Eco Council Class Visit!

The Science Behind the Climate Crisis 

How the Carbon Cycle Goes Wrong

• For most of the history of earth, carbon was recycled through photosynthesis

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• But in the Industrial Revolution (beginning 1750), people began burning fossil fuels

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• By burning coal we transferred sub-terranean carbon (not part of the cycle) into the atmosphere

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How the Carbon Cycle Goes Wrong

When did we understand burning fossil would disrupt the carbon cycle and change the climate?

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Multiple choice:

• 1953
• 1895
• 1609

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The Greenhouse Effect

So, what’s so bad about a warmer climate?

Climate Change’s Effects

If nothing is done about climate change, we can currently expect the Earth to warm by around 3 degrees Celsius by 2100

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What do you think the environment will look like when you are 90 years old?

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• Flooding
• Wildfires
• Droughts
• Storms

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• Food insecurity
• Crops affected by pests, weather
• Famines
• Shift in diet

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• Habitat loss
• Animals going extinct
• Diseases more prevalent

How will Climate Change Affect the World?

Tipping points!

Flooding – �Sea Level Rise

• Warming temperatures causes ice to melt faster
• The melting of glaciers contributes to sea level rise
• As ocean temperatures increase, the water expands slightly also rising sea level
• Even if sea levels rise by only 50 centimeters, many places including cities may become submerged

Droughts – Rainforests

• Rainforests create their own moisture
• Water that evaporates from tree leaves forms clouds and causes rain
• As there are fewer trees (due to deforestation), there is less rain
• May eventually lead to the Rainforest becoming Savannah
• This process would release methane from the forest floor into the atmosphere, speeding up climate change
• Would cause devastating droughts across the world

Disease – spread further north

• Diseases that used to die in colder climates may appear further north
• E.g. Lyme disease in Canada

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• Permafrost thawing
• Old diseases preserved in the permafrost may arise (e.g. anthrax)

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• Habitat loss causes wild animals to live in proximity to people, potentially causing pandemics like COVID-19

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Food insecurity - Ocean acidification

• 80% of the world’s population relies on fish and aquatic life for food
• Stable level of acidity for millions of years
• Excess carbon dioxide has been absorbed into the oceans since the industrial revolution approximately 270 years ago
• The ocean absorbs 22 million tonnes of CO2 per day
• Scientists have already seen results of shell deterioration and coral bleaching in our oceans

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Solutions to Climate Change!

Where do our emissions come from?

• Transportation
• Oil and Gas Production
• Electricity

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What can you do about climate change?

But… will it make a difference?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiw6_JakZFc

Petition Governments!

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• Email your representatives letters, and they may respond!
• Use pre-written emails and/or sign petitions
• Signing up for newsletters or follow accounts on social media
• Check out Eco Council’s newsletters, coming soon
• Join climate strikes!

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Topics:

• Stop subsidizing fossil fuels
• Build more renewable energy plants
• Protect natural areas

Encourage biodiversity

One of the best ways to fight climate change is by restoring biodiversity:

- trees and plants capture carbon

- provide shade and cooling during the summer, shelter during the winter (less heat + AC required)

- animals keep eco systems healthy

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Plant native plants in your backyard or balcony to attract bees, butterflies, etc.

Be a conscious consumer

• The things you buy often take a lot of emissions to manufacture
• Production of raw material
• Manufacturing product
• Transport at various stages of life cycle

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• By buying things, you encourage the company to produce more of it
• If you don’t use it very much before throwing it away, it is a waste of materials and of the power it took to make it
• Materials often take hundreds if not thousands of years to biodegrade

Industry- specific solutions

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Any questions?