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D 2.4, 2.5, 3.1 Climate Change – Examining the Evidence

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  • A large geographical region with a particular range of temperature and precipitation levels, and the plants and animals that are adapted to those climate conditions.

Biomes

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The earth has six different biomes.

Each biome is defined by their range of temperature and precipitation to which the plants and animals in the biome are adapted.

Earth’s Biomes

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1. Tundra

Earth’s Biomes

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2. Taiga

Earth’s Biomes

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3. Deciduous Forest

Earth’s Biomes

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4. Grassland

Earth’s Biomes

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5. Rain Forest

Earth’s Biomes

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6. Desert

Earth’s Biomes

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Human Impact on Global Climate

Human activities are adding to the GHG’s in the atmosphere – causing a general warming of the global climate

GHG’s include:

    • Carbon dioxide (CO2)
    • Methane (CH4)
    • Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
    • Water Vapour (H2O)(l)
  • The enhanced greenhouse effect
  • Without the greenhouse effect, earth would be covered completely with ice.

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Human Sources of GHG’s

CO2

Fossil Fuel Combustion

  • automobiles
  • electricity generation
  • Industry

CH4

N2O

Decay without oxygen present

  • livestock
  • automobiles
  • fertilizer

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Tracking Atmospheric CO2

  • Due to human activities, carbon dioxide and other GHG’s are rising exponentially.

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  • Historical data is collected by analyzing tiny bubbles in yearly layers of ice.

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  • Average yearly temperature can also be measured this way.

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Evidence of Increasing Global Temperature

Anecdotal evidence

Scientific evidence

  • Personal experience: “It seems way hotter than when I was kid.”

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  • Changes over months, years, decades.
  • Subject to personal opinion and bias
  • Quantitative, standardized measurements (e.g. weathers stations around the world, satellites)
  • Changes over thousands, millions of years
  • Based on the burden of proof and international consensus

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Evidence of Increasing Global Temperature

  • Average global temperature increased by about one degree C over the last century.

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Trying to predict how a complex system will behave in the future depends on:

    • past patterns
    • knowledge of the present state of the system
    • understanding how the system works

Predicting the Future will Always be Uncertain

Scientists use computer models to try to predict how earth’s climate will behave in the future.

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Potential Effects of Climate Change

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International Efforts

THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL

  • phase out CFC’s (a GHG)
  • first major international agreement addressing earth’s atmospheric health

U. N. FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

  • laid ground work for an international action plan to address climate change
  • focused on sustainable development (using resources without endangering future generations)

KYOTO PROTOCOL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

  • U. N. treaty
  • Canada agreed to reduce GHG emissions to 6% below 1990 levels.

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  • Emission-reduction credits (if you take GHG’s out of the atmosphere) – can be bought and sold internationally

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Personal Choices

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CO2

  • Burn coal more efficiently to make electricity
  • Cars: use less petroleum with hybrid and electric cars, and better standards for fuel efficiency
  • Use Natural gas not coal to make electricity
  • Use solar powered electricity for homes
  • Burn less natural gas with a well insulated home

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CH4

  • Design better food for livestock that makes them burp/fart less methane

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  • Collect methane from landfills and burn to create electricity

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N2O

  • Automobiles can be cleaner burning, or hybirds that use an electric motor as well as gas
  • Hydrgoen fuel car
  • Add “soap” to fertilizer sprays to make them heavier and soak in to plants faster so less gets in to air