frozen tundra of Greenland. Through history, climate has often
played a part in where people have chosen to settle.
In the ancient world some of the permanent human communities occurred in places
with pleasing climates, but humans have had an amazing capacity to cope with severe
and challenging climates. Today, with the widespread use of refrigeration for food and of
air conditioning and heating for homes, humans can survive in all climates including the
frozen desert of Antarctica or the blazing heat of Death Valley California where
temperatures can soar above 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
The abovementioned scenarios all boils down to the fact that as time goes by, changes
in climate condition occurs. Now let us briefly define what climate change is. According to
Serafica et al., climate change refers to the statistically significant changes in climate
for continues period of time. There are several factors that contribute to climate change.

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

On Humans and Human Activity

According to Europa, humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s
temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforest and farming livestock. These
activities add enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those natural occurring in the
atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
In this lesson we will identify some of the gasses that occur naturally in earth’s
atmosphere. Though they are common, humans make its concentration in the atmosphere
increase. In particular:
Carbon Dioxide (CO2), this is the greenhouse gas most commonly produced by human
activities and it is responsible for man-made global warming. Released through
respiration and human activities such as deforestation, land use changes and
burning fossil fuels. According to a research, its concentration in the atmosphere is
currently higher than it was when industrialization began.
Nitrous Oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices
especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuels combustion,
nitric acid production and biomass burning.
Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat far more
effectively than carbon dioxide and in some cases are thousands of times stronger causing
the earth’s atmosphere much warmer. Methane is responsible for 17% of man-made global
warming.
On Population Growth
More people require more resources, which means that as the population increases,
the Earth’s resources deplete more rapidly. The result of this depletion is deforestation
and loss of biodiversity as humans strip the earth of resources to accommodate rising
population numbers. Population growth also results in increased greenhouse gases. As it
increases, so do climate patterns.
As population grow, land degradation occurs. Human fails to utilize land resources
sustainably. Deforestation occurs when people clear forests to use the land either for
agriculture or habitation. Consequently, forest cover dwindles significantly, leading to soil
erosions.
On Air Pollution
One of the biggest environmental impacts of human activities is air quality. The
transportation sector contributes heavily to air pollution because most forms of
transportation, including cars, planes, ocean vessels, use fossil fuels. When burned, fossil
fuels release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the environment.
In addition, the manufacturing industry grows
exponentially with the expansion of the human
population. Manufacturing plants emit carbons
and sulfurs that do not occur naturally in the
environment, causing an imbalance in the quality
of air. Air pollutants deplete the ozone layer and
expose the Earth to dangerous radiation from the
sun.

• Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
• Cutting down forest or deforestation. Trees help to regulate the climate by
absorbing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. So, when they are cut down, that
beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the
atmosphere adding to the greenhouse effect.
• Increase in livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane
when they digest their food.
• Fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.

IS THE WEATHER BECOMING MORE EXTREME THAN SCIENTISTS PREDICTED?

Climate scientists have said for a long time that global warming is causing the
intensity and frequency of many types of extreme weather to increase. And that’s
exactly what has been happening. But global climate models are not really designed
to simulate extreme events in individual regions. The factors that shape individual
heat waves, for instance, are very local. Large-scale computer models simply cannot
handle that level of detail quite yet.

That said, sometimes there are events that seem so irregular that they make
scientists wonder if they reflect something totally new and unforeseen, a gap in
our understanding of the climate. (Source: nytimes.com)

THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

On Greenhouse Effect
According to NASA, on average, Earth will become warmer. Some regions may welcome
warmer temperatures but others may not. Warmer conditions will probably lead to more
evaporation and precipitation overall, but
individual regions will vary. This means that
some will become wetter and others, dryer.
A strong greenhouse effect will warm the
ocean and particularly melt glaciers and ice
sheets, which increases sea level. Ocean
water also will expand if it warms, contributing
further to sea level rise.
Outside of a greenhouse, higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can have both
positive and negative effects on crop yields. Some laboratory experiments suggest that
elevated Carbon Dioxide levels can increase plant growth. However, other factors, such as
changing temperatures, ozone and water and nutrient constraints, may more than
counteract any potential increase in yield.

