Climate Change

Contents

•Defi nition Causes and Impacts

•Mitigation Measures
•International Efforts to mitigate it’s problems
•Bio-Gas, Organic Farming
•Deforestation and its consequences
•Importance of National Parks, Conservation areas and
Forestation Programmes in Nepal
Climate Change (Definition)
 Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the
weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions
of years.
 It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the
distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e.,
more or fewer extreme weather events).
 Climate change is caused by factors that include oceanic
processes (such as oceanic circulation), biotic processes,
variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics
and volcanic eruptions, and
 human-induced alterations of the natural world; these latter
effects are currently causing global warming, and "climate
change" is often used to describe human-specific impacts.
 Some Facts
The role of forests — Deforestation is responsible for up to 20 percent of greenhouse gas
emissions worldwide, with most forest land cleared for agricultural use. When managed
effectively, forests are net carbon sinks, able to permanently absorb about one-tenth of global
CO2 emissions into biomass, soil and forest products.

Different emissions sources — Over the last three decades, all greenhouse gas emissions
increased by an average of 1.6% per year with CO2 emissions from fossil fuels use growing at
1.9% per year. The largest growth in greenhouse gas emissions has come from energy supply
and road transport.

The world’s car fleet is expected to triple by 2050 with 80% of this growth occurring in
developing economies.
 Causes
•Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming
trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect"1 -- warming that results
when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.

•Gases That Contribute of Green House Effect

• Water Vapour : The most abundant GHG, also functions as the
feedback as higher the global warming, higher is the formation of
Water Vapour. Source : Evaporation from water masses.

• Carbon Dioxide : A minor but a very significant component.

Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by a third
since the Industrial Revolution began. Sources : natural processes
such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human
activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil
fuels.
 Causes
• Methane : Less Abundant but highly potent to green house effect. A
molecule of methane is 56 times more potent that a similar CO2 molecule).
Sources : including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture,
and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure
management associated with domestic livestock.

• Nitrous Oxides : A powerful greenhouse gas ( 280 times more potent than
CO2) produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial
and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and
biomass burning.

• Chlorofluoro Carbons : Synthetic compounds of entirely of industrial origin

used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production
and release to the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to
contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. (1000s of times more potent
than CO2)
 Causes
 THE ROLE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
 The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric
carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 379 parts per million in the last 150 years.
 Global GHG emissions due to human activities have grown since pre-industrial times, with
an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004

 SOLAR IRRADIANCE
 Since 1750, the average amount of energy coming from the Sun either remained constant or
increased slightly.
 If the warming were caused by a more active sun, then scientists would expect to see warmer
temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, they have observed a cooling in the
upper atmosphere, and a warming at the surface and in the lower parts of the atmosphere.
That's because greenhouse gasses are trapping heat in the lower atmosphere.
 Climate models that include solar irradiance changes can’t reproduce the observed
temperature trend over the past century or more without including a rise in greenhouse
gases.
Causes
Effects of Climate Change
 Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment.
Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and
animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.

 Glaciers are considered among the most sensitive indicators of climate change.
Their size is determined by a mass balance between snow input and melt
output. As temperatures warm, glaciers retreat unless snow precipitation
increases to make up for the additional melt.
 Satellite observations show that Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 11.5
percent per decade.
 Effects of Climate Change
Current Effects Future Trends

Source : NASA
Effects of Climate Change ( Regional)
 North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains;
5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some
regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves
in cities that currently experience them.
 Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah
in eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through
species extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in
water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy
generation.
 Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal
flooding and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise;
glacial retreat in mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter
tourism; extensive species losses; reductions of crop productivity in
southern Europe.
Effects of Climate Change ( Regional)
Africa: By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people
are projected to be exposed to increased water stress;
yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by
up to 50 percent in some regions by 2020; agricultural
production, including access to food, may be severely
compromised.
Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in
Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s;
coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding;
death rate from disease associated with floods and
droughts expected to rise in some regions.
Effects of Climate Change
Effects of Climate Change

Arctic sea ice loss

Measures to manage Climate
Change
Mitigation
Adaptation
 Mitigation Measures
Climate change mitigation are actions to limit the
magnitude and/or rate of long-term climate change.
Methods
 reductions in human emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
 Increase capacity of carbon sinks.( by Forestation)
 Switch to low carbon energy sources (renewable and nuclear)
 Improving Energy efficiency
 Geo-Engineering ( Increasing capacity of oceans to absorb CO2 ,
Increasing Reflectivity of the earth’s surface to sun-light,)
Geo-Engineering (Examples)

An oceanic phytoplankton
bloom in the South Atlantic
Ocean, off the coast of
Argentina.
Encouraging such blooms with
iron fertilization could lock up
carbon on the seabed.

An algal bloom is a rapid increase or

accumulation in the population of algae
(typically microscopic) in an aquatic system.
Geo-Engineering (Examples)

Removing trees from snowy landscapes

can help reflect more sunlight into space

Flettner vessels to spray mist created

from seawater into the air to thicken
clouds and thus reflect more radiation
from the Earth.
Ge0-Engineering

Reflectivity of some common

Building Materials.
Adaptation
Humans have been adapting to changing climatic conditions for centuries —
However, the climate change that the world is presently experiencing is occurring far more
rapidly than anything the earth has experienced in the last 10,000 years.
 Water: Expanded rain water harvesting, water storage, and conservation.
 Agriculture: Adjustment of planting dates and crop variety, crop relocation.
 Infrastructure (including coastal zones): Creation of marshlands as a buffer against sea
level rise and flooding.
 Energy: Use of renewable sources, energy efficiency .
 Examples of adaptation
 In anticipation of future climate change, planners have considered sea-level rise in
the design of infrastructure such as the Confederation Bridge in Canada and in
coastal zone management in the USA and The Netherlands.
 Other examples of adaptation include the partial drainage of the Tsho Rolpa glacial
lake in Nepal
 increased use of artificial snow-making by the ski industry in Europe, Australia and
North America
Adaptation

