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© Cengage Learning 2015 LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, 18e G. TYLER MILLER • SCOTT E. SPOOLMAN © Cengage Learning 2015 19 Climate Disruption
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© Cengage Learning 2015
LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, 18e G. TYLER MILLER • SCOTT E. SPOOLMAN
© Cengage Learning 2015
19 Climate Disruption
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• Considerable scientific evidence indicates that the earth’s atmosphere is warming at a rapid rate that is likely to lead to significant climate disruption during this century
19-1 How Is the Earth’s Climate Changing?
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• Weather is short-term changes – Temperature, air pressure, precipitation, wind
• Climate is average conditions in a particular area over a long period of time, at least 30 years – Temperature and precipitation – Fluctuations are normal
Weather and Climate Are Not the Same
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• Over the past 3.5 billion years the climate has been altered by: – Volcanic emissions, changes in solar input,
movement of the continents, meteor impacts, changing global air, and ocean circulation
• Over the past 900,000 years – Glacial and interglacial periods
Climate Change is Not New But Has Accelerated
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• Over the past 10,000 years – Interglacial period
• Over the past 1,000 years – Temperature stable
• Since 1975 – Temperature changes – Accelerating
Climate Change is Not New But Has Accelerated (cont’d.)
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Fig. 19-2, p. 507
Aver
age
surf
ace
tem
pera
ture
(°C)
Thousands of years ago
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (over past 900,000 years)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19-2: Over the past 900,000 years, the average global temperature of the atmosphere near the earth’s surface has fluctuated widely. This graph is based on a body of scientific evidence that contains gaps, but the data clearly indicate general trends. Question: What are two conclusions you can draw from this graph?
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Fig. 19-3, p. 507
Aver
age
surf
ace
tem
pera
ture
(°C)
Year
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (over past 130 years)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19-3: Atmospheric warming has trended upward since 1975 with a slight slowing of this trend between 2002 and 2012. Question: What are two conclusions you can draw from this graph?
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Fig. 19-4, p. 507
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19-4: Ice cores are extracted by drilling deep holes into ancient glaciers at various sites such as this one near the South Pole in Antarctica. Analysis of ice cores yields information about the past composition of the lower atmosphere, temperature trends such as those shown in Figure 19-2, solar activity, snowfall, and forest fire frequency.
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• Scientific evidence strongly indicates that the earth’s atmosphere has been warming at a rapid rate since 1975 and that human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have played a major role in this warming
19-2 Why Is the Earth’s Climate Changing?
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• Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiated by the earth – The gases then emit infrared radiation that
warms the atmosphere • Without the natural greenhouse effect
– We would have a cold, uninhabitable earth
The Natural Greenhouse Effect Plays a Key Role in Climate
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Fig. 19-6a, p. 510
Atmospheric lifetime
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CH4)
12 yrs
100 yrs (varies 50–200 yrs)
114 yrs
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19.6 Atmospheric lifetimes and warming potentials for three major greenhouse gases.
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• Since the Industrial Revolution – CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions have been
higher – Main sources – agriculture, deforestation, and
burning of fossil fuels • There is a correlation of rising CO2 and
CH4 with rising global temperatures
Human Activities Play a Key Role in Atmospheric Warming
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Fig. 19-7, p. 511
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19-7: Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the global average temperature of the atmosphere near the earth’s surface have changed drastically over the past 400,000 years. These curves show a general correlation between these two sets of data but do not establish a direct relationship between them. Question: What are two conclusions that you can draw from these data?
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• CO2 is soluble in ocean water • Warmer oceans
– Last century – 0.32-0.67C° increase – Absorb less CO2 and hasten atmospheric
warming – CO2 levels increase acidity – Affect marine ecosystems
What Role Do the Oceans Play in Projected Climate Disruption?
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• The projected rapid change in the atmosphere’s temperature could have severe and long-lasting consequences, including increased drought and flooding, rising sea levels, and shifts in the locations of croplands and wildlife habitats
• LINK
19-3 What Are the Possible Effects of a Warmer Atmosphere?
Fig. 19-22, p. 528
Solutions
Cut fossil fuel use (especially coal)
Sequester CO2 by planting trees and preserving forests and wetlands Shift from coal to
natural gas
Sequester carbon in soil using biochar
Prevention Cleanup Slowing Climate Disruption
Improve energy efficiency Sequester CO2
deep underground (with no leaks allowed)
Reduce deforestation
Remove CO2 from smokestack and vehicle emissions
Sequester CO2 in the deep ocean (with no leaks allowed)
Shift to renewable energy resources
Use more sustainable agriculture and forestry
Put a price on greenhouse gas emissions
Repair leaky natural gas pipelines and facilities
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Figure 19-22: Some ways to slow atmospheric warming and the resulting projected climate disruption during this century (Concept 19-3). Questions: Which five of these solutions do you think are the best ones? Why?
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• Solutions – Massive global tree planting – Restore wetlands that have been drained for
farming – Plant fast-growing perennials on degraded
land – Promote biochar – Preserve and restore natural forests – Capture/store carbon from coal-burning plants
We Could Try to Clean Up Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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• CO2 is classified as a pollutant – Concentration in the atmosphere
• 2009 – the EPA classified several greenhouse gases as a danger to public health – Fossil fuel companies are against
Greenhouse Gases Can Be Regulated as Pollutants
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• The Kyoto Protocol – 1997 – treaty to slow climate change – Not signed by the U.S.
• Technology transfer – Helping poor countries
• Protection of large forests
Governments Can Cooperate Internationally
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• Realize important economic, ecological, and health benefits by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions – With the goal of slowing projected climate
disruption
19-5 How Can We Adapt to Climate Change?
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• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible
• Move people from low-lying coastal areas • Take measures against storm surges at
coast • Prepare for more intense wildfires • Conserve water
We Can Prepare for Climate Disruption
