Global%20Change

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Chapter 19

• Global Change

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Walking on Thin Ice

• Polar bears play important role in North Pole
  ecosystem
• Problem temperatures in Arctic have risen
  faster than in other parts of the world
• Causing polar ice cap to melt
• Polar bears are losing habitat due to polar ice
  melting
• 2008 US classified polar bears as threatened
  species
• 2009 Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and US
  agreed effect of global warming on ice cap posed
  greatest threat to polar bears

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Global Change Terminology

• Global change any chemical, biological or
  physical property change of the planet.
• Global climate change changes in the climate of
  the Earth
• Can be natural or anthropogenic
• Global warming one aspect of climate change
• The warming of the oceans, land masses and
  atmosphere of the Earth

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The Greenhouse Effect
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The greenhouse Effect

• Greenhouse gases gases that absorb infrared
  radiation
• Include
• Make up small percentage of atmosphere
• IMPORTANT!

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Major Greenhouse Gases
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Natural Greenhouse Gases

• Volcanic eruptions mainly carbon dioxide
• Also releases ash
• Methane from decomposition
• Nitrous oxide from denitrification
• Water vapor evapotranspiration or evaporation

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Anthropogenic Causes of Greenhouse Gases

• Burning of fossil fuels
• Agricultural practices
• Deforestation
• Landfills
• Industrial production- CFCs are an example

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Anthropogenic Sources oF Greenhouse Gases
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Anthropogenic Sources of Greenhouse Gases in US
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IPCC

• 1988 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  (IPCC) formed
• Formed by UN and World Meteorological
  Organization
• More than 3000 scientists from around world
• Goal to understand the details of

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Increasing CO2

• David Keeling began measuring CO 2 in 1958.

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Emissions from the Developed and Developing World
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Global Temperatures since 1880
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Temperatures and Greenhouse Gas in Past 400,000
Years

• Use indirect measurements, including
• Changes in species compositions
• Chemical analyses of ice

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Historic CO2 Concentrations
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CO2 Isnt the only Greenhouse Gas to increase
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Historic Temperature and CO2 Concentrations
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Recent Temperature Increases

• Fluctuations in temperature have been occurring
  since before humans
• Explanations for increasing temperatures
• 2007 - IPCC

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Computer Models
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Feedback Loops and Climate Change
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Global WarmingEnvironmental Consequences

• Melting of polar ice caps/ Greenland and
  Antarctica melting
• Melting of many glaciers around the world
• Melting of permafrost
• Rising of sea levels due to the melting of
  glaciers and ice sheets and as water warms it
  expands
• Heat waves
• Cold spells
• Change in precipitation patterns
• Increase in storm intensity
• Shift in ocean currents

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Global WarmingLiving Organisms Consequences

• Wild plants and animals can be affected
• Growing season changed
• Ranges occupied has been shifting towards both
  poles
• Potential harm if animals cant move to better
  climates
• Coral are especially sensitive
• Humans
• May have to relocate
• Some diseases could increase
• Economic consequences

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The Controversy of Climate Change

• Fundamental basis of climate change that
  greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing and
  that this will lead to global warming is not in
  dispute among the vast majority of scientists
• What is unclear is how much world temperatures
  will increase for a given change in greenhouse
  gases, because that depends on the different
  feedback loops

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Greenpeace Co-Founder Does not believe in Global
Climate Change

• Lets watch the video http//www.youtube.com/watc
  h?vcA6WZ4SX_-0

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The Kyoto Protocol

• 1997 - representatives of the nations of the
  world went to Kyoto, Japan to discuss how best to
  control the emissions contributing to global
  warming
• Countries agreed to different levels of emission
  restrictions
• Options to reduce emissions
• Increase fuel efficiency and switching from
  coal/oil to natural gas/renewable energy/nuclear
  energy
• Carbon sequestration next slide

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Carbon Sequestration

• Approach involving taking CO2 out of the
  atmosphere
• Some methods
• Researchers are looking at cost-effective ways of
  capturing CO2 from the air, from coal-burning
  power stations, and from other emission sources

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Dates for The Kyoto Protocol

• 1997 US Senate voted unanimously that US should
  not sign due to a lack of restrictions on
  developing countries or any agreement that would
  harm US economy
• 2001 KP modified to convince more developed
  nations to ratify
• GWB argued too much uncertainty in global warming
  predictions to justify ratification of protocol
• 2007 EPA given authority (and must) to regulate
  greenhouse gases as part of Clean Air Act
• 2009 EPA announced start of regulating
  greenhouse gases for 1st time
• 2010 EPA starts to look more closely at ways to
  regulate emissions of CO2
• 2010 190 countries have ratified the Kyoto
  Protocol
• US is only developed country who has not ratified
  (still has not)
• Changes in country CO2 emissions
• When look at all 41 developed countries
  reduction was 5.2