The North Sea Wall , Netherlands

Conferedations Bridge, Canada

Adaptation

Shey Foksundo Glacial Lake

International Measures
Kyoto Protocol
CDM ( Clean Development Mechanism) or
International Emission Trading.
 Kyoto Protocol
 The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) is an international treaty that sets binding obligations on industrialized
countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
 There are 192 parties to the convention, including 191 states (all UN members, except
Andorra, Canada, South Sudan and the United States) and the European Union.
 The United States signed but did not ratify the Protocol
 Canada withdrew from it in 2011
 The Protocol was adopted by Parties in 1997, and entered into force in 2005.
 As part of the Kyoto Protocol, many developed countries have agreed to legally binding
limitations/reductions in their emissions of greenhouse gases in two commitments
periods.
 The first commitment period applies to emissions between 2008-2012
 The second commitment period applies to emissions between 2013-2020. The protocol
was amended in 2012 to accommodate the second commitment period, but this
amendment has not entered into legal force.
Kyoto Protocol (Key Targets and current
status)

Note: LULUF: Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry

 Clean Development Mechanism or
International Emission Trading
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the flexibility mechanisms
defined in the Kyoto Protocol that provides for emissions reduction projects which
generate Certified Emission Reduction units which may be traded in emissions
trading schemes

The CDM allows industrialized countries to buy CERS (Certified Emission

Reduction Units) and to invest in emission reductions where it is cheapest globally

The purpose of the CDM is to promote clean development in developing

countries .

Over a Billion Dollar worth of CERS were issued. 63% of all CERS had been issued
for projects based on destroying either HFC-23 (42%) or N2O (21%).
 Bio-Gas
 Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the
absence of oxygen. It is a renewable energy source, like solar and wind energy.
Furthermore, biogas can be produced from regionally available raw materials and
recycled waste and is environmentally friendly.
A Typical Bio-Gas Plant
Advantages of Bio-Gas
 Reduction in Methane Emission ( Animal Flatulence is one of the most potent producer
of methane).
 Reduction in Nitrogen Oxides.
 Both these gases are oxidized to Carbon-dioxide which has a lesser potential for Global
Warming.
 Reduced dependency on Conventional fuels such as Fossil Fuels and Fuel Wood
 Concentrated Manure.
 Bio-Gas in Nepal
 Bio-Gas is one of the most successful renewable energy technologies in Nepal.
 Over 2,50,000 Systems have been installed all over Nepal.
 Nepal is also the most successful implementer of Bio-gas technology.
 Organic Farming
 Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation,
green manure, compost and biological pest control.
 Elements of Organic Farming
 Crop diversity : Crop diversity is a distinctive characteristic of organic farming. Planting a
variety of vegetable crops supports a wider range of beneficial insects,soil
microorganisms, and other factors that add up to overall farm health.
 Soil Management : Organic farming relies heavily on the natural breakdown of organic
matter, using techniques like green manure and composting, to replace nutrients taken
from the soil by previous crops. This biological process, driven by microorganisms such as
mycorrhiza, allows the natural production of nutrients in the soil throughout the
growing season, and has been referred to as feeding the soil to feed the plant.
 Weed Management : Organic Farming Focuses on weed management rather than weed
elimination. This is achieved by various methods like, Turning soil between crops, Using
heat to kill weeds, Plastic Films and Geo-textiles to block weed growth.
 Controlling Organisms : Insect Traps, Crop Rotation, Companion Crops, Pest Regulating
Plants.
Advantages of Organic Farming
 No Leaching of Synthetic Fertilizers into water bodies.
 Reduction of Algae Blooms in water bodies.
 Improved Bio-diversity.
 Soil Retains Fertility.
 Promotes livestock farming.
 Deforestation
Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal
of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter
converted to a non-forest use.
, Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut
down to be used or sold as fuel (sometimes in the form
of charcoal) or timber
cleared land is used as pasture for livestock,
plantations of commodities and settlements. The
removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has
resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and
aridity.
 Causes
Subsistence Agriculture (Just enough to feed family)
accounts to 48%
Commercial Agriculture (Cash Crops) Accounts to
32% .
Logging is Responsible for 14%.
Fuel Wood Accounts to 5%.
Note: Worldwide Trend
Deforestation
 Effects of Deforestation
 Enhanced Greeen House Effect as the population of trees that absorb CO2
decreases drastically.
 Increased Pollution.
 Erosion, Flooding Landslides
 Reduction in Fresh Water Supplies. Tropical Rain Forests produce 30% of fresh
water supply
 Decline in Bio-diversity.
 Unbalanced Ecosystem as animals and plants lose their habitat.
 Increased risk of plants and animals being extinct.
 Hydrological cycle Imbalance.
 Desertification
 Low Catchment in Catchment Areas.
Effects of Deforestation
Importance of National Parks, Conservation Areas and
Forestation in Nepal
 Preservation of Eco-logical diversity.
 Nepal is the hub for bird migration.
 Various Endangered Species such as the Asiatic Rock Python and the one-
horned rhinos exist in Nepal.
 Nepal also has a large number of Marsh-lands which are very important
aspects of Bird-Breeding.
 Deforestation is one of the major environmental problems in Nepal. More
than 80 % of the population rely on fuel wood for energy. Haphazard
Logging is also destroying the forests. National Parks help to minimize
Deforestation.