Climate Change

Climate change is defined as a long-term alteration in global or regional climate patterns, particularly a rise in average temperatures as a result of the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use.

  •  the enhanced greenhouse effect and key causes

  • impacts and responses to global warming.

  • environmental consequences, atmospheric and biological hazards, desertification, and sea-level rise

  • socioeconomic consequences, increasing numbers of environmental refugees, lifestyle changes, and the rising cost of food

  • political and community responses, carbon trading, energy-policy development, international cooperation, buying local products, and recycling.

1. Introduction to climate change

Climate Change: The good and the bad

Negative impacts:

  • Rising sea levels: increased flooding and erosion, forcing millions of people to relocate and causing significant economic damage to infrastructure and property

  • More frequent and severe extreme weather events including hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves

  • Ocean acidification damages marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs and shellfish populations.

  • Shifting precipitation patterns and increased drought frequency threaten agricultural productivity in many regions, potentially leading to food insecurity

  • Loss of biodiversity as many species struggle to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.

Positive effects

  • Increasing ecosystem productivity

  • Longer growing seasons in some northern latitude regions could potentially increase agricultural productivity in those specific areas

  • Reduced heating costs in cold regions during winter months.

  • Opening of new shipping routes through the Arctic as sea ice melts.

Background briefing: The greenhouse effect

  • The greenhouse effect is a good thing

  • Short wave radiation (incoming radiation) that is not reflected by albedo is absorbed by land and oceans as heat.

  • This heat is the released back into the atmosphere as long wave radiation (outgoing radiation)

  • Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect, and reflected back to the surface as heat to create our climate

  • Without the greenhouse effect the earth would be more like Venus (extreme day and night temperatures)

  • The enhanced greenhouse effect not so much

  • Human activities add excess GHG’s to the atmosphere leading to an ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’, as more heat is trapped

  • Enhanced greenhouse effect = increase in trapped atmospheric heat due to GHG’s emitted by humans

  • Climate Change = long term changes to average atmospheric conditions including temperature and precipitation as a result of enhanced greenhouse effect (higher temperatures)

Activity 1. Introduction to climate change.

Create a PowerPoint or document that communicates the causes and perils of Climate Change.

Remember to use definitions and reference your work.

To do: Explain to your audience the following concepts:

  1. Define climate change using quotes?

  2. Explain the greenhouse effect using a diagram.

  3. Why the focus on carbon dioxide?

  4. Use two graphs to explain the evidence for the human contribution to climate change.

  5. Use annotated graphs and maps to explain predictions of the impact of enhanced climate change. (Minimum 6 examples)

  • Rising sea levels

  • Increasing temperatures

  • Increasing drought

  • Increasing natural disasters

2. Climate change impacts

The climate is changing. What are the impacts?

Climate change is forecast to have numerous impacts on ecosystems and the environment. These changes are interconnected and will have significant impacts on natural and human systems.

  • Habitat loss, biodiversity loss and invasive species spread

  • Sea level rise and glacier melting

  • Ocean acidification (warming oceans)

  • Extreme weather events

To do: List the impacts of climate change on human and environmental systems.

Activity 2. Modelling climate change impacts

Model changing temperatures with Climate impact lab

This platform allows you to model changes in the global temperature due to increased GHG's.

You could, for example, model the following scenarios

Average annual temperatures.

# days over 35C

By changing the timeline you can see changes from the historical baseline 1986 - 2005.

It is also interesting to consider different emissions scenarios.

Note: ensure you change the temperature from F to C in the bottom left hand corner.

Place the mouse over a country for individual country data.

Model Sea level rise with Flood Map

This platform allows you to map low lying area to assess vulnerability and also to model the impacts of sea level rise.

Land elevation values are available here.

Sea level rise scenarios can be modelled here.

Identify the following regions:

  • Low lying coastal regions - sea level rise

  • River deltas

  • Agricultural regions

  • Population density map

3. The development energy debate

Discussion: Can we have development without energy?

Can LEDC’s develop without access to baseload power?

What are the alternatives?