On Alarming Weather Conditions

Rising global average temperature is associated with
widespread changes in weather patterns. Scientific
studies indicate that extreme weather events such as
heat waves and large storms are likely to become more
frequent or more intense with human-induced climate
change. Changes in temperature, precipitation, storms,
floods and drought are the commonly observed changes.
Changing weather conditions actually does matter.
Long-term changes in climate can directly or indirectly
affect many aspects of society in potentially disruptive
ways. For example, warmer average temperatures could
increase air conditioning cost and affect the spread of
diseases like Lyme disease, but could also improve
conditions for growing some crops (as mentioned in the
previous topic).
More extreme variations in weather are also a threat
to society. More frequent and intense extreme heat events
can increase illnesses and deaths, especially among
vulnerable populations and will probably also damage
some crops.
While increased precipitation can replenish water supplies and support agriculture,
intense storms can damage property, cause loss of life and population displacement
and temporarily disrupt essential services such as transportation, telecommunications,
energy and water supplies. For example, in the last decade, Philippines experienced one
of the strongest typhoons in the world. When typhoon Haiyan hit the country on November
8, 2013, it tossed roofs, palms tress and even whole ships into air. The typhoon killed
nearly 8,000 people. No other disaster claimed more lives in 2013, according to the Red
Cross World Disaster Report. This sums up to over 100 million people being affected by
disaster.
 HOW WILL CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT BIODIVERSITY?

Warmer oceans are killing corals. The world lost 145 of

its coral in just a decade, researchers found. Rising sea
levels threaten the beaches that sea turtles need for
nesting, and hotter temperatures are causing more
females to be born. Changing seasons are increasingly
out of step with the conditions species have evolved to
depend on.

And then there are the polar bears, long a symbol of

what could be lost in a warming world.

Climate change is already affecting plants and animals in

ways that scientists are racing to understand. One study
predicted sudden die offs, with large segments of
ecosystems collapsing in waves. The collapse has
already started in coral reefs, scientists say, and could
start in tropical forests by the 2040s. (article by: Catrin
photo by: Peter Barritt via Alamy Einhorn of nytimes.com)

ACTIVITY 9 (FINAL ACTIVITY)

1. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, what are your takes on climate change? Do you think banning
plastics is enough? Do you think the phenomenon affects our country, specifically
here in our province? Are you optimistic about the planet’s future? Are the billionaires
really the main cause of our demise? Are you worried on climate change? You can
discuss anything that is related to your thoughts on climate change. (30 POINTS)
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2. As a (your course) student, with your learned specialization, what can you do to help
save our planet? Do you think you make good climate choices? (20 POINTS)
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Remember!
Climate change today is caused more by the humanity. Human activities in the
environment interfere with the planet’s natural balance, making the earth’s climate less
stable and predictable, hence, climate change occur. Climate change brings abnormal
occurrences such as unprecedented flooding; increased numbers of storms and typhoons;
and most notably stronger typhoons every year; which are uncommon in the Earth’s recent
history, more specifically, in the Philippine history. Phenomena such as rising sea levels,
warmer temperatures and drought hint toward an environment that cannot take much
more negative human impact.

References:
• Magalona et al., “Science, Technology and Society: A Rudimentary Approach”.
Mindshapers Co., Inc. Manila, Philippines. 2020
• Serafica, Pawilen, Caslib, Alata. “Science, Technology, and Society”. Rex Book Store, Inc.
Manila, Philippines. 2018
• www.ec.europa.eu. Accessed online, January 23, 2021
• www.epa.gov. Accessed online January 23, 2021
• www.nasa.gov. Accessed online January 23, 2021
• www.natioalgeographic.com. Accessed online January 23, 2021

GE7 | Science, Technology, and Society

Always take care of yourself.