HIPERTEXTO CLIMATE CHANGE
CAUSES OF EARTH´S CLIMATE CHANGE
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Concept of Climate Change
2. Global Warming
3. Greenhouse Gases
4. Ozone layer depletion
5. Causes of Rising Emitions
CLIMATE CHANGE
TO THINK…
Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming. The earth's climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle. What the world is more worried about is that the changes that are occurring today have been speeded up because of man's activities. These changes are being studied by scientists all over the world who are finding evidence from tree rings, pollen samples, ice cores, and sea sediments. The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories - those that are due to natural causes and those that are created by man.
TO ANSWER…
What are the consequences of use of burning fossil? What can people to decrease the environmental problems that cause climate change? What do you think about this huge issue?
1. GLOBAL WARMING
The current global average temperature is 0.85ยบC higher than it was in the late 19th century. Each of the past three decades has been warmer than any preceding decade since records began in 1850. The world's leading climate scientists think human activities are almost certainly the main cause of the warming observed since the middle of the 20th century.
Causes and Consequences of Climate Change Video
2.
GREENHOUSE GASES
Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from leaking back into space. Many of these gases occur naturally, but human activity is increasing the concentrations of some of them in the atmosphere, in particular: *carbon dioxide (CO2) *methane *nitrous oxide *fluorinated gases CO2 is the greenhouse gas most commonly produced by human activities and it is responsible for 64% of man-made global warming. Its concentration in the atmosphere is currently 40% higher than it was when industrialization began.
Video:The Greenhouse Effect
3.
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
Ozone layer is a deep layer in earth’s atmosphere that contains ozone which is a naturally occurring molecule containing three oxygen atoms. These ozone molecules form a gaseous layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere called stratosphere.
Ozone depletion powerpoint presentation
Why Ozone Layer is Necessary? An essential property of ozone molecule is its ability to block solar radiations of wavelengths less than 290 nanometers from reaching Earth’s surface. In this process, it also absorbs ultraviolet radiations that are dangerous for most living beings. UV radiation could injure or kill life on Earth. Though the absorption of UV radiations warms the stratosphere but it is important for life to flourish on planet Earth. Research scientists have anticipated disruption of susceptible terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to depletion of ozone layer.
4. CAUSES OF RISING EMITIONS
Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food.
Fertilisers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions.
Fluorinated gases produce a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO2. Thankfully these are released in smaller quantities and are being phased down by EU regulation.